Reviews

The most recent in a sequence of enigmatic, monographic novels by Magnus Florin.

For all the gore, John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel transcends the formulaic boundaries of horror fiction to probe at the interaction of exclusion, powerlessness and violence.

Kerstin Ekman’s first-person narrator, a down-at-heel physician, follows up on a chance encounter with the writer Hjalmar Söderberg by providing him with information on potassium cyanide pills as an instrument of death...

This bilingual edition fills a gap and introduces readers to Harry Martinson's poetry.

Jerker Virdborg is back, with an engrossing, fast-paced, deeply unsettling dystopian tale.

Eva-Stina Byggmästar's poems are about the joy of writing poetry, of being a poet, of what poetry is and means.

P.C. Jersild's novel raises questions concerning some of the odder reaches of Swedish life – the ‘back yard of Eden’.

Elisabeth Rynell captures the mystical mood of her earlier novels – the wonder of the awe-inspiring scenery, the changing seasons – with the quality of legend.

Gabriella Ahlström's first novel for adults is unlike other popular contemporary Swedish books in its focus on character over plot, and readers can appreciate its minutely detailed portrait of a woman who is constantly disappointed by her family and aware of their many faults and yet remains faithful and devoted to them.

Peter Englund’s book shows that there is still much to be said and new perspectives to be taken on the First World War.

The poet Ulf Karol Olov Nilsson knows the extent of power a word can hold. In this collection, the absurd is juxtaposed with the tragic.

Kjell Westö is a first-class storyteller and you don’t have to be interested in Finnish history to enjoy his books.

Kalle Dixelius offers a modern version of our very oldest stories: a young man living in poor conditions feels a strong inner urge to embark on a dangerous and often life-threatening quest in search of a deeper meaning in life.

The thoughts of Johan Kling's protagonist in this novel are far less meaningless than the talk of Habitat, house prices and holidays in Portugal which make up the conversations around him.

One of the many triumphs of Steve Sem-Sandberg's narrative is that it shows how the mechanics of persecution operate within a society of the persecuted.

Fans of the Persepolis graphic novels will surely be charmed by Marjaneh Bahktiari's feisty young female characters.

Aris Fioretos has written a wry meditation on human identity, loss and longing, and what it is to be Greek.

Karolina Ramqvist's gangster girlfriend plays happy homes in a novel highlighting the ease with which women (and men) can slide into a conscience-free virtual reality of glamour and luxury.