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Your free copy
The best of the latest swedish literature, selected by
independent columnists sofia gydemo, Alexandra Sundqvist and
björn kohlström, presented by the swedish arts council.
new
Swedish
Books
Prose
Poetry
Children’s
and Young Adult
Literature
Comics
swedish
l i t e r at u r e
exchange
Autumn 2015
Autumn 2015
Welcome to a new autumn of Swedish books!
We presume that you as a reader are interested in what’s new in Swedish
literature, which books are published, and what the trends are at the moment.
But we also believe that you are interested in which of all these books you need
to take a closer look at, which books will affect people in some way, books that
you most need to read in your own language. This publication is intended as a
guide to help you find what you are looking for.
The selection is an expression of the columnists’ personal opinions on what they
view as the best books published in Sweden during this autumn. The selection
does not cover all books published, or the bestselling books or the most popular
ones abroad.
The selection of books for children and young adults has been made by Sofia
Gydemo, librarian at the Swedish Institute for Children’s Books. Prose and poetry
have been selected by Björn Kohlström, critic and teacher. Comic books and
graphic novels have been chosen by Alexandra Sundqvist, journalist.
This issue also features a report from the Swedish Institute of Children’s books.
Every year they conduct the Book Tasting, a survey of all the children’s and YA
books published in Sweden in the previous year.
Illustration from The Most Boring Day by Jonas Lindén (text), Mia Nilsson (ill)
In the back you will find the contact details to the publishers and rights holders
as well as information about all our international literature grants for translation,
projects, events and travel.
More information about the Swedish Arts Council’s work with international
literature exchange can be found online, along with previous editions of New
Swedish Books at www.swedishliterature.se.
Susanne Bergström Larsson, Project Manager for Swedish Literature Exchange,
Swedish Arts Council
Enjoy!
Autumn 2015
New swedish books
Contents
40
Chapter Books
48
Young adult
fiction
4
prose
22
Poetry
56
66
comics
Book
Tasting
Publishers
and rights
holders
28
Children’s and
young adult
literature
30
Picture books
70
Publishers and
rights holders
Grants
72
Grants
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Essay writing has become more popular in recent years,
as evidenced by several of the books this autumn.
Prose
The imagination
What distinguishes contemporary Swedish prose writing
is the distinct desire to experiment and not be satisfied
with simply describing a set of events. Under the guise
of realism many Swedish authors are currently examining
such matters that borders on improbability, or even the
illusory. It’s all happening within a newly awakened sense
of delight at the possibilities of fiction.
The grand master of imagination in Swedish literature
is the ever resourceful and productive Lars Gustafsson,
who works across several genres. In his new novel he
plays freely and highly comically with identity and with
moments of self-improvement offered to those who want
to reinvent themselves. Kristofer Folkhammar depicts a
world where everything is turned upside down when he
describes a school where sadomasochistic homosexual
rituals have become the norm. Jonas Hassen Khemiri
steers clear of any simplifications in his new novel. It’s a
love story that utilizes a full arsenal of narrative techniques
and inventive tricks. The impression that persists is one of
a rigorous debate about the new world economy.
conventions that hamper their development. Both pursue
a political discussion with unconventional methods.
History
In this autumn’s novels, history is depicted both factually
and fictitiously. Carola Hansson, writing her third novel
about the Tolstoy family, focusing this time on one of
the daughters, delivers a traditional historical novel.
She consistently succeeds in presenting and bringing to
life the past in a most impressive manner. Aris Fioretos
dispenses a slightly less traditional historical novel with
an equal sense of poise, starting from a fictional character
but placing him in a real world scenario; the 1970s as
dominated by the military junta. His novel challenges the
conditions of the historical novel.
The Essay
Essay writing has become more popular in recent years,
as evidenced by several of the books this autumn. Tomas
Lappalainen writes intimately and openly about his own
aging, all with a sense of unexpected humour guiding him
towards insights the reader can revel in. Jesper Svenbro’s
lifelong interest in the poet Sappho is assembled in a text
that moves from literary theory to intimate accounts of
reading experiences. Finally Karin Johannisson describes
in her new book three creative women who periodically
spent time in a mental hospital. We’re presented with a
piece of medical history that also considers the conditions
during the twentieth century for female artists.
The thriving art of the short story
The short story has, since the nineties, held a strong
position in Swedish literature. Amongst this autumn’s
books, Åsa Foster’s second collection is worth singling
out for its piercing gaze on human relationships. Sven
Olov Karlsson has the ability to combine the journalist’s
observant eye on our times with the ability to give his
story a fictitious framework. Reportage meets short story
in his unique collection. The most experienced of all the
short story writers this autumn is Cecilia Davidsson, whose
writing is condensed but still holds generous scope for
interpretation.
Contemporary life
The task of putting a finger on the pulse of contemporary
life is confidently given to Jonas Karlsson and Linna
Johansson. Both make present day issues understandable
and urgent. Karlsson’s quick-witted novel about a
shopping centre that introduces a shameful punishment
system demonstrates how easy it is for good intentions to
spiral out of control, yet the novel firmly keeps its focus on
the debate about punishment and guilt. Johansson’s novel
argues for the rights of young women to break free from
4
Jonas Hassen Khemiri, photo: Martin Stenmark
Absurd humour
Two of this crop of debut novelists explore elements of
farce in their writing. The first novel from the well-reputed
cartoonist Martin Kellerman walks the same tightrope
between laughter and melancholy that’s present in his
comics, in a story that takes unexpected turns. In the case
of Malin Axelsson, she has written an anarchic tale with a
strong feminist edge. Both of these writers bestow their
stories with a linguistic form that’s original and ambitious,
yet also freed from conventional rules.
Autumn 2015
New swedish books
Jonas Hassen
Khemiri
All I Can’t
Remember
Albert Bonniers
Förlag
Rights: Ahlander
Agency
All I Can’t
Remember
Photo: Martin Stenmark
An author attempts to reconstruct
the last day of the deceased
Samuel’s life. Was it suicide or an
accident? What role was played
by the girlfriend Laide and the
end of their relationship? What
role did the friend Vandad play,
who may have been in love with
Samuel? From this presumably
fictional documentary material a
dark labyrinth emerges, gradually
resembling a lattice of unreliable
memories and misleading
rumours. What’s demonstrated
here is just how difficult it is
to trust another human being.
Bound together with great
linguistic flair, the internationally
acclaimed Jonas Hassen Khemiri
returns to the novel form with this
story of contemporary life, where
the truth is as difficult to capture
as the lie.
Aris Fioretos
Mary
Norstedts
Rights: Hedlund
Literary agency
One of the most spine-chilling
novels this year is set during the
early seventies in an unnamed
country. Mary, a student, is
taken by the military to an island
where she, together with five
other women, is set to work on
readying cells for new prisoners.
Her abduction takes place on the
very same day she finds out that
she’s pregnant; a secret that’s
becoming increasingly difficult to
hide in an environment filled with
uncertainty, exhaustion, hunger
and pain – the latter the result
of the torture carried out by the
military. The reader shares this
uncertainty, only slowly becoming
aware of what’s going on. These
horrors are juxtaposed with
the friendship that the women
develop. Aris Fioretos has written
a tightly knit political novel in a
prose that’s restrained yet witty,
and in a precise style that depicts
how hard it is to make reasonable
choices in an unreasonable world.
Mary
Photo: Caroline Andersson
The Wounded
Diva
6
on the links between madness
and creativity, where we are
presented on the one hand with
a historical overview of twentieth
century psychiatry and on the
other an intimate examination
of the conditions at the time for
creative women. With a touch as
light as it is elegant, our eyes are
opened to something that was
previously concealed.
Photo: David Brandt
Karin Johannisson
The Wounded Diva:
On the Aesthetics
of the Mind
Albert Bonniers
Förlag
Rights: Albert
Bonniers Förlag
Three creative women – three
diagnoses. The novelist Agnes
von Krusenstjerna, the artist
Sigrid Hjertén, and the poet
Nelly Sachs. All of them spend
periods of time in the mental
hospital Beckomberga. Starting
from their medical journals, Karin
Johannisson, a professor in the
history of science and ideas,
recounts their medical histories.
But it’s also a perceptive essay
7
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
friends the Hyenas. The dreamily poetic events are given
an unexpected distinction in Kristofer Folkhammar’s
inventive and linguistically exciting novel. Aided
by descriptions of rituals much is said about power
relationships and the conditions faced by homosexuals
in contemporary Sweden.
A sanctuary for homosexuality has been established in a
high school, creating the conditions for a closed off world
based upon the shared erotic experiences of teachers
and students. A high school teacher puts in place his
own sadomasochistic punishment system in order to gain
the favour of his favourite student Charles. When this
isn’t enough he turns his focus to the close-knit gang of
The Schoolmaster
Games
“The dreamily poetic events
are given an unexpected
distinction in Kristofer
Folkhammar’s inventive and
linguistically exciting novel.”
Photo: Sara Mac Key
Kristofer
Folkhammar
The Schoolmaster
Games
Natur & Kultur
Rights: Natur &
Kultur
9
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Dr Wasser’s Prescription
“This man of many
talents, not least
erotic ones, cons
his way through
life simply because
the society around
him is so easily
manipulated.”
Lars Gustafsson
Dr Wasser’s Prescription
Albert Bonniers Förlag
Rights: agentur literatur
gudrun hebel
The amazingly inventive Lars
Gustafsson already comes with a
rich supply of more or less probable
stories in his bag. He continues
to teach us that the dividing line
between truth and lies is almost
non-existent. The main character in
his new novel is a young Swedish
man who has his head firmly
screwed on, but is unsure what
to do with his life. He takes on
the identity of an East German
man who has died in a motorcycle
accident and becomes Kurt Wasser,
and later on a doctor. This man of
many talents, not least erotic ones,
cons his way through life simply
because the society around him
is so easily manipulated. With its
breath-taking mental leaps and
cheerful treatment of existential
issues this is a novel that reaffirms
the author’s excellent reputation
both in Sweden and elsewhere in
the world.
Unfree
A Swedish Celebrity
When the 26-year-old academic Anna Jäger
is employed as the editor of a union journal
she makes an inverted class journey. It’s
the beginning of the seventies, and she’s
attracted and appalled in equal measure by
the vice-chairman Bengt, a former stonemason
who takes the road less travelled. They unite
in their determination to change society,
beginning with working conditions in factories
and industry, but their contrasting social
backgrounds lead to frequent quarrels. Despite
their growing love, his contempt for education
and her jealousy make living together
impossible. With strong character portrayals
and by describing crucial moments both on
a personal and social level Gunilla Boëthius
succeeds in recreating the political movements
of the time in parallel with their love story.
The central character, who shares the author’s
name, arrives in Sweden as a teenage
refugee from Bosnia-Herzegovina. In this
autobiographical novel she goes to high
school, meets boys and wants nothing more
than to get a foot in the door of the theatre
world. She works as a prompter, but dreams
of breaking through as a playwright. With
her debut novel Alma Kirlic allows the reader
an insight into a young person’s experience
of not feeling at home anywhere. It’s about
finding a voice for her experiences and a
framework for her story, both of which she
succeeds in doing. Her novel is written out
of anguish as much as necessity and captures
the experience of being young and lost with
an unusual sensitivity.
Dr Wasser’s
Prescription
Gunilla Boëthius
Unfree – A seventies
passion
Wahlström & Widstrand
Rights: Wahlström &
Widstrand
10
Alma Kirlic
A Swedish Celebrity
Norstedts
Rights: Norstedts
11
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Alejandro Leiva
Wenger
Facts
Albert Bonniers
Förlag
Rights: Colombine
teaterförlag
Photo: Sofia Runarsdotter
Facts
experiences of people who, in various ways, have been
let down by society and who dare to act upon their
feelings of outrage are portrayed here. An inquisitive
seriousness is contrasted with an audacious humour,
mediated by a consistently accomplished yet restless
language. This is drama that concerns itself to the
highest degree with commenting on contemporary life.
12
Carola Hansson
Masja
Albert Bonniers
Förlag
Rights: carina
deschamps agency
In her third book about the
Tolstoy family Carola Hansson
writes about the daughter, Maria
Lvovna. At the age of two her
father, the famous writer Leo
Tolstoy, foretold that she would
suffer greatly throughout her life,
a prophecy that unfortunately
came true. She married late, was
sickly for long periods of her
life, and had seven miscarriages
before dying at 35. The focus
of the novel is on the strong
13
Photo: Sara Mac Key
With his 2001 short story collection Till Vår Ära (In Our
Honour) Alejandro Leiva Wenger enjoyed one of the
new century’s most noted debuts. Now his second book
is finally here, containing three plays. The question
running between them is of the extent to which you
can trust someone else’s story; whose version of events
is the truest. Seemingly insignificant situations are
charged with misunderstanding and suspicion. Life
Masja
intellectual and emotional bond
that existed between father and
daughter, as demonstrated in
their conversations about politics,
art and religion. Another theme
of the novel is the anything
but warm relationship between
Masja and her mother. The
empathy with these people’s
fates is so great that it leaves an
unforgettable impression on the
reader.
New swedish books
Tomas Lappalainen
Life As Such
Lind & Co
Rights: Lind & Co
Autumn 2015
“The unexpected language
makes a surprising
impression, and provides
obvious yet unexpected
insights.”
Life As
Such
curiosity. The unexpected language makes a surprising
impression, and provides obvious yet unexpected
insights. He writes about children, love, dreams, death,
irony, Italy and aches and pains with a light and playful
touch. It’s a beautiful book that elegantly demonstrates
how restriction does not necessarily mean reduction.
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Photo: Eva Lindblad
With his two latest books Tomas Lappalainen has
unearthed the neglected tradition, from a Swedish
perspective, of the chronicle. Where the first of the two
described what happens between the age of 55 and 60
he now makes brief forays into disparate subjects, tying
his reasoning together with subtle humour and bold
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Åsa Foster
People Do The
oddest Things
these days
Bokförlaget Forum
Rights: Nordin
agency
Linna Johansson
Lollo
Modernista
Rights: Hedlund
Literary agency
Åsa Foster’s second collection
of short stories confirms why
she has quickly made a name
for herself in the genre. What
marks her writing out is the chaos
that’s thinly disguised beneath
the surface, and in particular the
fragile basis upon which love
is set. By suffusing everyday
realism with an atmosphere of
subtle absurdity the short stories
approach a feeling of unease that
has a great impact on the reader.
Her characters are in various
stages of impending breakdown.
They navigate willingly towards
doom, perhaps only so as to
break the routine they have
become stuck in. The traditionally
composed short stories make,
with their unexpected ideas,
deep and surprising insights into
human behaviour.
Photo: Jörgen Linder
People Do The Oddest
Things These Days
Lollo
Photo: Caroline Andersson
The two young friends Lollo and Lidija have graduated
from high school but aren’t yet ready to become adults.
Where Lidija is cocky and enterprising Lollo is shy and
unassuming. They are united in the feeling of being
different and in their desire to stall their fast approaching
adulthood. They drink, experiment with drugs and
pornography, moving in increasingly dangerous circles.
Linna Johansson, who at a young age made a name for
herself as a prominent feminist, makes her novelist debut
with this razor-sharp satirical depiction of contemporary
life that many will find easy to identify with.
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17
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Sappho Has Left Us
Jonas Karlsson
I’m a Thief
Wahlström &
Widstrand
Rights:
Salomonsson
Agency
I’m a Thief
Photo: Martin Stenmark
The multi-talented actor Jonas Karlsson,
after publishing a couple of collections
of short stories, has proceeded more
recently to the novel form. As always his
attention is tuned to the changing tide
of social progress. Here he tells the droll,
yet troubling story of Roland, the chief of
security who introduces the idea of letting
shoplifters wear signs around their necks that
read ‘I’m a thief’. In so doing he unleashes an
uncontrollable series of events as the conflict
with the ever more savvy youths escalates.
Roland’s good intentions are difficult to
sustain when he has neither his colleagues
nor the shoplifters on his side.
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Jesper Svenbro
Sappho Has Left Us – six
decades of sapphic studies
ellerströms förlag
Rights: ellerströms förlag
A life-long interest in classical
literature has resulted in this
collection of writings on the
poet Sappho. Swedish Academy
member Jesper Svenbro begins
with an essay from his high school
days, and through interpretations
and scholarly commentaries a
comprehensive vision emerges
from what were previously only
fragments. The book is partly a
slice of learned cultural history
about political structures in
classical society, and partly a
discourse on Sappho’s relationship
to Homer’s epics and influence on
Socratic philosophy. Helped by a
deep understanding of the Greek
terms, we gain unparalleled access
to the poetic texts, as illustrated by
the account of new archaeological
findings from 2014. The collection
also includes examples of
Svenbro’s richly imaginative poetry.
Calling Out
Westmanland
A young woman is fetched from her hotel room
by a cigar-smoking monkey in the opening
pages of this debut novel. Together they
wander the streets of an unfamiliar city, and
the woman comes to notice the extent of the
monkeys’ influence. She writes columns for
a tabloid, and reads Virginia Woolf’s A Room
of One’s Own at the same time as magazine
beauty tips, something that creates a distinctly
humorous contrast. This is an absurd satire
that anchors magic realism in a not too distant
reality. The novel concludes with a feminist
manifesto, without any apparent explanation
as to the significance of the monkeys. Malin
Axelsson has written a novel in impressive
language, anarchic and with rhythmical
qualities more usually found within hip hop.
Sven Olov Karlsson has with his earlier books
made himself known as the interpreter of the
typical Swedish character, an impression that’s
reinforced with the reports from the provinces
that he has published as a journalist. In this
collection of short stories he takes as his
starting point the county of Westmanland,
located close to Stockholm, scrutinising the
community with his canny observations.
Modernity coexists with traditional values, an
encounter that’s not without its conflicts. The
community spirit of the sparsely populated
countryside is put under immense pressure.
The dramas that unfold have the potential to
be fatal, and it’s lucky that fate and human
involvement conspire in order to avoid death.
Malin Axelsson
Calling Out
Albert Bonniers
Förlag
Rights: Albert
Bonniers Förlag
Sven Olov Karlsson
Westmanland
Natur & Kultur
Rights: Natur & Kultur
19
New swedish books
Cecilia Davidsson
Mountains High,
Valleys Low
Albert Bonniers
Förlag
Rights: Albert
Bonniers Förlag
Cecilia Davidsson is known
to experiment with reality in
her short stories, giving it an
added sense of something
being just a bit odd. With only
very slight displacements we
find ourselves in an existence
that’s not quite reliable. Her
characters often exist on the
very precipice of catastrophe.
Autumn 2015
The passive aggressive style is
consistent throughout and adds
a surprising sense of humour
to the threatening atmosphere,
one where it’s not always explicit
what’s going on. These technically
brilliant short stories demonstrate
how it’s possible to create great
drama within a constrained space.
Mountains High,
Valleys Low
The Rain Doesn’t
Smell Here
After an arduous journey an
Iraqi family ends up on the
Swedish coastline. They belong
to the religious minority of
Mandaeans and are escaping
the terror of Saddam Hussein.
The father, a goldsmith, can’t
get a job in Sweden, and the
mother becomes depressed.
The son, Duraid, continues to
get into trouble throughout his
childhood on the outskirts of
Stockholm. He begins to write
in order to change prejudices
about the suburbs. Duraid
Al-Khamisi’s autobiographical
novel unsentimentally describes
the thorny road to assimilation
in a new country, from thug to
respected journalist. Fiction
is mixed with reportage, for
example the very current reports
from the much-publicised riots in
the suburb of Husby during the
summer of 2013.
Duraid Al-Khamisi
The Rain Doesn’t
Smell Here
Bokförlaget Atlas
Rights: Bokförlaget
Atlas
“the thorny road to
assimilation in a new
country, from thug to
respected journalist.”
All Becomes
Nothing
Photo: Cato Lein
20
Martin Kellerman
All Becomes Nothing
Albert Bonniers Förlag
Rights: Albert Bonniers
Förlag
Florian resides on an island in
the archipelago. He conceals the
fact that his grandmother has
died in order to keep using her
prescription medicine, and in
order to secretly keep growing
cannabis. His plan is to become
rich enough to sail around the
world. The seemingly ill-matched
cousins Max and Kea arrive at the
island, and a crime of passion of
murderous proportion ensues. As
one of Sweden’s most popular
cartoonists Martin Kellerman is
21
known as a sharp-eyed observer
of contemporary life with the
ability to create a strong sense of
recognition in his satirical comic
strips. In this, his first novel, he
has created a chamber play that
veers as much towards slapstick
as it does towards despair. He has
written a novel that is as beautiful
as it is funny about longing and
about the dreams that become
the last hope for a desperate
human being to hold on to.
Autumn 2015
New swedish books
Many of the poets published this autumn have long
careers behind them but are still developing new ways
to rejuvenate their poetry.
Poetry
Gunnar Harding, photo: Paula Tranströmer
Political and playful
Throughout the decades poetry has played an increasingly
marginalised role in Swedish public life. What’s striking
is that poetry has even become marginalised in Swedish
literature, with few poetry collections being published,
and far from the level of attention deserved being paid
to those that are. It’s a sad trend, especially considering
the renewed vigour the form has shown in the second
decade of the twenty-first century: it has become not only
more political but also more playful in its style. Many of
the poets published this autumn have long careers behind
them but are still developing new ways to rejuvenate their
poetry.
Lyrical narration
After having published an autobiography two years ago,
Gunnar Harding continues to retrieve his private past,
this time in the form of poetry. There’s a note of respite
in the poems, despite their melancholic starting point.
In a similar fashion, Sara Hallström begins in her fourth
collection of poetry from the personal experience in order
to narrate the problems of the world.
Movements of resistance
Instead of admitting defeat in the face of the problems
facing the world, Aase Berg chooses resistance in her new
book that’s incontestably political and even rebellious
in its call to retaliate against the oppressors. In Maria
Küchen’s much-anticipated poetry collection the focus is
on the consequences of human exploitation of the earth
and how we can survive when everything disappears.
Tradition
Like no other Swedish poet, Katarina Frostenson succeeds
in moving between high and low literature. In her new
poems different viewpoints on the world coexist, and she
moves with ease between urban environments and the
upper echelons of cultured society. The world of the child
meets literary traditions with curiosity and pleasure.
23
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Hackers
Photo: Paula Tranströmer
Gunnar Harding
From Winter to Winter
Wahlström & Widstrand
Rights: Wahlström &
Widstrand
The Hag has awoken. For too
long she has been surrounded by
aggressors and stalkers and is now
making an attempt to break free.
After having powerlessly observed
an increasingly aggressive world
she turns herself into a hacker
through a Trojan horse. With
the sights set on current signs
of our times a movement of
resistance is formed, one which
has seen through the destructive
and imprisoning structures. The
alliterations and newly formed
compound words in her language
gives the familiar world an
eerie shadow, where a feminist
message comes through in a
completely new form, as biting as
it is humorous. Aase Berg gives
her seventh collection of poetry
a tough rhythmical language
that anchors the content in a
compelling and hopeful direction.
“Childhood memories coexist
with fleeting images from a life
that’s at the end of the line.”
Aase Berg
Hackers
Albert Bonniers Förlag
Rights: Albert Bonniers
Förlag
From Winter
to Winter
Photo: Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin
Gunnar Harding invokes a life burdened by memories
in his new poetry collection. If jazz was previously
the orchestrating force in his earlier collections, it’s
now more a question of the blues. Ash from Icelandic
volcanoes and Nordic snow work equally well when
embedding everything in a sense of hopeless inertia.
Childhood memories coexist with fleeting images from
a life that’s at the end of the line. His skill is
demonstrated in the way the subtle impressions are
recorded. With an unpretentious symbolism the poems
are reconciled with a dark existence, where there’s
nothing left to hope for – apart from poetry, which
despite everything is described in a hopeful light.
24
25
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Sara Hallström
I Want My Children
to Belong
Norstedts
Rights: Norstedts
Photo: Trinidad Carrillo
I Want My Children
to Belong
Photo: Nicklas Thegerström
Are there alternatives to this severely restricted world?
Restrictions exist both between and within people. The
children mentioned in the title turn out to be common
creations, new alternatives offered to a world of narrowminded tendencies. The political message is proffered
by way of discreet warnings that therefore become more
Songs and
Formulas
Katarina
Frostenson
Songs and
formulas
Wahlström &
Widstrand
Rights: Wahlström
& Widstrand
Through her writing Katarina
Frostenson has created one of
the most unwavering literary
careers in Swedish letters and a
poetry that’s uniquely melodic.
Both nursery rhymes and the
canon are close to her heart. In
her new collection, impressions
of the urban environment coexist
with intimate reflections on
reading and writing. Sense and
26
and more urgent and meaningful. Sara Hallström finds her
original poetic voice in this, a voice that bears no clear
trace of influences or role models. In her fourth collection
of poetry she invokes a poetic vision that reminds us of
important values we have forgotten.
The Rosary, the Marine
sensibility are tied together in a
political analysis of disappearing
values and worlds. The everyday
and creativity come together
with a distinct focus in the poems
that continuously discover
new possibilities for language
through assonance, rhyme and
anagram. They are poems of
encouragement to discover and
linger upon.
Maria Küchen
The Rosary, the Marine
ellerströms förlag
Rights: ellerströms
förlag
After a long period of absence
Maria Küchen has found her way
back to poetry with this creation
story arising from a position that’s
both personal and universal. Rather
than concentrating on the past the
perspective is turned towards the
future. The word ‘reconquering’
functions as the password for
a civilisation to come. When
27
language is formed it also creates
a whole new world. In this case the
Anthropocene period, widening
our understanding of the period
of time when we as humans have
influenced the global environment.
In the poems the farmed fish
swim, and the sea is proposed as a
possible alternative when we have
destroyed our planet.
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
For many people reading is a journey, and among
the books for autumn 2015 there are many different
journeys to embark upon.
Children’s and Young
Adult Literature
Illustration from The Most Boring Day by Jonas Lindén (text), Mia Nilsson (ill)
Publishers’ children’s and young adult lists have been
growing rapidly over the last few years. The number
of books published in Sweden in 2014 reached an all
time high of 1860, according to the Swedish Institute
for Children’s Books. Find out more about their ‘Book
Tasting’ on page 66. Perhaps 2015 will turn out to be
another record year? Whether or not the number of titles
increases, the quality of Swedish children’s and young
adult books is consistently high, as shown by the books
published in autumn 2015.
For many people reading is a journey, and among the
books for autumn 2015 there are many different journeys
to embark upon. Back to Viking times with Elisabeth
Östnäs’ The Saga of Turid; northwards to the town of
Luleå in the company of Jan, in Jan Svensson by Johanna
Lindbäck; or even back to the 1830s in Annika Thor’s Your
Brother My Sister.
The books published this autumn are also brimming
with emotion. In Karin Ahlin’s Come Rain or Shine, Malva
is struck by a deep sorrow when her mother falls ill with
cancer and dies. There is sorrow too in Lisa Bjärbo’s Deep
Peace, in which a beloved friend dies. Loneliness is never
far away in Your Turn, Adrian, by Helena Östberg and
Kristin Lidström, and boredom leads to new games in
The Most Boring Day by Johan Lindén and Mia Nilsson.
In Doris Takes Off by Pija Lindenbaum, even Doris’s hair
burns with anger, while Selma burns with shame at having
betrayed a secret in Best Friends and Secrets by Ellen
Karlsson and Eva Lindström.
Readers will find a host of everyday adventures among
the picture books, like finding the signs that winter is on
its way in Memmo and Cosy Wait for Winter by Emma
Virke. Find out about all the exciting things that can be
done with scissors and sticky tape in Nisse and Nora Tape
It Up by Emelie Andrén and Lisa Moroni.
The children’s and young adult books that are published
in Sweden are characterised by their variety – there’s
really something for everyone, regardless of reading level,
interest or taste.
29
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
“Doris thinks life is
unfair and decides
to take off.”
Pija Lindenbaum
Doris Takes Off
Lilla Piratförlaget
Rights: Lilla Piratförlaget
Picture
books
Doris Takes
Off
Illustration from It’s Late Now! by Emma Adbåge
30
In Doris Takes Off we meet the determined Doris. She
has to go to a boring party in boring party clothes, even
though she doesn’t want to. As if that’s not enough, she
has to tidy up after her step-brother Egon. Doris thinks life
is unfair and decides to take off. Away from it all. As her
hair grows, Doris romps away across a thrilling imaginary
landscape where you can be just the way you want. When
it’s finally time to return home, no one seems to have
missed Doris. Then comes the explosion! Pija Lindenbaum
is on the side of her protagonists, but she often depicts
them from many angles, both positive and negative, just
as people really are.
31
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
In It’s Late Now! Emma Adbåge
has created something instantly
recognisable to anyone who
doesn’t want to go to bed. The
child wants to keep playing, or
at least have two stories instead
of one. But it’s late, the adult
keeps saying. It may be late, but
there’s still time for fun. When
darkness falls, you can sneak
out, snack on cereal, spy on your
neighbours and watch TV. In the
end it gets so late you fall asleep
in an armchair. Emma Adbåge
made her debut at 19 in 2001
and has established herself as
an illustrator. With sprawling
images that often flirt with retro
imagery, she creates an everyday
adventure.
Emma Adbåge
it’s Late Now!
Rabén & Sjögren
Rights: Rabén &
Sjögren agency
It’s Late Now!
Nisse and Nora
Tape it up
Emelie Andrén (text),
Lisa Moroni (ill)
Nisse and Nora
Tape it up
Alfabeta
Rights: Alfabeta
Nisse and Nora are sketching
and snipping. When Nora cuts
the paper it comes out wrong.
Nisse helps her tape it up. It’s the
trigger for Nissa and Nora to start
cutting and taping all manner
of things: the curtains, Nisse’s
fringe, a houseplant. But cutting
the cuddly elephant wasn’t a
32
good idea, you can’t mend that
with sticky tape. What should
Nisse and Nora do? Emelie
Andrén and Lisa Moroni create a
tale for tots in which scissors and
sticky tape serve as the perfect
ingredients for a story that
will speak to curious people of
any age.
33
Autumn 2015
34
35
Illustration from Memmo and Cosy Wait for Winter by Emma Virke
New swedish books
New swedish books
“But it’s good for you to be
bored sometimes, Dad says”.
Mallo doesn’t agree at all. It’s
raining outside, her best mate
Emilia is away and everything’s
dull as dishwater. When Dad
suggests Mallo tidy her room,
she can’t believe her ears. How
dull can it get? Mallo decides to
go out instead. In the playground
Autumn 2015
she meets Olov from her nursery
school. Mallo and Olov decide
to collect some snails and have a
snail race. Suddenly the day’s not
so dull after all. The Most Boring
Day is Jonas Lindén’s debut
children’s book. Mia Nilsson’s
illustrations play off the text,
making this everyday adventure
bubble off the pages.
The Most
Boring Day
Ninna and the Hospital Birds
Jonas Lindén (text),
Mia Nilsson (ill)
The Most Boring Day
Rabén & Sjögren
Rights: Rabén &
Sjögren agency
Matilda Ruta
Ninna and the
Hospital Birds
Natur & Kultur
Rights: Natur &
Kultur
Going to hospital can be scary.
It’s big, lots of people, you might
be hurting somewhere and just
want to lie down. In 2014, Matilda
Ruta was Artist in Residence at
Gävle Hospital. This picture book
is based on stories Matilda Ruta
heard from the children at the
hospital. It’s a poetic tale in which
If You Were to Ask
Micha
Memmo and Cosy
Wait for Winter
Viveka Sjögren doesn’t shy from heavy issues.
In If You Were to Ask Micha, Micha and his
family are hit by war. Everything is turned
upside-down. First, the family must hide, then
they’re forced to flee in the middle of the
night. When they reach the new country, Micha
thinks everything’s weird. He can’t understand
the language, and everyone at home is
angry. Viveka Sjögren chose to depict all the
characters in the book as pairs of scissors.
With their long legs, the scissors bend, march
across the pages and hide in nooks and
crannies. They become human. A topical issue
in a timeless book.
What is winter? Emma Virke has created a
magical journey of discovery through nature
in which Memmo and Cosy find more and
more signs that winter’s on its way. Glittering
frost, icy puddles, and finally, snowflakes. But
the snow doesn’t settle, it just melts again.
Maybe Memmo and Cosy should make their
own snowflakes that don’t melt. Emma Virke
has a host of picture books to her name, in
which she often uses collage. Her images
are atmospheric and harmonise with the
poetic texts.
Viveka Sjögren
If You Were to
Ask Micha
Kabusa Böcker
Rights: Kabusa Böcker
36
a little girl with bunches guides
us round a hospital. Outside the
hospital live the Hospital Birds.
The birds gather all the difficult
feelings the children have and
help them sleep better at night.
This lovely story is not afraid of
what hospital holds, be it fear and
anxiety, or peace and quiet.
Emma Virke
Memmo and Cosy
Wait for Winter
Alvina förlag
Rights: Alvina förlag
37
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Eva Lindström
Everyone is leaving
Alfabeta
Rights: Alfabeta
Everyone is
leaving
A melancholy atmosphere and odd characters are typical
of Eva Lindström’s books. It’s certainly the case with
Everyone Is Leaving, a book about Frank, who is left on
his own as everyone else leaves. Frank goes home and
cries into a cooking pot, tears he then makes jam from.
The others can’t help being curious. What’s Frank up to?
Since her debut in 1980, Eva Lindström has produced a
range of picture books as well as illustrating others. In
2013, she and Ellen Karlsson won the August Prize for
Snöret, Fågeln och Jag (String, the bird and I).
38
39
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
“Malva doesn’t want to
forget how it felt, that
horrible year when
Mum got ill.”
Chapter
Books
Come Rain
or Shine
Karin Ahlin
Come Rain or Shine
Alfabeta
Rights: Alfabeta
Photo: Max Palm
40
We learn that Malva’s mum’s
going to die right in the
prologue. Malva doesn’t want to
forget how it felt, that horrible
year when Mum got ill. So she
tells the reader straight away
about those first terrible days
when they found out her mum
had cancer, about the treatments
that might help, about hope
and despair. About a dad who
41
buries himself in work and her
little sister Lilian who doesn’t
really know what’s going on.
Karin Ahlin has previously written
a picture book; Come Rain or
Shine is her first book for 6-9
year-olds, but it would also suit
older children.
13)
Bästisar och hemligheter
a
en.
New swedish books
HIPPO BOKFÖRLAG
Autumn 2015
Ellen Karlsson (text),
Eva Lindström (ill)
Best Friends and
Secrets
Hippo förlag
Rights: Hippo förlag
Branded
Dare you read this book? At
school an old tale is told of the
root girl, who lures in children
and snares them in tangled
root-clumps. Fairy tales seem
to conflate with reality as
children start to disappear and
unexplained things happen. Fear
takes hold of Leo, Teddy and
Natta in this creepy, exciting
story. Branded is a free-standing
sequel to Inmurade (Walled In),
published in 2014.
Ellen Karlsson & Eva Lindström
Lena Ollmark
Branded
B. Wahlströms
Rights: Massolit
agency
Jan Svensson
Best Friends
and Secrets
Selma’s back! Best Friends and Secrets is the third book
about Selma, the hesitant, solitary figure who develops
and forms friendships in the books. The first part in the
series, Snöret, Fågeln och Jag (String, the bird, and I) won
the August Prize in 2013. In Best Friends and Secrets,
Selma accidently betrays a secret, which gives her tummy
ache. She’s also torn, wondering if it’s possible to have
two best friends. Selma has both String and Fabian.
Thoughts tumble around Selma’s head and sometimes
it feels like a tangle of thread that needs to be undone.
Ellen Karlsson is a genius at portraying children and
their thoughts, complemented here by Eva Lindström’s
illustrations.
42
As a trial, Jan Svensson, his dad
and his sister have moved from
Stockholm to Luleå in the far
north of Sweden. They’re going
to live there for a year as a trial,
and at first Jan thinks it’s pretty
okay. But as school approaches
and it sinks in that he’s going to
be joining a new class, Jan starts
to get anxious. He gets to know
Nicki, a neighbour who’ll be in
the same class and who may or
may not have lived in London.
Johanna Lindbäck has written
a number of books for children
and young adults. She depicts
everyday life as it is, credibly and
with integrity. Johanna Lindbäck
was selected as Sweden’s
Ambassador for Reading
2013-2015 by the Swedish Arts
Council.
Johanna Lindbäck
Jan Svensson
Lilla Piratförlaget
Rights: Lilla
Piratförlaget
Your Brother My Sister
Annika Thor
Your Brother my sister
Bonnier Carlsen
Rights: Bonnier rights
The year is 1835. Johan has lived all
his 11-year-long life in a children’s
home. Life there is hard and one
day Johan’s had enough. He
manages to escape over the high
walls surrounding the children’s
home. In order to avoid detection
he disguises himself as a girl.
Serendipity leads him to a travelling
theatre troupe with whom he gets
a job as a wardrobe assistant.
Johan is happier than he’s ever
43
been but lives with the constant
fear of his true identity being
uncovered. Without him realising,
another threat looms in the form
of a shadow from his past. Annika
Thor has written a spellbinding tale
of identity and friendship. Annika
Thor is an established author with
many award-winning works in her
portfolio. She has been awarded
the August Prize and the Deutscher
Jugendliteraturpreis.
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
he’s performing at a circus and goes down a storm. One
day Adrian meets a wolfhound named Heidi. She never
leaves his side, and it marks the start of a change for
Adrian. With sensitivity and love, Öberg and Lindström
have created an imaginative and melancholy tale.
Your Turn, Adrian is a collaboration between the author
Helena Öberg and Kristin Lidström. The book is a graphic
novel for children aged 10-12. Adrian, a loner, goes to
school with a lump in the pit of his stomach. He’s an
outsider at school and reading aloud is one of the worst
things he can think of. To stay afloat, Adrian daydreams
Your Turn,
Adrian
Kristin Lidström
45
Photo: Eva Strindlund
Photo: Jimmy Eriksson
Helena Öberg (text),
Kristin Lidström (ill)
Your Turn, Adrian
Mirando bok
Rights: Mirando bok
44
Helena Öberg
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Pass the Ball!
Calls Kosse
“Movits owes
Ruben a favour,
so he can’t say
no, despite his
awful stage
fright.”
Johan Rundberg
Knocked-out Romeo
Natur & Kultur
Rights: Natur & Kultur
Anja Gatu (text)
Maria Källström (ill)
Pass the Ball!
Calls Kosse
Olika förlag
Rights: Olika förlag
Knocked-out
Romeo
Movits doesn’t have it easy. His dream girl Beata has
broken up with him and his friend Ruben has decided they
should both be in a play. Movits owes Ruben a favour,
so he can’t say no, despite his awful stage fright. To add
insult to injury, Movits lands the main role and the play
they’re going to be doing is Romeo and Juliet. Which
means he’s going to have to kiss a girl he’s never met
before on stage. Johan Rundberg writes amusingly about
poor Movits’s efforts in this charming book. Knocked-out
Romeo is a stand-alone sequel to the book Kärlekspizzan
(Love Pizza).
46
Kosse, whose real name is Kosovare, loves football. She
wants to play and train all the time but isn’t allowed
to join her brothers. Kosse manages to persuade her
reluctant friend Emma to go in goal so Kosse can practice.
When nasty Emine and Felicia turn up it’s nowhere near
as fun to train. When school starts the teacher announces
there’ll be a big football tournament. Kosse can’t believe
her ears. She’ll finally get to play football! Then Emine and
Felicia turn up again. Are they going to ruin Kosse’s plans?
Pass the Ball! Calls Kosse is written by the sports journalist
Anja Gatu and based on the upbringing of Sweden’s
Kosovare Asllanis. A book about following your dream
and never giving up.
47
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Mum -Watching
Young
a d u lt
fiction
Johanna Thydell
Mum - Watching
Alfabeta
Rights: Alfabeta
Photo: Magnus Liam Karlsson
48
In Johanna Thydell’s fourth YA novel, the reader follows
Moa’s rollercoaster of a life. The rollercoaster starts
when Moa’s long-disappeared mother gets in touch and
wants to meet. 16-year-old Moa, who’s lived without
her mum for 14 years, thinks she’s doing just fine with
her dad, step-mum and cute little brother. To begin
with she doesn’t want to meet her mum. But her friend
Otto changes her mind and together they form a plan.
Moa will treat the journey to her mum as a study trip,
where she’ll observe and record her mum’s daily life like
a birdwatcher would. Johanna Thydell writes Moa’s life
with warmth and humour. The language is precise and
the plot is driven. Johanna Thydell was awarded the
August Prize for her debut I taket lyser stjärnorna (The
Stars Shine from the Ceiling).
49
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
April Fools
April Fools begins dramatically
as the protagonist Hugo finds
himself in the attic of his former
school, where he struggled
through his school years bullied
and harassed. He has a gun with
him, and is planning to commit
suicide. Before he has time to
pull the trigger he’s interrupted.
The event leads to him being
admitted to a youth treatment
centre. His time at the centre
turns out to be life-changing.
Hugo is constantly balancing
on a thin line as he tries to get
to know himself and the three
other young people at the centre.
Mattias Edvardsson has written
a book about finding things to
live for, even when you’ve broken
down completely. April Fools is
his second book for young adults.
Based on a true story that shook Sweden in the middle
of the 90s, of a young boy who was brutally murdered
by neo-Nazis, Jessica Schiefauer has written a gripping
book for young adults. Ester and Isak meet at a party,
fall in love, and when summer comes they’re totally
enamoured. In parallel with Ester and Isak’s love story,
Jessica Schiefauer describes the change in Isak’s brother
Anton. Anton seeks and finds friendship among a
group of neo-Nazis. The friendship has catastrophic
consequences, as Anton is involved in the beating of a
boy to death. The whole community is turned upside
down. Jessica Schiefauer won the August Prize for her
previous YA novel Pojkarna (The Boys). Now she’s back
with a frightening vision of Sweden.
The Eyes of
the Lake
Mattias Edvardsson
April fools
Opal
Rights: Opal
Deep Peace
Lisa Bjärbo has established herself
on the Swedish literary scene with
her insightful YA books as well as
a series of picture books. In Deep
Peace, Lisa’s back with a book
for young adults. Four friends
around the age of 20 return to
Lisa Bjärbo
Deep Peace
Rabén & Sjögren
Rights: Rabén &
Sjögren agency
the village where they grew up.
A friend of theirs has been found
dead, drowned under a jetty.
The friends are meeting for the
funeral, but the time they spend
together gives them new insights
as secrets are uncovered.
50
Photo: Hillevi Nagel
“A friend of theirs has
been found dead, drowned
under a jetty.”
Jessica Schiefauer
The eyes of the
lake
Bonnier Carlsen
Rights: nordin
agency
51
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
“A atmospheric,
gripping story
with supernatural
overtones that will
send shivers down
your spine.”
Mia Öström
Shadow Summer
Gilla böcker
Rights: Gilla böcker
Shadow
Summer
water. They say Rakel can join their diving club if she
undertakes a number of tasks. Now the summer takes
an unexpected turn. The secretive twins turn out to be
something Rakel could never have imagined. The tasks
are dangerous and catastrophe lurks. A atmospheric,
gripping story with supernatural overtones that will send
shivers down your spine.
52
Photo: Ola Kjelbye
In Mia Öström’s first book aimed at young readers, the
main character Rakel has to spend summer on an island
together with her aunt, uncle and cousin Ellika. The
reason is that Rakel’s mum is suffering from depression.
Rakel’s relatives are rich and there’s nothing lacking in
material terms. But Rakel’s fed up. Until one day she
meets a pair of twins by the diving boards out in the
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Johan wakes up hungover
with a gash on his neck. His
memory of what happened is
patchy, but as time passes he
begins to recall the events of
his journey home on Nightbus
198. The bus crashed, the other
passengers are dead. Why
and how did Johan survive?
After the crash, Johan feels
strong, both physically and
mentally. At school he starts
asserting himself, talking more,
getting noticed. Something not
everyone is happy about. Then
an animal is found brutally killed
and a homeless person has been
murdered in a park. As Johan’s
memory returns, a terrifying and
exciting story emerges. Niklas
Krog has written several popular
books for young people, as
well as easy-to-read fantasy for
younger children.
Elisabeth Östnäs
The Saga of Turid,
The Daughter of a
King
Berghs förlag
Rights: Hedlund
literary agency
Niklas Krog
Nightbus 198
B. Wahlström
Rights: Massolit
agency
Photo: Roger Nellsjö
Nightbus 198
The Saga of Turid,
The Daughter of a King
she has inherited magic powers from her mother and
grandmother. Powers that are quite outside the Vikings’
belief system. Elisabeth has an MA in the history of
religion and now she makes her YA debut with The Saga
of Turid. A tale that goes far back in time with traces of
fantasy and magic, but which more than anything paints
a vivid portrait of the Viking girl Turid.
54
Photo: Ralf Gyllenvråk
As society goes from paganism to Christianity, Turid lives
a hard life in the little Viking village. She’s the daughter
of the village’s king, and bears a great responsibility as a
result. Ahead of her lies a marriage to a man chosen by
her father. A marriage Turid is set against. Turid is also
fated to become a seer, just like her stepmother. But in
an encounter with the old man Holme, Turid learns that
55
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
When the text meets an illustrator who brings their own
perspective, something new and interesting emerges.
Comics
Adaptations – Swedish Literary Classics in Comic Form
Illustrations from Tales From Engelsfors (see page 58)
Over the past few years, a number of eminent Swedish
authors have been interpreted in comic form. Selma
Lagerlöf, August Strindberg, Barbro Lindgren, Harry
Martinson and Gustaf Fröding are just a few of the
authors whose work has been given new life in graphic
novels.
Graphic adaptations of literary portraits are becoming
ever more common.
“I think it has to do with the fact that we live in a time
that’s shaped by a cross-cultural perspective, a time of
adaptations in which we move between many different
media. Comics like Ghost World and Blue is the Warmest
Colour have been made into films. And literature gets
turned into popular TV series,” says Josefin Svenske,
publisher at Kolik förlag. Kolik has published a range
of adaptations, including The Changeling, in which the
illustrator Emelie Östergren interprets Selma Lagerlöf’s
1908 short story, Malin Biller’s depiction of the lyric verse
of Sweden’s national poet Gustaf Fröding, and Fabian
Göransson’s August Strindberg’s Inferno.
“An adaptation can also be a way of bringing an author
or illustrator to a larger audience. They’re helped along
by another author’s work, or by a classic. But it can also
be a way of introducing a body of work – Gustaf Fröding’s
poetry, for example – to a new audience: perhaps one
that reads comics but doesn’t come into contact with
poetry so often. A graphic novel version can lead people
to a classic text or a whole oeuvre,” Svenske says.
Svenske also works on an initiative focusing on
children’s comics at the publishing house Rabén &
Sjögren, in which the priority is original comics, but also
graphic adaptations of classic children’s books.
As part of this initiative, Jujja Wieslander’s cheerful cow
Mamma Moo and her more cynical companion Crow,
illustrated by Sven Nordqvist, have stepped into the
comic book world. Inger and Lasse Sandberg’s popular
character Little Spook Laban has been allowed to spook
like never before in graphic novel form this autumn.
The publisher Kartago also publishes graphic novel
adaptations. Their list features Knut Larsson’s suggestive
interpretation of Harry Martinson’s space epic Aniara,
Sara Olausson’s two Loranga books and Jakob Nilsson’s
comic The Sture Murder, based on Stieg Trenter’s crime
novel. LL-förlaget is also publishing graphic adaptations
as part of their Illustrated Classics series, in which H.P.
Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle
are reinterpreted by prominent Swedish comic artists.
But adaptation isn’t a novel idea, even if it’s become
increasingly common in recent years. Even in the 1980s,
Strindberg’s The Red Room was interpreted by Per
Demervall in two volumes.
“Graphic adaptations have developed into a strong,
separate genre,” Svenske argues. “The works stay in
your mind for a long time. A classic has something
eternal about it right from the beginning, something that
has raised its status as a text. When that text meets an
illustrator who brings their own perspective, something
new and interesting emerges.”
57
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
“Through the stories, rage
and magic entwine with selfdestructiveness, romance and
sensuality.”
Kim W. Andersson (ill),
Karl Johnsson (ill),
Lina Neidestam (ill),
Sara Bergmark Elfgren (text),
Mats Strandberg (text)
Tales from Engelsfors
Rabén & Sjögren
Rights: grand agency
Tales from
Engelsfors
Photo: Magnus Liam Karlsson
Tales from Engelsfors is not a graphic adaptation in
the traditional sense. Instead, this comic book is a
follow-on from the celebrated Engelsfors trilogy about
teenage witches in the fictional town of Engelsfors,
which featured the books The Circle (2011), Fire (2012)
and The Key (2013). The Chosen Ones, a group of high
school students with magic powers, wage a war against
impending apocalypse – while trying to pick their way
through the minefield of teenage life. The trilogy’s
authors, Sara Bergmark Elfgren and Mats Strandberg,
have written the eight short stories that make up this
book, while the comic artists Kim W. Anderson, Karl
Johnsson and Lina Neidestam provide the visuals.
Together, this trio of illustrators have hewn a coherent
aesthetic that pulses with intensity and in which the
individual illustrators’ quirks enrich and drive the
narrative. Through the stories, rage and magic entwine
with self-destructiveness, romance and sensuality. Just as
for your average teenager, everything is a matter of life
and death. Something that also permeates the pulsating,
often terrifying images.
58
59
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Sara Olausson,
after Barbro
Lindgren
Loranga, part 1&2
Kartago förlag
Rights: Kartago
förlag
Loranga
Barbro Lindgren’s depictions of the darkness and
complexity of childhood, as well as its playfulness, has
had a major influence on the Swedish cultural climate
ever since the 1960s. She’s been praised for her ability
to depict the often blurred boundary between childhood
and adulthood – where children sometimes act as adults,
while adults turn into children. Last year she received the
prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
Her book Loranga, Masarin och Dartanjang (Loranga,
Masarin and Dartanian) was published in 1969, and has
as its protagonist a odd, chaotic, but charming family.
Now this family tale has been interpreted by Sara
Olausson. So far, two parts have been published, in
which Olausson mixes pacey dialogue with a colourful
fairground aesthetic, red log cabins and cheerful giraffes.
Sara Olausson graduated from the Royal Institute of Art
in Stockholm in 2007. She has five comic albums to her
name. The latest is called Det Kunde Varit Jag (Could’ve
Been Me, 2015).
60
61
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Fabian Göranson
August Strindberg’s
Inferno
Kolik förlag
Rights: Kolik förlag
FABIAN GÖRANSON
INFERNO
dberg har just lagt pennan på hyllan, för att
guld genom alkemiska experiment. Ju fler exyckas, desto mer övertygad blir han om att en
ans liv. Steg för steg går han vilse i en labyrint
iga tecken och paranoida vanföreställningar.
Selma Lagerlöf’s short story The Changeling
was first published in the magazine Idun in
1908, but was published for the first time
in book form in 1915, when it was included
in the motley collection Troll och människor
(Trolls and Humans). In the intervening
period, Selma Lagerlöf was awarded the
Nobel Prize for Literature and elected
to the Swedish Academy. As comic artist
Emelie Östergren takes on the classic folk
tale, over a hundred years later, she gives
it a new depth and a visual language that
alternates between gentle fragility and raw
natural power. Emelie Östergren’s unique
ability to make trolls human and humans
troll-like reinforces the moral of the tale. The
Changeling is a story of outsiders, but also
of solidarity, morality and tolerance. It takes
place against a naturalistic backdrop in the
agricultural society of early 1900s Sweden,
but finds a new dimension today, in the days
of Fortress Europe.
The Changeling
rindbergs märkligaste verk. I Fabian Göransons
fts denna mystiska berättelse fram med humor
rationer. En sjudande sekelskiftsvärld öppnas
närsbohemer, religiösa grubblerier och en helt
kalden.
är född 1978 och bosatt i Stockholm. Inferno
ska roman. Tidigare utgivna titlar av Fabian är
ch Kirurgi (2008).
ISBN 9789197610384
KOLIK FÖRLAG
Pirinen och Max Andersson
svensk serietecknare framträtt
ritet”.
agens Nyheter
9 789197 610384
KOLIK FÖRLAG
Emelie Östergren,
after Selma Lagerlöf
The Changeling
Kolik förlag
Rights: Kolik förlag
August Strindberg’s
Inferno
Strindberg puzzle. In taking on Inferno, Fabian Göranson
creates a distance that lends the tale both depth and
humour. Göranson transforms Strindberg into a character
in his comic, albeit with great respect, through the use
of entertaining mimicry and dynamic body language.
Göranson also makes an art of visualising Strindberg’s
thought processes and inner demons. In this, August
Strindberg’s Inferno comes close to being a humorous
odyssey of the life of this artist’s artist.
62
Photo: Magnus Liam Karlsson
Inferno has been described as one of the author August
Strindberg’s strangest works, and met with fierce
criticism when it was published in Sweden in 1897. The
critics were repelled by Strindberg’s lack of discernment,
his insanity and his superstition, after reading his
autobiographical depiction of hospital visits, manic
episodes and experiments with alchemy. Equally though,
Inferno, which unfolds among bohemian artists in Paris
and elsewhere, has come to an important piece in the
63
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
Comic maker and artist Knut Larsson has created his
very own corner of the Swedish comic scene with his
six albums. In his suggestive visual world, unease meets
sensuality. Now he’s interpreted Harry Martinson’s poem
suite Aniara from 1956 in a dystopian comic album.
The space epic is one of Martinson’s key works,
read as a warning in an era when nuclear weapons
and ecological disasters threaten the planet. Aniara
focuses on one of the many spaceships headed for
Mars after nuclear disaster strikes Earth. The spaceship
Aniara glides through the outer atmosphere with 8,000
emigrants on board. But when the ship goes off course,
nothing can be done. The people trapped on board are
doomed to sail on through the darkness until their food
or power runs out. In grey tones, Larsson explores, just
as Martinson did, man’s true nature – ultimately asking:
how do we behave towards one another?
Aniara
Knut Larsson, inspired by
Harry Martinson’s Aniara
Aniara
Kartago förlag
Rights: Kartago förlag
64
65
Autumn 2015
New swedish books
Number of titles
0
1800
1600
11
76
2000
1400
1200
1000
Existential picture books, tweens and reflective dystopias.
These are the current trends in Swedish children’s and
YA book publishing, according to the Swedish Institute
for Children’s Books. Every year, they conduct the Book
Tasting, a survey of all the children’s and YA books
published in the previous year, in which they present
trends and statistics. This is a brief guide to the books
published in 2014, a year in which the number of titles
increased significantly.
Precocious Children on the Up!
Books about tweens have been a big story in Swedish
publishing this year. Ever more books are being produced
that are aimed at younger adolescents but deal with
content and themes more traditionally associated with
young adult books. The protagonists of these books are
also getting older. Increasingly, these children are referred
to as ‘tweens’ – precocious children with a teenage
attitude. This new phase is beginning to appear across a
wide spectrum of children’s books.
For example, Charlotta Björnulfson’s Dug eller dö (Do
or Die), Lena Ollmark’s Inmurade (Walled In), Katarina
von Bredow’s Hon & Han (Him & Her) and Moa Eriksson
Sandberg’s Flickan i de vindlande gångarna (The Girl in
the Winding Walkways), all from 2014, feature girls aged
10-12 who want to hang out with older friends and will do
anything to be popular. Thoughts about sex, along with
curiosity about parties and alcohol are recurring themes in
these and similar books. In Mårten Melin’s Lite mer än en
kram (A Little More Than a Hug), we encounter 13-yearold Manne. He thinks about girls’ bodies a lot, and when
he gets together with his older sister’s friend Amanda he
gets close to a real one.
Depicting prepubescent children’s sexuality in tween
literature is a new thing. However, explicit sex scenes are
reserved for YA books, where we’ve seen an increasing
number of portrayals of homo- and bisexuality in recent
years.
Reflective dystopias
Dystopias are regularly translated into Swedish, but
over the last few years Swedish YA authors have been
writing more and more dystopic narratives. In 2014,
this increased further. There’s a tendency for Swedish
dystopias to be somewhat more reflective and less violent
that those translated from other languages. Examples of
Swedish dystopias include Mats Wahl’s trilogy Blodregn
(Blood Rain), the first two parts of which, Ryttarna (The
Riders) and Krigarna (The Warriors), were published in
2014; the third part of Sofia Nordin’s series Spring så
fort du kan (Run as Fast as You Can); and Per Nilsson’s
Otopia (Otopia). Wahl is inspired by Old Norse traditions
66
and describes a Sweden ravaged by environmental
catastrophes and populated by feuding families. In
Nordin’s book, a fever has obliterated entire populations.
A few remaining teenagers struggle to survive. Nilsson’s
tale is modelled on a future in which everyone lives a life
manipulated by strict rules, but where nothing is quite
as it seems. In 2014, the first dystopian tween book was
published: Två städer (Two Cities) by Eva Susso. She
describes an austere world in which Leon and Anja try to
survive, but become separated.
Winning picture books
One category that’s been blossoming particularly brightly
in recent years is picture books. This is due to a new
generation of artist-illustrators who have imbued the
genre with fresh creativity. Many of this new generation
creating picture books have been nominated for or
awarded prizes. Karin Salers and Siri Ahmed Backström’s
Dom som var kvar (They Who Remain) was awarded
the 2014 Snöbollen Award for Swedish picture books.
Josefin Sundqvist won the Swedish Writers’ Union’s prize
for debut authors for Pappersväxten (The Paper Plant).
Malin Axelsson and Klara Persson were nominated for
the biggest prize for Swedish literature, the August Prize,
for Jag blir en bubbla som blir ett monster som blir ett
barn (I Turn into a Bubble, which Turns into a Monster,
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
800
2000
Children’s and YA books published
in Sweden 2014
6
18
Book tasting –
some flavours and
aromas
Total published children’s
and YA books in Sweden,
2000-2014.
which Turns into a Child). What these three books have in
common is that they address big existential questions that
touch on life, death, sorrow, loneliness and friendship.
A Record Year for Swedish Children’s Books
Swedish children’s and YA publishing has generally
increased during the 2000s, and accounts for
approximately ten per cent of book publishing in
Sweden. In 2014, it reached record levels. A total of 1860
books were published, an increase of over five per cent
compared to 2013. Sales of children’s and YA books have
also increased. Over the last few years, more Swedish
than translated books have been published. Historically
the opposite has been true.
Factual Information
The Swedish Institute for Children’s Books is a national
centre for children’s and young adult literature.
The Institute carries out and promotes research
and dissemination of research findings, and has a
dedicated library with one of the world’s largest
collections of theoretical literature on the subject. It is
funded by the Minstry of Education and Research.
67
Photo: Klara Rasmussen
Photo: Ralf Gyllenvråk
Photo: Angelica Zander
Photo: Martin Stenmark
Photo: Stefan Tell
Photo: Jimmy Eriksson
Photo: Eva Lindblad
Photo: Martin Stenmark
Photo: Olika
Photo: Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin
Photo: Sara Mac Key
Photo: Lars Andrén
Photo: Max Palm
Photo: Richard Gustafsson
Photo: Gabriel Liljevall
Photo: private
Photo: Jonas Adner
Photo: Ulrica Zwenger
Photo: Karl Thorsson
Photo: Martin Edvardsson
Photo: Cato Lein
Photo: Nadja Hallström
Photo: Leif Hansen
Photo: Henric Lindsten
Photo: Pontus Orre
Photo: Hillevi Nagel
Photo: Jan-Åke Eriksson
Photo: Mia Carlsson
Photo: Patrik Nilsson
Photo: Olika
Photo: Nicklas Thegerström
Photo: Caroline Andersson
Photo: Sara Mac Key
Photo: David Brandt
Photo: Snezana Vucetic Bohm
Photo: Magnus Liam Karlsson
Photo: Bonnier Carlsen
Photo: Ulla Montan
Photo: Henric Lindsten
Photo: Paula Tranströmer
Photo: Trinidad Carrillo
Photo: Sara Mac Key
Photo: Karl Thorsson
Photo: Fredrik Hjerling
Photo: Ola Kjelbye
Photo: Roger Nellsjö
Photo: Magnus Liam Karlsson
Photo: Eva Strindlund
Photo: Sofia Runarsdotter
Photo: Hippo
Photo: Natur & Kultur
Photo: Martin Stenmark
Photo: Jörgen Linder
Photo: Caroline Andersson
69
68
Sara Olausson
Mia Nilsson
Mia Öström
Elisabeth Östnäs
Emelie Östergren
Helena Öberg
Alejandro Leiva Wenger
Ellen Karlsson
Sven Olov Karlsson
Jonas Karlsson
Linna Johansson
Karin Johannisson
Emma Virke
Johanna Thydell
Annika Thor
Jesper Svenbro
Mats Strandberg
Gunnar Harding
Sara Hallström
Carola Hansson
Fabian Göranson
Lars Gustafsson
Viveka Sjögren
Jessica Schiefauer
Matilda Ruta
Johan Rundberg
Lena Ollmark
Anja Gatu
Katarina Frostenson
Åsa Foster
Kristofer Folkhammar
Aris Fioretos
Johanna Lindbäck
Kristin Lidström
Tomas Lappalainen
Maria Küchen
Niklas Krog
Alma Kirlic
Jonas Hassen Khemiri
Martin Kellerman
Eva Lindström
Pija Lindenbaum
Jonas Lindén
Mattias Edvardsson
Cecilia Davidsson
Gunilla Boëthius
Lisa Bjärbo
Sara Bergmark Elfgren
Photo: Lina Alriksson
Authors
Knut Larsson
Maria Källström
Aase Berg
Malin Axelsson
Emelie Andrén
Karin Ahlin
Emma Adbåge
Autumn 2015
New swedish books
Autumn 2015
New swedish books
Publishers
and rights holders
Agentur Literatur
Gudrun Hebel
+49 (0)30 25799266,
+49 (0)30 34707767
gudrun.hebel@agentur-literatur.de
www.agentur-literatur.de
Berghs förlag AB
Box 45084
SE -104 30 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 31 65 59
info@berghsforlag.se
www.berghsforlag.se
Ahlander Agency
Västmannag. 73
SE -113 26 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 27 54 55
info@ahlanderagency.com
www.ahlanderagency.com
Bokförlaget Atlas
Sveavägen 61
SE-113 59 Stockholm
+46 (0)8-522 574 59
atlas@arenagruppen.se
www.bokforlagetatlas.se
Albert Bonniers förlag
Box 3159
SE -103 63 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 696 86 20
info@abforlag.bonnier.se
www.albertbonniersforlag.se
Bokförlaget Forum AB
Box 3159
SE -103 63 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 696 84 40
info@forum.se
www.forum.se
Alfabeta
Box 4284
SE -102 66 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 714 36 32
AnnaKaisa Danielsson
annakaisa@alfabeta.se
www.alfabeta.se
Bonnier Carlsen Bokförlag AB
Box 3159
SE -103 63 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 696 89 30
info@carlsen.bonnier.se
www.bonniercarlsen.se
Alvina förlag
Björnsonsgatan 25
SE -168 43 Bromma
+46 (0)70 22 81 903
Kristina Hoas
info@alvinaforlag.se
www.alvinaforlag.se
B. Wahlström
SE -Box 6630
113 84 Stockholm +46 (0)8 409 30 700
info@massolit.se
www.wahlstroms.se
Bonnier Rights
Box 3159
SE -103 63 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 696 89 10
www.bonnierrights.se
Children’s books contact:
Ludvig Kullander
ludvig.kullander@bonnierrights.se
Fiction contact:
Amanda Bertolo Alderin
amanda.bertolo.alderin@
bonnierrights.se
70
Carina Deschamps Agency
carina@carinadeschamps.com
www.carinadeschamps.com
Colombine Teaterförlag
Gaffelgränd 1A
SE-111 30 Stockholm
Telefon: +46 (0)8 411 70 85
info@colombine.se
www.colombine.se
ellerströms förlag
Stora Fiskaregatan 9 I
SE -222 24 Lund
+46 (0)46-32 32 95
info@ellerstroms.se
www.ellerstroms.se
Gilla böcker
Bergsundsgatan 25 bv
SE -117 37 Stockholm
+46 (0)709 942 160
foreignrights@gillabocker.se
www.gillabocker.se
Grand Agency
Vanadisvägen 41
SE -113 23 Stockholm
Sweden
+46 (0)8 444 47 47
lena@grandagency.se
www.grandagency.se
Hedlund Literary Agency
Box 2262
SE -113 16 Stockholm
+46 (0)70 669 05 68
Magdalena Hedlund
magdalena@hedlundagency.se
www.hedlundagency.se
Hippo förlag
Malmgårdsvägen 55A
SE -116 38 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 684 39 550
marianne.lindfors@
hippobokforlag.se
maria.skymne@hippobokforlag.se
www.hippobokforlag.se
Mirando bok
c/o Jenny Franke Wikberg
Utkiksbacken 17
117 67 Stockholm
+46 (0)709 28 59 23
Jenny Franke Wikberg
info@mirandobok.se
www.mirandobok.se
Kartago förlag
Box 3159
SE -103 63 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 696 84 94
Rolf Classon
rolf.classon@kartago.se
www.kartago.se
Modernista Group AB
”Garaget”
Kvarngatan 10
SE -118 47 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 702 04 11
Pär Sjölinder
par@modernista.se
www.modernista.se
Kabusa Böcker
Box 14001
SE -400 20 Göteborg
+46 (0)31 85 95 80
Kerstin Aronsson
red@kabusabocker.se
www.kabusabocker.se
Kolik förlag
Box 2052
SE -103 12 Stockholm
0703-21 42 72
+46 (0)70 21 42 72
Josefin Svenske
svenske@kolikforlag.se
www.kolikforlag.se
Lind & Co
Box 2036
SE -103 11 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 643 38 46
info@lindco.se
www.lindco.se
Lilla Piratförlaget
Kaptensgatan 6
SE -114 57 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 412 13 50
Erik Titusson
erik@lillapiratforlaget.se
www.lillapiratforlaget.se
Massolit agency
Box 6630,
SE -113 84 stockholm
+46 (0)8 409 30 700
Karin Alexandersson
rights@massolit.se
www.massolit.se
Natur & Kultur
Box 27323
SE -102 54 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 453 87 35
www.nok.se
Fiction:
Nina Eidem
nina.eidem@nok.se
Children’s books:
Catharina Lantz
catharina.lantz@nok.se
www.nok.se
Nordin Agency
Box 4022
SE -102 61 Stockholm
Joakim Hansson
+46 (0)40 6116939
joakim@nordinagency.se
www.nordinagency.se
Norstedts förlag
Box 2052
SE -103 12 Stockholm
+46 (0)10 744 22 00
info@norstedts.se
www.norstedts.se
Olika förlag
Torggatan 6
SE -582 19 Linköping
+46 (0)708 62 28 08
Marie Tomicic
marie@olika.nu
www.olika.nu
Opal
Tegelbergsvägen 31
SE -168 66 Bromma
+46 (0)8 28 21 79
Catrine Christell
catrine@opal.se
www.opal.se
71
Rabén & Sjögren
Agency
Box 2052
SE -103 12 Stockholm
+46 (0)10 744 21 11
Kerstin Öberg
kerstin.oberg@
rabensjogren.se
www.rabensjogren.se
Rabén & Sjögren
Bokförlag
Box 2052
SE -103 12 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 789 88 00
info@rabensjogren.se
www.rabensjogren.se
Salomonsson Agency
Götgatan 27
SE -116 21 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 22 32 11
info@salomonssonagency.com
www.salomonssonagency.se
Wahlström & Widstrand
Box 3159
SE -103 63 Stockholm
+46 (0)8 696 84 80
info@wwd.se
www.wwd.se
Swedish Arts Council
Box 27215
SE -102 53 Stockholm
www.swedishliterature.se
Susanne Bergström Larsson,
Co-ordinator & Translation grants
+46 (0)8 519 264 83
susanne.bergstrom.larsson@
kulturradet.se
Zoi Santikos,
Literature project-, travel- and
events grants
+46 (0)8 519 264 87
zoi.santikos@kulturradet.se
Susanna Höijer,
Translator’s travel grants
+46 (0)8 519 264 50
susanna.hoijer@kulturradet.se
New swedish books
Grants
The Swedish Arts Council offers support for translations, projects, travels for publishers, organizations,
and translators of Swedish literature. For more information – see www.swedishliterature.se
GRANTS FOR TRAVEL AND INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE
FOR TRANSLATORS OF SWEDISH LITERATURE
The Swedish Arts Council is responsible for allocating
funds for work-related travel and skill improvement
activities for translators of Swedish literature and drama.
Professional translators of Swedish literature and drama
may apply for these grants. Swedish literature means
literature that is written in Swedish, or any of the national
minority languages, and published in Sweden.
any of the national minority languages rather than via
any third language. The publisher must have the rights
to publication of the work in the said language, and must
have signed a contract with the translator. The application
can only be made by publishers within the Nordic countries.
Open for application:
8 September – 6 October 2015
Application deadlines for 2016 will be posted on our
website at the end of December.
Open for application:
20 October – 17 November 2015
Application deadlines for 2016 will be posted on our
website at the end of December.
GRANTS FOR LITERATURE PROJECTS AND TRAVEL
The objective of this grant is to support literary events
and international exchange which promote high quality
Swedish literature and drama internationally. Foreign
publishers may apply for funding to help cover the cost
of inviting Swedish authors for book launches, literature
festivals and similar events. Organizations may apply for
funding for projects or international exchanges. Projects
can include, but are not limited to, translation seminars,
collaborative literary projects and themed events.
Financial support may also be awarded to information
campaigns and publications aimed at promoting Swedish
literature internationally.
TRANSLATION GRANTS FOR SWEDISH LITERATURE
The support scheme applies both to fiction for children
and adults, comics and non-fiction, and could be granted
for either translation costs or both translation and
production costs for foreign editions of Swedish books,
such as fully illustrated children’s books, non-fiction or
comics and graphic novels. Foreign publishers can also
apply for support for translation of Swedish plays to
be published in book form. One condition is that the
translation must be done directly from Swedish or any of
the national minority languages rather than via any third
language.
Open for application:
20 October – 17 November 2015
Application deadlines for 2016 will be posted on our
website at the end of December.
Open for application:
8 September – 6 October 2015
Application deadlines for 2016 will be posted on our
website at the end of December.
GÖTEBORG BOOK FAIR FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM –
FOR TRANSLATORS, PUBLISHERS AND SUB-AGENTS
The Swedish Arts Council and the Göteborg Book Fair
together provide funding for translators, non-Nordic
publishers and subagents interested in attending
the Göteborg Book Fair. Non-Nordic publishers and
subagents who are interested in publishing/working with
Swedish literature of high quality can apply. Translators of
Swedish literature can also apply for this grant. The grant
will cover a part of the travel cost, accommodation for 3
nights, and entrance card to all seminars at the fair. The
program is partly booked, with information meetings,
lectures, and evening activities, and partly open to
individual programs.
TRANSLATION and production GRANTS FOR
STAGE PERFORMANCE OF SWEDISH DRAMA
The translation must be made directly from Swedish or
any of the national minority languages rather than via any
third language. Application for this support scheme may
only be filed by the theatre where the Swedish translation
will be performed, and the applicant must have the
right to perform the play in question and have signed a
contract with the translator.
Open for application:
8 September – 6 October 2015
Application deadlines for 2016 will be posted on our
website at the end of December.
Open for application:
Application deadline for 2016 will be posted on our
website at the end of December.
TRANSLATION GRANTS FOR PUBLICATION OF
SWEDISH LITERATURE IN OTHER NORDIC LANGUAGES
The translation must be made directly from Swedish or
2
© The Swedish Arts Council 2015
Texts
Sofia Gydemo (Children’s and Young
Adult Literature), Björn Kohlström (prose,
poetry), Alexandra Sundqvist (comics),
Åsa Warnqvist (Book Tasting)
Translations
Nichola Smalley (Children’s and Young
Adult Literature, Comics, Book Tasting),
Anna Tebelius (Prose, Poetry)
Editor
Andreas Åberg, Swedish Arts Council
Graphic design
Dalston Creative
Printed by
Leanders grafiska
Front cover
Jonas Karlsson (see page 18)
Back cover
Pija Lindenbaum (see page 31)