Sweden - Becky Ohlsen [2]
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TRAVEL LITERATURE
Good books on travelling or living in Sweden are few and far between. Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Short Residence in Sweden, Norway and Denmark records the pioneering feminist author’s journey to Scandinavia in 1795 in search of happiness. It’s a classic of early English Romanticism and well worth a read.
The always hilarious Bill Bryson had an entertainingly difficult time of it in Sweden, as described in two chapters of his European travel book Neither Here Nor There.
There are also a couple of good views of Sweden from within, including Selma Lagerlöf’s The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. This creative account of the country’s history and geography is still taught in Swedish classrooms.
Get a taste of a thematic journey in the remotest parts of northern Sweden in Torgny Lindgren’s wonderful novel Hash. Two odd characters set off on a motorcycle in search of the perfect, life-altering pot of hash (pölsan), a sort of potted-meat dish traditionally prepared in the rural north.
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TOP 10
MUST-READ BOOKS BY SWEDISH AUTHORS
One of the best ways to get inside the collective mind of a country is to read its top authors. Following is a selection of some of the greatest and most popular works by Swedish authors.
The Long Ships (1954) by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1906–07) by Selma Lagerlöf
Pippi Longstocking (1945) by Astrid Lindgren
Merab’s Beauty (1982) by Torgny Lindgren
The Emigrants series (1949–59) by Wilhelm Moberg
Faceless Killers (1989) by Henning Mankell
Marking (1963–64) by Dag Hammarskjöld
Röda Rummet (1879) by August Strindberg
The Evil (1981) by Jan Guillou
Hash (2004) by Torgny Lindgren
FEEL-BAD FILMS
The Swedish film industry is active and varied (Click here), but most people associate it with the godfather of gloom, Ingmar Bergman. Many filmmakers have followed in his grim footsteps, including these:
Songs from the Second Floor (2000), Roy Andersson – a post-apocalyptic urban nightmare in surreal slow motion; it’s not for everyone.
Lilya 4-ever (2002), Lukas Moodysson – a grim tale of human trafficking.
Ondskan (Evil; 2003), Mikael Håfström – violence at a boys’ boarding school.
Zozo (2005), Josef Fares – a Lebanese orphan makes his way to Sweden alone, then has culture shock.
Darling (2007), Johan Kling – harsh economic realities bring together a shallow, privileged party girl and a sweet old man in an unlikely friendship.
Let the Right One In (2008), Tomas Alfredson – an excellent, stylish, restrained take on the horror-film genre that gets at what it’s like to be a lonely preteen in a cold, hostile world.
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INTERNET RESOURCES
Many Swedish towns and organisations have websites in both Swedish and English (although the English pages are often less detailed). Hotels, restaurants and museums throughout the country can also frequently be found online. The following websites are useful for pre-planning:
An introduction to the Sami people (www.itv.se/boreale/samieng.htm) A good place to start learning about the indigenous people of northern Sweden and the issues they face, including racism and habitat destruction.
Smorgasbord (www.sverigeturism.se/smorgasbord/index.html) A comprehensive website devoted to Swedish culture, industry, history, sports, tourism, environment and more, produced by the nonprofit FÖRST Föreningen Sverigeturism (Swedish Tourism Trade Association).
Sweden.se (www.sweden.se) All kinds of useful information about the country, in a variety of languages.
Swedish Film Institute (www.sfi.se) Loads of information on Swedish films and their significance within and outside the country.
Swedish Institute (www.si.se) The Swedish Institute publishes the best academic information on Sweden in English and offers scholarships for study in Sweden.
Visit Sweden (www.visitsweden.com)