2017:2
Fiction from Anni Blomqvist and Martin Kellerman. Sara Stridsberg addresses the Swedish Academy. 'A Day in the Life' of Publicity manager Nichola Smalley (And Other Stories).
Editor: Deborah Bragan-Turner
(Image: Gula klippor. Credits © Visit Åland. Photo: Tiina Tahvanainen)
Translations
Translated extract
from To Storm Skerry by Anni Blomqvist
Anni Blomqvist's series of five novels set in the Åland archipelago in the 19th century draws on events in her own family history to depict the harsh reality of life on a small, remote island.
Translated by Kate Lambert.
TRANSLATED EXTRACT
from Everything Turns to Nothing by Martin Kellerman
In this extract from Martin Kellerman's first novel, a disenchanted young man's life revolves around collecting his grandmother's pension and growing cannabis in her living room.
Translated by Paul Goldsman
Articles
FEATURE
Inaugural Address to the Swedish Academy by Sara Stridsberg
In her inaugural address to the Swedish Academy on 20 December 2016, Sara Stridsberg pays homage to her predecessor, Gunnel Vallquist, and the art of translation.
Translated by Deborah Bragan-Turner.
FEATURE
A Day in the Life of a Publisher
In this look at day-to-day life at a small literary publisher, Nichola Smalley, Publicity, Marketing and Sales Manager at And Other Stories, gives a glimpse into the world of UK publishing.
IN MEMORIAM
Anna-Lisa Murrell 1937-2017
Anna-Lisa and Martin Murrell's translation of works by the Finland-Swedish author Runar Schildt, The Meat-
Grinder and Other Stories, was published by Norvik Press in 2004.
IN MEMORIAM
Eric Dickens (1953-2017)
Eric Dickens published various translations in SBR over the years and was also valued by successive editorial teams as a writer of pithy and accessible reviews, especially of Finland-Swedish fiction.
Reviews
compiled and edited by Fiona Graham
REVIEW
Båt 370 – Döden på Medelhavet
'... it illuminates, with heartbreaking clarity, reality as lived by the individuals who fall through the gaps in international treaties and EU conventions'
REVIEW
Frågor jag fått om Förintelsen
The question that starts the book is ‘What was the worst thing you experienced?’ Her answer is simple: ‘The moment I was separated from my parents.’
REVIEW
Modeslavar: den globala jakten på billigare kläder
The scandal, according to Kärnstrand and Andersson Åkerblom, is that the same problems have dominated the industry for decades and show little sign of changing.
REVIEW
Hopplöst, men inte allvarligt: konst och politik i Centraleuropa
'...the situation is hopeless ... Perhaps its serious nature will nonetheless lead us to something that we might almost be able to call hope.’
REVIEW
Doften av en man
What do men want? How is it possible to fulfil their desires, based on their dream of what a woman should be? And how can you escape a marriage that is not your own, but your parents’?
REVIEW
Laudatur
Peter Sandström's Autumn Apples is a masterpiece of understatement, a brilliantly laconic portrait of the sad vicissitudes of life.
REVIEW
Den svavelgula himlen
Although The Sulphur-Yellow Sky begins with a crime, it is not about uncovering a mystery. More than that, it asks how complicit are those who watch, who are involved but not involved, who see but do nothing.
REVIEW
Finna Sig
Agnes Lidbeck creates a layered protagonist whose passivity is actually an active choice. The title, which means ‘to comply’, but also ‘to find oneself’, neatly captures these aspects of the protagonist.
REVIEW
De kommer att drunkna i sina mödrars tårar
Johannes Anyuru's novel, a searing warning about a possible future, frames a strong message in breathtaking prose.
REVIEW
En enastående karriär
Martin Engberg's entertaining misadventure explores the themes of knowledge, failure, identity and the stresses of academia.
REVIEW
En bror att dö för
Anders Roslund & Stefan Thunberg's taut prose and changes in narrative perspective and tempo make for an intricate psychological drama that crackles on every page.
REVIEW
Slutet på sommaren
Former police officer Anders de la Motte's suspenseful crime novel was nominated Best Swedish Crime Novel Award by the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers.
REVIEW
Gryningsstjärna
The second installment in Charlotte Cederlund’s Idijärvi trilogy, a magical YA fantasy that follows teenage misfit Áili in her fight to save her Lapland village from the destructive supernatural forces of the evil Borri noaidi.
REVIEW
Linjen
Elise Karlsson's third novel is a stylistically chilly, pared-back reflection on the workings of our present-day society.