I'll reply to Johan later. But for now, something even more unrelated. I was just wondering where that old Commie crime novel author Henning Something-or-Other has got to nowadays. Maybe he's on a cruise and is going to re-enact the Normandy landings in some forgotten part of the world. Good luck to the old buffer. He might become a martyr yet.
Swedish Literature
- Thread starter Stewart
- Start date
Red face time for you, Eric. I don't have the exact details in front of me because I've put the old newspapers out in the garage for recycling and can't be bothered to go and ferret through the sack, but there was something in one of the papers the other day to the effect that Mankell was supposed to be at some literary festival - prob. it was Hay, I can't remember - but had been in touch to say he couldn't come as he was heading up an aid convoy to Gaza and they had been stopped at the border and were being harassed by the Israeli army.
Whatever your views on his politics, he does at least get his hands dirty and doesn't just pontificate from the safety of his study.
Harry
Actually, the old friend of Hamas is only five years older than me. But he somehow looks like a re-incarnation of some eldricht loon when you see photos of him in the papers. I notice a Swedish trend: martyrdom. First we've got Lars Vilks hoping to be martyred at the University of Uppsala, then Henning Mankell the Martyr of Gaza. There's nowt like a bit of martyrdom. I bet you Manky is down in the engine room getting his engineer's hands dirty mending the engine which Mossad keeps sabotaging. After doing a Madonna-like spell in Mozambique, he's now found another cause.
Those peacemakers in their Flotilla for Na?vet? (pontificating from the safety of a vessel they know the Israelis, unlike the French with Greenpeace, would never dare to blow up) wouldn't half get a surprise if one of those three Israeli subs loaded with nuclear weapons rose underneath their little vessel and lifted them clean out of the water. Then the latest thriller "Shitless Off Gaza" would be born. The three subs are no fiction - Israel is doing a rota of nuclear armed subs to give Ahmedi-Nejad a subtle hint (not about the spelling of his occasionally hyphenated name, but about building a nuclear arsenal of nasty bombs against the wishes of the world).
But to return to Swedish literature...
Those peacemakers in their Flotilla for Na?vet? (pontificating from the safety of a vessel they know the Israelis, unlike the French with Greenpeace, would never dare to blow up) wouldn't half get a surprise if one of those three Israeli subs loaded with nuclear weapons rose underneath their little vessel and lifted them clean out of the water. Then the latest thriller "Shitless Off Gaza" would be born. The three subs are no fiction - Israel is doing a rota of nuclear armed subs to give Ahmedi-Nejad a subtle hint (not about the spelling of his occasionally hyphenated name, but about building a nuclear arsenal of nasty bombs against the wishes of the world).
But to return to Swedish literature...
Mirabell
Former Member
some of them here (German link) Henning Mankell ha?t keine Juden, er will nur, da? sie verschwinden By the Way …
Well, they've got their martyrs now, anyway. I don't suppose Henning will be among them. Despite the fact that Wally Wallander has a gunfight at the end of just about every episode of the TV series, I expect that author himself will not have been attacking the Israelis with knives and pistols as they boarded the ship.
The Swedish evening gutter press is having orgasms about the incident with thousands of (well, five) Swedish reporters converging on Ashdod. If Henning comes out of this alive, we will have a decade of crime novels with titles like "Wallander Fights Off the Fascist Israelis Single-Handed", "Wallander In Fascist Israeli Chains", "Wallander Joins Hamas", and so on.
The Swedish evening gutter press is having orgasms about the incident with thousands of (well, five) Swedish reporters converging on Ashdod. If Henning comes out of this alive, we will have a decade of crime novels with titles like "Wallander Fights Off the Fascist Israelis Single-Handed", "Wallander In Fascist Israeli Chains", "Wallander Joins Hamas", and so on.
Mirabell
Former Member
I think it's a good learning experience for Mankell. To quote Biermann
Too bad he'll get out of jail in a few days.
waalkwriter
Reader
Wissen wirs, Freunde, oder wissen wirs nicht?
A little question, mainly directed to Bj?rn and Johan: has anyone read Boys by Anna Ringberg, published by Ordfront?
Or the new Karin Alvtegen non-crime novel published by Brombergs?
And which of G?ran Greider's latest books have been the best received. I was reading a brief review today in Prolet?ren about V?rt s?tt att leva tillsammans kommer att ?ndras and Det m?ste finnas en v?g ut det h?r samh?llet. Greider does go in for long titles. He seems to do both essays and poems.
Finally, do people still read things by P?r Th?rn? Is he in fashion among the literary people of Stockholm and Gothenburg?
Or the new Karin Alvtegen non-crime novel published by Brombergs?
And which of G?ran Greider's latest books have been the best received. I was reading a brief review today in Prolet?ren about V?rt s?tt att leva tillsammans kommer att ?ndras and Det m?ste finnas en v?g ut det h?r samh?llet. Greider does go in for long titles. He seems to do both essays and poems.
Finally, do people still read things by P?r Th?rn? Is he in fashion among the literary people of Stockholm and Gothenburg?
Swedish regions and literature
The Swedish literary quarterly Parnass (Parnassus) has published two issues in 2010 devoted to literature from two Swedish regions where many writers were born or have lived. Given the fact that many people abroad do not always think about the regional aspects of famous Swedish writers and their works, such theme issues are interesting.
One such region is the province of Scania (called Sk?ne in Swedish) which is the area around Malm?, Kristianstad, and the university city of Lund in the very south of Sweden, a province which was, until a few centuries ago, part of Denmark. Writers associated with Scania include the poets Vilhelm Ekelund, Hjalmar Gullberg and Anders ?sterling and the short-story writer and proto-feminist Victoria Benedictsson who wrote under the pseudonym Ernst Ahlgren, plus Frans G. Bengtsson, who has a thread here on the WLF.
The other issue deals with writers associated with the west of Sweden and Gothenburg (called G?teborg in Swedish). Writers from this part of Sweden include the provocative poet Thomas Thorild (1759-1808), Nobel Prize Laureates P?r Lagerkvist (1951) from the town of V?xj? and Harry Martinson (1974), poet Erik Lindegren, and Vilhelm Moberg from the province of Sm?land.
What is interesting about the periodical Parnass is that it maintains a list of all the literary societies and associations in Sweden that are devoted to one particular author. There are over a hundred such societies for a large number of authors. So Parnass tends to have theme issues on four or five authors each issue.
The Swedish literary quarterly Parnass (Parnassus) has published two issues in 2010 devoted to literature from two Swedish regions where many writers were born or have lived. Given the fact that many people abroad do not always think about the regional aspects of famous Swedish writers and their works, such theme issues are interesting.
One such region is the province of Scania (called Sk?ne in Swedish) which is the area around Malm?, Kristianstad, and the university city of Lund in the very south of Sweden, a province which was, until a few centuries ago, part of Denmark. Writers associated with Scania include the poets Vilhelm Ekelund, Hjalmar Gullberg and Anders ?sterling and the short-story writer and proto-feminist Victoria Benedictsson who wrote under the pseudonym Ernst Ahlgren, plus Frans G. Bengtsson, who has a thread here on the WLF.
The other issue deals with writers associated with the west of Sweden and Gothenburg (called G?teborg in Swedish). Writers from this part of Sweden include the provocative poet Thomas Thorild (1759-1808), Nobel Prize Laureates P?r Lagerkvist (1951) from the town of V?xj? and Harry Martinson (1974), poet Erik Lindegren, and Vilhelm Moberg from the province of Sm?land.
What is interesting about the periodical Parnass is that it maintains a list of all the literary societies and associations in Sweden that are devoted to one particular author. There are over a hundred such societies for a large number of authors. So Parnass tends to have theme issues on four or five authors each issue.
Lotta Lotass is self-publishing her latest novel Sparta. 300 copies, rave reviews. I lucked out and managed to get one. Unfortunately she is also doing her own shipping, so it might take a while before I receive it.
She has a history of unusual publishing choices. Some of her work is available for free on the net, the first edition of Den svarta solen was a cheap paperback, and another one of her books(can't recall the name) consisted of a stack of loose papers in a wooden box.
Speaking of magazines. You should check ut Vinduet, a Norwegian publication. It's unfortunately very hard to find in these parts, might be available at your local library. I believe it was voted "Scandinavian magazine of the year" not long ago.
She has a history of unusual publishing choices. Some of her work is available for free on the net, the first edition of Den svarta solen was a cheap paperback, and another one of her books(can't recall the name) consisted of a stack of loose papers in a wooden box.
Speaking of magazines. You should check ut Vinduet, a Norwegian publication. It's unfortunately very hard to find in these parts, might be available at your local library. I believe it was voted "Scandinavian magazine of the year" not long ago.
I shall see whether Vinduet is available here in Uppsala. I've read to page 17 of a recent Swedish book about the Lacedaemonii; numbering the pages does help. Do Swedes still read Sara Lidman and Torgny Lindgren for the Norrlandic aspect? And what about Bodil Malmsten - is she still a top read in Sweden? And Ann Jäderlund, is she still a paperback poet of note and stature? I would have thought that she is rather difficult for the soundbite commuter pack. Oh, and another question: do Swedes still go in for poetry slam? What is the difference between "slam" and poetry reading? Anyone in Sweden reading Kristina Hultman or Sven Delblanc? Viktor Johansson or Eyvind Johnson? What about Lars Ahlin? I heard his name years ago where he seemed to be grubbling about some manifesto or other. Never did get round to reading him. I get the feeling there's lots of Swedish literature but that Sweden is not very good at promoting it it abroad, unless it is a crime novel, crime novel, crime novel, crime novel - or even a crime novel. Especially one with a moral lecture: thou shalt not people-traffic; thou shalt not organ-rob; thou shalt not vote for anyone except V, the fuck-off sign party of righteousness and oily leaders. Thou shalt not... Why don't the Swedes have more literature about brushing your bottom, or wiping your teeth, as they used to have for four-year-olds about twenty years ago? Why can't Swedish literature tell people how to live their lives any more? I like to be told what to do. Why don't the Swedes... Why don't the Swedes... Never mind, I'm off to go and read an English novel.
Today is the 19th December. The last posting here (mine, as it happens) was on 6th November. Hand on heart, is anyone here interested in what Swedes write, unless it is crime novels? It doesn't look like it. Even Swedish stalwarts such as Björn and Johan seem to have abandoned all attempts to promote or discuss the literature of their country.
I am discovering interesting Swedish writers with some regularity. Some turn out to be disappointing - but not all. Have the crime writers run out of steam, or have there been no more translations of non-crime literature into English, French, German, Spanish and so on?
I'm going to review "Sparta" in due course. What did you think of it, Johan? Have you, by the way, read any Asko Sahlberg? He lives in your town.
I am discovering interesting Swedish writers with some regularity. Some turn out to be disappointing - but not all. Have the crime writers run out of steam, or have there been no more translations of non-crime literature into English, French, German, Spanish and so on?
I'm going to review "Sparta" in due course. What did you think of it, Johan? Have you, by the way, read any Asko Sahlberg? He lives in your town.
The fact that Björn and Johan are Sweden-based Swedes doesn't mean that Swedish literature is necessarily their main interest in life. Björn has enough to do with his researches into the early medieval love lyric in Tamil Nadu, and Johan's investigations into the puzzling absence of iambic pentameter in the Persian ghazal leave him little leisure time for reading miserabilist Swedish novels.
I'm a Scotland-based Scot, but the only Scottish writer I ever read is Alexander McCall Smith, because I like his gentle if rather twee sense of humour. I prefer more exotic reading-matter, having the dismal reality of Scotland around me 24/7, and am currently trying to decipher some contemporary Faroese poetry. Although the way these buggers have been trying to pinch our mackerel lately (their fishermen, not their poets), I may have to withdraw my patronage.
Also, having read a fair amount of Swedish in the past, I'm trying to keep my rudimentary Danish afloat by reading (a disastrous random choice) Herman Bang's Tine. Like that famous Scando-Scot Magnus Magnusson, I keep vowing through gritted teeth, "I've started so I'll finish".
Harry
Maybe Swedes don't like Swedish literature. Too morbid, duckpondèsque, and suicidal, perhaps. If all those writers keep committing suicide, there won't be many left to write the books.
In fact, the man who has taken the initiative to get authors to talk about their books here in Uppsala is a Bangladeshi by birth, Anisur Rahman. So I've listened to Lars Sund and Carina Burman, both locals, though I missed Tranströmer and his reader the other day (Tranströmer is in a wheelchair and cannot speak after a stroke, so someone else has to read out his poetry).
As for miserablists, that's not the monopoly of the Swedes. The term has been used about the Flemish author Louis Paul Boon. But he cheered himself up by being a part-time paedophile, in thought, if not in deed; which is probably why he never won the Nobel.
I do read a few British authors now and again, not least to make sure I don't forget the finesses of the language. But it is true that those looking outwards into the big wide world will tend to neglect home-grown produce.
Herman Bang's surname is a bit of a misnomer, I feel. I don't get the feeling he was very active regarding legover activities. More one of the boys, so to speak. There are plenty of other Danish writers such as Peter Adolphsen, a contemporary author who writes mercifully short novels. Although if you think the Bang is hard going, don't try Per Højholt. His "Auricula" would really freak you out. He actually has about ten paragraphs in that 350-page novel. And has dispensed with chapters.
In fact, the man who has taken the initiative to get authors to talk about their books here in Uppsala is a Bangladeshi by birth, Anisur Rahman. So I've listened to Lars Sund and Carina Burman, both locals, though I missed Tranströmer and his reader the other day (Tranströmer is in a wheelchair and cannot speak after a stroke, so someone else has to read out his poetry).
As for miserablists, that's not the monopoly of the Swedes. The term has been used about the Flemish author Louis Paul Boon. But he cheered himself up by being a part-time paedophile, in thought, if not in deed; which is probably why he never won the Nobel.
I do read a few British authors now and again, not least to make sure I don't forget the finesses of the language. But it is true that those looking outwards into the big wide world will tend to neglect home-grown produce.
Herman Bang's surname is a bit of a misnomer, I feel. I don't get the feeling he was very active regarding legover activities. More one of the boys, so to speak. There are plenty of other Danish writers such as Peter Adolphsen, a contemporary author who writes mercifully short novels. Although if you think the Bang is hard going, don't try Per Højholt. His "Auricula" would really freak you out. He actually has about ten paragraphs in that 350-page novel. And has dispensed with chapters.
'Fraid I'd never heard of Håkan Lindquist, and the dude in the picture doesn't stiffen my willy. I presume that Lindquist himself is part of the gay scene, as he's written a long piece on his blog about the gay Estonian writer Tõny Õnnepalu (aka Emil Tode):
http://hakanlindquist.blogspot.com/
Nice for Lindquist that he's got translated into French.
Is this chap as raunch-invoking to you as the dude on the cover?
http://hakanlindquist.blogspot.com/
Nice for Lindquist that he's got translated into French.
Is this chap as raunch-invoking to you as the dude on the cover?
Bjorn
Reader
I do love it when literature debate gets really catty.
Self-appointed "Greatest living Swedish writer" Björn Ranelid is going to be on the Swedish version of Dancing With The Stars this season. In one interview, he praises himself for "doing his duty" in "going among the people" and "educating the people", and then, for no apparent reason, chastises the Swedish Academy for not making fools of themselves on national television. "I'm braver than the entire Academy put together. I want you to write that. Boom, like that."
To which the secretary of the Academy, Peter Englund (AKA the guy who hands out the Nobel Prize) replies:
Ranelid:
Englund:
To be continued, I'm sure. Unless some people are too busy writing autographs.
Self-appointed "Greatest living Swedish writer" Björn Ranelid is going to be on the Swedish version of Dancing With The Stars this season. In one interview, he praises himself for "doing his duty" in "going among the people" and "educating the people", and then, for no apparent reason, chastises the Swedish Academy for not making fools of themselves on national television. "I'm braver than the entire Academy put together. I want you to write that. Boom, like that."
To which the secretary of the Academy, Peter Englund (AKA the guy who hands out the Nobel Prize) replies:
Ranelid:
Englund:
To be continued, I'm sure. Unless some people are too busy writing autographs.
:
Björn, could you tell us a bit more about what Ranelid and Englund have written? I know that we must either worship or laugh at the latter because he's now the bigshot in the Million Dollars Committee for the Propagation of World Literature. But why should Ranelid interest non-Swedish readers if he's just another chatshow guest?
This is another of these dismal and artificial Swedish literary "debates" which are forgotten within a month and are merely a display of narcissism. Hasn't Sweden got any more real writers of serious non-TV literary calibre that could be read in translation and discussed by members so this forum? Suggestions?
This is another of these dismal and artificial Swedish literary "debates" which are forgotten within a month and are merely a display of narcissism. Hasn't Sweden got any more real writers of serious non-TV literary calibre that could be read in translation and discussed by members so this forum? Suggestions?