Scandinavian children's literature. The best Swedish writers for children and adults
Fabulous Sweden... The country of Vikings, trolls and... Carlson! It is with this fairy-tale hero that Sweden is most often associated. And it is Swedish writers who do it so well. Astrid Lindgren, Selma Lagerlöf, Maria Grippe - all these famous storytellers were born here. Sweden holds the record for the number of holders of the Hans Christian Andersen Prize and Nobel laureates in the field of literature. Therefore, visiting this country should be both educational and magical.
Swedish literature for children
First woman Nobel laureate in literature."Nils's Journey with the Wild Geese" is her most famous work. But there are many other, no less interesting tales: "Invisible Ties", "The Queens of Cungahella", "The Tale of the Old Manor", "Legends of Christ", "The Tale of the Tale and Other Tales", "The House of Liljekruna", "Trolls and Men", "Morbakka", "The Ring" Löwenskioldov", "Memoirs of a Child".
Maria Gripe
Another one winner of the G.H. Medal Andersen. Her books for children and teenagers have been translated into 29 languages, many of them have been filmed. Unfortunately, not many works were published in Russian. And they are certainly worth reading: "Elvis Carlsson", "Elvis! Elvis! Just Elvis", "The Dung Beetle Flies at Dusk...", "Cecilia Agnes - a Strange Story", "Shadow on the Stone Bench", "...And White Shadows in the Forest", "Cache of Shadows", "Children of the Shadows", "Children of the Glassblower "
Sven Nordqvist
Sven Nordkvist is known to Russian readers for his tales about Petson and his kitten Findus. The adventures of these funny characters are very popular with both children and parents. They are incredibly cozy and so nice. Be sure to read: “Birthday Pie”, “Fox Hunt”, “Petson is Sad”, “Christmas in Petson’s House”, “Trouble in the Garden”, “Petson Goes Hiking”, “Findus Moves”, etc.
Swedish literature for adults
Per Lagerqvist
He had a significant influence on all Swedish literature as a whole. ancient Scandinavian epic. Prose and poetry Nobel laureate Per Lagerkvsit also often resembles myth and allegory: “Tosca”, “The Conquered Life”, “Barabbas”, “The Smile of Eternity”, “Dwarf”. Lagerkvits’s anti-fascist prose deserves special attention, namely the story "Executioner".
Harry Martinson
Harry Martinson is an example of the fact that it is not the quantity of works that brings popularity, but their quality. His only great work is cycle of epic poems "Aniara"– brought to the author Nobel Prize in 1974.“Aniara” describes the journey of a space ark on which several thousand inhabitants of Planet Earth were saved from a nuclear disaster.
* * * * *
Among modern literature, the Swedish detective story is especially popular all over the world today. Scandinavian noir literally swept Europe. Let's get acquainted with its main representatives.
Henning Mankell
Henning Mankell is considered the patriarch of the Swedish detective story. He gained international fame thanks to a series of police novels about Kurt Wallander. Almost all of Mankell's works have been filmed. And it's worth reading: “Faceless Killers”, “White Lioness”, “The Man Who Smiled”, “Blank Wall”, “One Step Behind”, “Journey to the End of the World”.
Stieg Larsson
Famous detective trilogy Swedish journalist Stieg Larsson "Millennium" was translated into 40 languages and published after the author's death. The excitement around Larsson's life and death and his works has not subsided for more than 10 years. His prose touches on acute political topics and has an anti-fascist orientation. We think this is definitely worth reading.
Lisa Marklund
Lisa Marklund's detective stories have been translated into 30 languages and are sold in millions of copies around the world. At home, she is considered a worthy successor to the work of Stieg Larsson. The main character of Lisa's books is in a state of chronic paranoia, while managing to uncover the horrific crimes of Swedish politicians, while simultaneously picking up the children from kindergarten and preparing dinner and lunch. Well, yes, a very funny woman...I experienced my first delight when I read the trilogy “Baby and Carlson” by the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren. A sea of funny situations, elegant style and rich imagination of the author delighted and captivated. Then it was time for the fairy tale "Pippi Longstocking". But the fairy tale “Mio, my Mio” captivated my heart forever. I was sad and cried with little Busse, dreamed of a horse as beautiful as Mio’s and to perform feats in the name of good with him. Astrid Lindgren has become my favorite writer. Almost all of her books are dedicated to children. “I have not written books for adults and I think that I will never do so,” the writer once said decisively. All the heroes she created are lively, active and mischievous children with their own talents and whims, inclinations and weaknesses. This is exactly what they are - Mio, Pippi, Kalle, Yeran, little Cherven.
The writer talks truthfully and seriously with children. Yes, the world is not simple, there are diseases, poverty, hunger, grief and suffering in the world. In her fairy tale “In the Land Between Light and Darkness,” the boy Yeran has not gotten out of bed for a year because of a sore leg, but every evening he finds himself in the magical Land of Twilight, or as it is also called, the Land Between Light and Darkness. Unusual people live in this country. Anything can be in it - caramels grow on trees, and trams run on water. And most importantly, neither illness nor suffering “have the slightest meaning” in it.
Children, according to Lindgren, should be happy. They should have their own Far Country, the Country of Twilight or the island of Siltkrona. Children should play, laugh, enjoy life and should never get sick or go hungry. For Lindgren, the fabulous and magical is born from the imagination of the child himself. So the Kid from the books about “The Kid and Carlson” comes up with a cheerful friend who lives on the roof and loves jam, Pippi Longstocking from the fairy tale of the same name, considers himself a black princess and imagines himself a rich, strong and beloved girl.
The fairy tale “Mio, my Mio!” was born in 1954. One day, while walking through the square, the writer noticed a little sad boy sitting alone and sadly on a bench. That was enough. He sat and was sad, and Lindgren had already transported him to the fairy tale The Far Country, which he himself invented. Surrounded him with blooming roses, found him a loving father and cheerful, devoted friends, involved him in many adventures. And Busse's adopted son becomes in his dreams Prince Mio, the beloved son of the king of the Far Country. That's how it turned out my favorite fairy tale, full of poetry and charm.
Thorbjorn Egner is a special phenomenon in Norwegian literature. He not only wrote interesting books for children, but also translated for Norwegian children the famous English fairy tale by A. A. Milne about the teddy bear Nalla Poo (known to Russian children as Winnie the Pooh). Egner not only introduced his little compatriots to the English teddy bear, but also wrote for them the fairy tale “Adventures in the Woods of Elki-on-Gorka”, about the living bear cub Grumpy, Mouse Morten, Climbing Mouse, House Mouse, Fox Mikkel, squirrels and other inhabitants Elki-on-Gorka forests. In the fairy tale, animals talk and behave like people. There are good and kind animals - the bear Bamse, his family and many small animals, there are cunning and evil ones - Mikkel the Fox and Peter the Hedgehog. Angry at the Fox and the Hedgehog, who were attacking small animals, the inhabitants of the forest gathered together and made a promise to live in friendship and harmony. The fox does not want to eat grass and berries, but he is forced to do so and raise his hind paw as a sign of consent. The fox gradually improves and even saves the little bear Grumpy. The book “Adventures in the Forest of Elki-on-Gorka” is a very funny and life-affirming fairy tale. And its meaning is in the song of animals who decided to live in peace and friendship:
Let's divide everything in half -
Joys and troubles
And delicious
Delicious,
Delicious lunches.
The fairy tale contains many animal songs that Enger composed. And he not only writes interesting fairy tales and composes songs, but also illustrates his books.
In the summer of 1966, the Finnish writer and artist Tove Marika Jansson received the International Hans Christian Andersen Gold Medal for her books about extraordinary fairy-tale creatures - Moomins, hemuls, fillyjonks, homs, snorks, morrahs, etc. This highest award is awarded to writers and artists who who write and draw for children. Tove Jansson will later have many awards and prizes, but this medal will become the most valuable for her. In 1938, Tove Jansson wrote and illustrated the book Little Trolls and the Great Flood. Then 11 more books about the Moomins: “A Comet Arrives” (1946); "The Wizard's Hat" (1949); "Memoirs of Moomintroll Dad" (1950); “What happened then?” (1952); "Dangerous Summer" (1954); "Magic Winter" (1957); “Who will console the little one?” (1960); "The Invisible Child" (1962); "Daddy and the Sea" (1965); "At the End of November" (1970); "The Rascal in the Moomin House" (1980). All these books have been translated into 25 languages, including Russian. Each of Jansson’s works is the embodiment of one or another child’s aspirations: passion for the mysterious and magical (“A Comet Arrives,” “The Wizard’s Hat”), for construction and invention (“Memoirs of Moomintroll Dad”), kindness and love for the weak (“ Magic Winter”, “The Invisible Child”), curiosity and a penchant for play and transformation (“Dangerous Summer”).
Astrit Lindgren, Thorbjörn Egner and Tove Jansson brought into the literary fairy tale the whole country of childhood with all its psychological shades, desires, aspirations and fantasies. And they did it so talentedly that they forced everyone to admit: there are children's books that belong to real literature. And many will agree with my opinion that best children's books belong to these magnificent Scandinavian writers.
Happy reading!
- As children, we all read books by Astrid Lindgren, stories about Moomins by Tove Jansson and fairy tales by Andersen. But Scandinavian literature is not limited to just these names. Ekaterina Severina, a book reviewer and mother of three-year-old Alice, has made for us a selection of Scandinavian authors translated into Russian in recent years.
Max and the car
Barbro Lindgren
illustrations by Eva Erikson
From 1.5 years
publishing house "Samokat"
Buy a book
This book is part of a series of four picture books that tell the story of 2-year-old Max with humor and understanding. They were written by the winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Prize and the author of more than 100 works for children - Swedish writer Barbro Lindgren.
Stories about Max have a minimum of text (literally a sentence to spread) and a simple plot that any child can understand. For example, Max wants to play with the car. But his neighbor Lisa also wants to play with the car. There is only one machine. It’s not difficult to guess what will happen next, but everything ends well. Each book is a situation that is recognizable and close to a child, with a clear cause-and-effect relationship, and amazing, telling illustrations.
Mimbo-Jimbo,
author and illustrator Jacob Martin Strid
From 1.5 years
publishing house "Clever-Media-Group"
Buy a book
The Danish political cartoonist is known in Russia as the author of the book “The Incredible Story of the Giant Pear” and the creator of the series about the baby elephant Mimbo-Jimbo. The book of the same name tells about the adventures of a blue elephant who built a helicopter house and flew through the jungle with his best friend, the hippopotamus Mumbo-Jumbo, to save animals from different situations. This is a book about friendship, and although the plot is simple, these are the kinds of stories that a one and a half year old child can fully comprehend.
Krax restores order,
Yuya and Thomas Wislander
illustrations by Sven Nordqvist
3-6 years
Buy a book
A series of books about the life of the cheerful cow Mama Mu and her friend the crow Krax was invented by an honorary member of the Swedish Academy of Children's Books, Juja Wislander, and drawn by the famous illustrator Sven Nordqvist, who turns 70 this year. His drawings are filled with details and little things that can be looked at endlessly.
This is a book about true friendship. About the fact that relationships may not be perfectly smooth: friends can argue and quarrel a little, but the main thing that remains behind all this is respect and love for each other.
Raven Krax is sure that he knows everything and can do it better than others. This time too, he is confident that he can clean up the dusty barn in five seconds. And he knows exactly how to paint the walls. Overall, the best cleaner in the world. Only, as often happens, after such help it takes twice as long to clean up.
Petson is sad
author and illustrator Sven Nordqvist
3-6 years
publishing house Albus Corvus/White Crow
Buy a book
Swedish writer and illustrator Nordkvist is primarily known as the creator of the series about Petson and Findus - about the friendship of an eccentric old man and a mischievous kitten. The books in this series can be read in absolutely any order. One of my favorites is “Petson is Sad” - a story about how one autumn day a kitten cheered up his sad friend.
It would seem a very simple story. But why do children and adults like it so much? First of all, the illustrations are amazing. Each work by Nordqvist is a special world that expands the boundaries of the text and makes the story more voluminous and rich.
Secondly, it is the recognition of images. In Findus, the child recognizes himself. He can be naughty, get into trouble, sometimes be simply unbearable, but still endlessly loved and the most wonderful. Petson is an ordinary adult who may get tired, mind his own business and even grumble a little, but he completely accepts his baby and loves him endlessly.
And thirdly, every book about Pettson and Findus is an ideal model of the relationship between an adult and a child and is always a story about what a truly happy childhood should be like.
Apple,
author and illustrator Jan Löf
3-6 years
publishing house "Melik-Pashayev"
Buy a book
Jan Löf is a famous Swedish artist and writer (author of the Pelle series of books, “My Grandfather the Pirate”), as well as a jazz musician. Unfortunately, only one of his books is known in our country so far - “The Apple”.
This is a witty story about how a dishonest seller sold a man a fake apple, but left the real one in his garden. But so that the buyer would not suspect anything, the scammer advised him to give the apple a little time to “ripen”. This event becomes a trigger that sets off a chain of coincidences that lead to a funny and fair ending. The text has a lot of intertwined lines, but it is quite concise and easy to read. And parallel - internal - stories can be developed and thought out, thanks to colorful and very detailed illustrations.
If you try to explain the meaning of the book in one sentence, it will certainly be: “don’t dig a hole for others, you will fall into it yourself.”
Mulle Mek is building a boat,
Georg Johansson
illustrations by Jens Albom
3-6 years
Buy a book
Swedish journalist and writer, popularizer of science for children Georg Johanson, came up with a series of books about a skilled person - Mulle Meka and his dog named Buffa, who together can solve any problem, be it building a boat or a car. Each book is dedicated to one invention, which the characters make in the story, and is written in the form of a story-conversation with appeals to young readers: “The boat even has a name - “Horizon.” What else is missing? I guessed. And you?"
The plot is complemented by large watercolor illustrations in warm colors, painted by Jens Albom.
Mulle Mek has been translated into many languages and receives a new name in each country. For example, in Russian computer games produced by 1C he was Petrovich, but in the USA he is known as Gary Gadget.
History of ships. Mulla Mek tells
This is a series within a series - for older children, in which the history of various inventions is told from the point of view of Mulle Mek. From the book “History of Ships” you can learn about what the first ships were like and trace their evolution; learn to distinguish modern ships, as well as get acquainted with many technical facts. The detailed and brightly illustrated story is still designed specifically for preschoolers - all the information is adapted for understanding and does not at all resemble boring encyclopedias.
Interesting fact: Pettson, Mama Mu, Mulle Meck and Löf's characters are residents of the fabulous Junibacken Museum in Stockholm - there you can meet them firsthand.
Prostodursen. Winter from beginning to end
Rune Belsvik
illustrations of Varvara Tomato
From 5 years
publishing house "Samokat"
Buy a book
Rune Belsvik is a modern Norwegian classic, his stories are part of the golden fund of children's literature and have been translated into many languages. He came up with an amazing world - the Riverside Country, where fabulous creatures live and where every day is predictable and has its own order, so any event becomes “great”. The residents have telling names - Prostodursen, Kovrigsen, Octava, Sdobsen and Pronyrsen, but there is not a drop of hackneyedness or vulgarity in the characters, but there is touching, openness and charm.
The language is unusually poetic and the text just wants to be parsed into quotes: “...And it was the evening before the great marzipan feast. The sky hung garlands of gilded stars and, for greater persuasiveness, added a thin and bright silver moon..."
From the first pages, the story immerses you in an amazing atmosphere, where the simplest things are filled with special meaning and penetrate to the very heart. This is a book in which there is no place for fuss, in which you want to return and which is absolutely necessary for everyone to wrap themselves in in the dank and gray season.
By the summer, the Samokat publishing house should publish another book about Prostodursen and other residents of the Riverside Country, which will contain spring and summer stories.
Old lady-tiny-with-a-teaspoon,
Alf Preusen
From 5 years
publishing house "Melik-Pashayev"
Buy a book
The Norwegian writer and composer is known in our country for the Soviet cartoon “The Kid Who Could Count to Ten,” based on the work of the same name. But the most important character in Preussen’s work is an ordinary-looking old woman who has one amazing feature - for unknown reasons and without her own desire, she becomes tiny in stature. Because of this, the most incredible stories happen to her.
The book contains 14 stories, each of which is one transformation. It is always difficult for a small character, and even more so for a tiny one, but the old woman does not lose heart and does not feel uncomfortable at all. She skillfully uses her other qualities - intelligence and dexterity - and finds a way out of seemingly hopeless situations.
Alone on stage
Ulf Nilsson
illustrations by Eva Erikson
From 5 years
publishing house "Samokat"
Buy a book
This book brings together two masters: Ulf Nilsson, the author of children's psychological stories, who gives adults the opportunity to look at the world through the eyes of a child, and Eva Eriksson, an artist whose illustrations often speak even more than words.
This is the story of a boy who is afraid of public speaking. And he is not at all a timid quiet person, no - at home he loves to put on performances for his younger brother and sing songs of his own composition. And he is terribly embarrassed to go on stage and is afraid until his stomach hurts. On the day of the concert, the hero hides in the wardrobe, but then (thanks to the support of his brother) he realizes how stupid it is to deprive himself of the joy of the holiday and eventually overcomes his fear.
"Alone on Stage" is written with humor and understanding and can be truly therapeutic for those who are afraid to perform.
Krivulya,
Fried Ingulstad
illustrations by Valentin Olshvang
From 5 years
publishing house "Melik-Pashayev"
Buy a book
Norwegian writer Fried Ingulstad is known as the author of popular science literature for children, but her fairy tales about the characters of Scandinavian folklore - the Nissa and the trolls - received special love from readers.
In Dyulaglup there lives a family of Nisses, who every year on the day of the first snow help the Christmas Nisse (analogous to our Father Frost) prepare gifts for human children. They live as their ideal family in a warm and cozy home. In their world, everything has its own special meaning - the hedgehog gave knitting needles to the old grandmother, the family washes in the tub before Christmas, and the chest stores socks, scarves and mittens. Outside their world there is another - an unpleasant one, in which pale dangerous people and underground inhabitants live - gray troll thieves. Krivulya is one of these trolls, but he is not at all like his relatives. Because of this, they are thinking of giving it to Leshy, so Krivulya runs away from home and finds shelter in a chest with a nisse. And there the troll clearly understands that more than anything in the world he wants to become one of them and live in a cozy house, making toys.
There is no noisy intrigue or abundance of plot lines in this book, which is why it turned out to be a peaceful story with a leisurely rhythm. This feeling is emphasized and enhanced by the amazing illustrations of Valentin Olshvang, director and animator, student of Yuri Norshtein.
“Krivulya” is a real winter fairy tale, from which a moral is drawn that is very understandable to children: those who are kind and do well should be rewarded.
Tonya Glimmerdahl,
Maria Parr
illustrations by Oleg Bukharov
From 7 years
publishing house "Samokat"
Buy a book
This book was written by a young Norwegian writer - the new Astrid Lindgren, who is the winner of two awards for the best children's literature in New Norwegian and is loved all over the world. Thanks to Olga Drobot’s translation, she is also known in Russia - the seventh edition of her first book “Waffle Heart” has already ended and the fourth edition of the book “Tonya Glimmerdahl” is coming to an end.
This is an incredibly exciting story about the adventures of an only child in a remote Norwegian village. Tonya has a best friend - a huge old man Gunvald, who is also her godfather, and a life principle - “Speed and self-respect”. If Tony's day was uneventful, then it was a waste. This is a book about mistakes from which no one, be it an adult or a child, is immune. About how to overcome life's obstacles and that you cannot hide from problems - they must be solved. About true friendship and the fact that children are sometimes wiser than adults.
At first it seems that the author was inspired by “Pippi Longstocking” and “We are all from Bullerby” - again a lively red-haired girl, again a celebration of rural life. But after a few pages, any comparison with Lindgren’s legendary works is already forgotten and only “Rumbling - the Thunderstorm of Glimmerdal” remains. A smart, light, funny and endlessly honest book.
Glassblower's children
Maria Gripe
illustrations by Victoria Popova
From 7 years
publishing house Albus Corvus/White Crow
Buy a book
Maria Griepe is a Swedish writer, winner of many awards and prizes, such as the Andersen Medal and the Astrid Lidgren Prize, the author of many works, including a series of novels about shadows, a series of books about the boy Elvis, as well as a trilogy about Hugo and Yousefin.
The book is about a simple family of a glass blower, where two children grow up - a boy and a girl. Once a year, the family goes to the fair in the hope of selling goods and making money, because the mother constantly dreams of a better life for her children. This dream comes true, but not in the way she imagined - the children are taken to him by the Ruler of the city of Enskestad - the city of desires. In an enchanted house, children receive everything except warmth and love...
Someone will read this story as a fairy tale with an entertaining plot - there is a sorceress Flax, an enchanted house, a talking raven Kluka, a Ruler and a Ruler. Someone will see it as a philosophical work - a parable about desires with a leisurely and slightly cold narrative. “You cannot dream today what you cannot accept tomorrow.” And for some, this book will be a reference to mythology: a raven who lost an eye because he looked deep into the well of wisdom; river of oblivion; two powerful opposites, forever destined to maintain balance.
“The Glassblower's Children” is a beautiful story that is full of metaphors, revelations and meanings.
By the way, the Belaya Vorona publishing house will soon publish another story by Gripe, translated by Maria Lyudkovskaya - “The Dung Beetle Flies at Dusk.”
Tsatsiki goes to school
Moni Nilsson-Bränström
From 10 years
publishing house "Samokat"
Buy a book
Moni Nilsson is a Swedish writer, winner of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Prize, known as the creator of a series of books about the boy Tzatziki. The adventures of a boy from an unusual family have been filmed and translated into 20 languages.
Tsatsika has the best Mom in the world, who can walk on her hands and wiggle her toes, and she also plays in a rock band, but most importantly, she loves her son endlessly. Therefore, the boy practically does not worry that he lives without his father (He catches cuttlefish and lives in Greece).
“But isn’t tzatziki a Greek dish?
It’s just that Mom loves this dish more than anything in the world, so she called me that. And the double name is because she loves me twice as much.”
Moni Nilsson talks very fascinatingly about what the days of an ordinary child are filled with. Something may seem ordinary and not requiring discussion, something indecent and “it would be better to remove this from children’s books,” but it is always very sincere and honest. This is an opportunity to look through the eyes of a child at non-childish problems - acceptance of real life, empathy, tolerance, love and friendship.
Freaks and nerds
Ulf Stark
From 10 years
publishing house "Samokat"
Buy a book
The award-winning Swedish writer, known for his straightforward writing, doesn't shy away from difficult topics and understands teenagers like no other. Perhaps this is why he is one of the most beloved authors of our time.
There are two storylines in “Freaks and Bores” - the story of a 12-year-old girl, Simone, who has everything ahead, although for now she is sure that the whole world is against it. After all, her own mother got along with the unpleasant Ingwe and forgets everything in the world, including her beloved dog when moving and her daughter’s birthday, and at the new school Simone is mistakenly mistaken for a boy. And the line of the grandfather, for whom everything is in the past and he is ready to accept the outcome of this life. Grandfather knows the main thing - many things in life seem strange and wonderful, but everything around is full of deep meaning. You just need to learn to recognize this meaning, don’t be afraid to be an eccentric, not like others.
The author is not trying to make veiled hints, no, he speaks honestly, openly and with humor about serious things, and also teaches us to boldly face life.
In addition, Ulf Stark writes books for younger readers. The Samokat publishing house published his book about the gnome Buku, “Christmas in the Forest,” and another one will appear soon, “Summer in the Big Forest.”
You could also see his works in IKEA stores in the children's goods department.
Ekaterina Severina
On this day 110 years ago, Henrik Ibsen died. And we remember the most prominent Scandinavian writers and their books.
Henrik Ibsen, Peer GyntIbsen was a Norwegian playwright and founder of the new European drama. One of his most famous plays is Peer Gynt. The main character wants to restore his reputation and position in society, lost by his drunken father. However, he commits something stupid, as a result of which he is forced to leave his native place. He spent a lot of time wandering, was a slave trader in the United States, made shady deals in Moroccan ports, wandered the desert, was a Bedouin leader and even tried to seduce the daughter of a former leader. And he ended his journey in a madhouse in Cairo, becoming an emperor. And when he finally comes to his senses, he goes home, where his things are sold at auction, and he himself tries, with the help of rather strange subjects, to understand when in a past life he was himself? Was there even one? And so, when Peer Gynt was already completely desperate, in his old house he sees Solveig - the girl who loved him before his flight from his native place, who reports that she has been waiting for him here ever since, and that he remained for her all these years yourself. Lars Soby Christensen, Half Brother
This gritty Norwegian saga of three women's destinies begins with the rape of a granddaughter in the attic. And there will be little good in the further plot. As a result of the violence, Fred was born - sullen and distant, who constantly disappeared and was looking for something. His brother Barnum was a short man with a lot of complexes who hated his childhood. The great-grandmother lived in the past and with hopes that were not destined to come true, the grandmother was more than strange, and the imprint of suffering and sorrow remained on the mother’s face forever. It seems like one family under a common roof, but everyone lives as a hermit in their own complex world, where no one will ever reach until the very last day. Singrid Undset, Christine, daughter of Lavrans
A family saga that brought its author the Nobel Prize in 1928. This is a trilogy covering events from 1310 to 1349. Its main character is the fictional character Christine, the daughter of Lavrans, the respected and wealthy owner of the Jorundgaard estate in the Gudbrandsdal valley. The first part will tell about the girl’s childhood, adolescence and marriage, which happened after a series of tragic events. In the second, she becomes the mistress of a huge estate, raises children and loses all her property after her husband took part in a conspiracy against the king. And in the third, her family is haunted by continuous troubles, her husband dies, one after another, her sons leave after him. And Christine herself, saving a child who was about to be sacrificed, becomes infected with the plague and dies, surrounded by all her children and loved ones who appeared to her in her dying delirium. Peter Hegh, Smila and her sense of snow
If you are still not familiar with the concepts of sludge, ice lard or pack ice, Miss Smilla will enlighten you. Because this girl has an extraordinary feeling for snow and everything connected with it. On a simple piece of frozen water, she is able to discern secrets that should have remained forever hidden from human eyes. And then you will go on a risky expedition together on a nuclear icebreaker, during which you will survive more than one storm under the monotonous hum of the engines and will be painfully cold while Smilla investigates the monstrous murder of a little boy. And, of course, this Scandinavian snow will also seem almost real. Knut Hamsun, Hunger
This was the first novel created by Hamsun, and brought him European fame. Although he received the Nobel Prize in 1920 for the book Juices of the earth. The hero of the book is an unnamed young man. He writes articles for newspapers and wants to work, but the topics he chooses are so specific that no one reads them. But the money earned is only enough for a few days. He sells all his meager possessions and wanders around the city all day, shocking passers-by with his behavior inappropriate from hunger. He is constantly haunted by an erotic fantasy about the beautiful Ilayali living in the castle, with whom he identifies all women. And when he completely despairs, he accidentally ends up on a pier and sets off on a long journey on a Russian ship. Stieg Larsson, Millennium series
This is exactly the trilogy, the first part of which was the sensational not so long ago The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The next two are called The girl who played with fire And The girl who blew up castles in the air. One day, while unraveling a complex case about a mysterious disappearance that happened 40 years ago, detective and journalist Mikael Blomkvist meets hacker Lisbeth Salander - another young lady with a difficult fate. The investigation they have begun will lead to the trail of a serial killer. And for a long time they themselves will try to understand whether there is something else between them besides sex. Jo Nesbø, Snowman
One of the books in the series dedicated to detective Khari Holla, which, in fact, brought popularity to the author. He works for the Oslo police, suffers from alcoholism, the struggle with which wanders with him from book to book, and at the same time investigates the most complicated cases of serial killers. IN Snowman We are talking about just such a maniac. He kills women, leaving a snowman at each crime scene. Having studied all the materials of the latest cases, Harry comes to the conclusion that all the victims disappear with the first snow. And this chain of monstrous crimes dates back a quarter of a century ago. Johan Borgen, Little Lord
This trilogy tells the story of the life of Wilfred Sagen, who was born at the beginning of the 20th century into a wealthy bourgeois family. In the first book, he appears as a little angel, whom everyone around him idolizes, without even realizing his hypocrisy and duplicity. He is very smart, so he has no friends, he is not interested in school, and he runs away from home. However, outside his parents' home he gets into all sorts of trouble and almost dies. Second and third parts Dark Waters And Now he can't leave will tell about further events in the life of the main character, and at the same time Norway against the backdrop of the First and then the Second World War. Johan Theorin, Night Storm
Scandinavian literature is famous for its dark atmosphere, but there is something about it that makes you return to it again and again. So, on a distant northern island, washed by storms, a farm has been built from logs washed ashore after shipwrecks, where a young family moves to live. Soon, under mysterious circumstances, the icy sea takes Catherine away. Her husband knows that the house is full of ghosts and fears they will come for Christmas, even if Kat will be with them. However, it is not the dead that he should fear. Selma Lagerlöf, Löwenskiöld Ring
And again a trilogy from the 1909 Nobel Prize laureate. By the way, Selma was the first woman to receive it. The first book is about the cursed Levenskiold ring and the misfortunes that the ring brought to its owners. It passed from hand to hand, and gradually ended up on the Levenskiold estate, in which the ghost of the former owner, the old baron, tortured all the residents, trying to return it to his tomb. Which soon happened thanks to the quick thinking of one of the workers. In the second part, the family curse continues to haunt the heirs, as a result of which only the wife of one of them, not related by blood, will live happily ever after. And from the third we learn about the difficult female fate of Anna Sverd, who got married full of hope. And in the end she found herself the mistress of a modest house, where she was destined for the role of a lifelong servant.
Russian readers associate Swedish literature primarily with children's prose. This is explained by the enormous popularity of the cheerful “man in the prime of his life.” the character has been on TV screens throughout the former for more than fifty years. However, it should be remembered that Swedish writers have written and continue to write books for adults. Their contribution to world literature is significant. The small number of Swedish surnames among the names of Nobel laureates in literature is explained only by the small number of this nation.
The emergence and development of Swedish literature
The history of literature in Sweden dates back to the Viking Age, when writing was represented exclusively by runic inscriptions. Runes do not contain literary value - they are rather historical documents. The first information about Swedish literature dates back to the beginning of the 14th century. Many works of the Middle Ages were written in Latin, and only after a series of important historical events, as a result of which Sweden turned into a great northern power, genuine Swedish writers and poets appeared who wrote exclusively in their native language. And yet the literature of this era was represented more by poetry than prose.
Under the influence of representatives of German romanticism, authors of fairy-tale and fantasy works appeared in Swedish literature at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The famous writer of this period is Selma Lagerlöf, who created many of her works based on folklore materials. The novel “The Saga of Yates Burling” brought her fame. But Lagerlöf dedicated most of her works to young readers.
With the weakening of interest in romantic plots in world culture, the realistic school is developing, among whose representatives are Swedish writers of the 19th century: August Blanche, Frederica Bremer, Sophia von Knoring, Emilia Flugare-Carlen. On the sidelines of realism were August Strindberg and Gustav Fröding.
Historical events of the 20th century are also reflected in Swedish literature. The most striking writers of the first half of the century are Per Lagerkvist, Harry Martinson, Arthur Lendkvist.
Anti-fascist prose
Swedish writers of the first half of the last century gravitated towards social realism. Lagerkvist's artistic style cannot be attributed to this literary movement. The characteristic features of his prose are myth and allegory. This author received worldwide recognition with the release of the poetry collection “Tosca.” Then a collection of philosophical reflections, “The Conquered Life,” is published. By the beginning of the Second World War, humanistic prose came out from his pen, in which he sought to prove the need to fight global evil. The Nazis' coming to power could not but affect the prose of those years. Lagrekvist's story "The Executioner" was a response to the development of Nazi ideology in Europe. In this work, the author draws a parallel between two time periods in history - the Middle Ages and the 30s of the 20th century.
The novel Barabbas, based on a biblical story, instantly attracted the attention of critics. This book became the writer's most famous work. Among writers, she was known as the most reliable and powerful in the spiritual sense. A few years later, a film was made based on the novel. And in 1952, Per Lagerkvist was awarded the Nobel Prize.
The first poet of the space age
There was a significant shift in the development of Swedish literature in the post-war period. Tragic historical events, the feeling of a new world and the search for man's place in it - all this gave birth to many talented authors around the globe. One of the most striking personalities of these years is the Swedish writer, Nobel Prize winner Harry Martinson.
His main work was “Aniara”. This work is a cycle of epic poems dedicated to the journey of the cosmic ark. The interplanetary spacecraft "Aniara" saves several thousand inhabitants of the Earth from a nuclear disaster. Martinson's poems are imbued with philosophical and symbolic meaning. The writer became a Nobel Prize laureate in 1974.
Another Nobel laureate is Eivind Jonson. His most famous works are “The Romance of Olaf”, “Surf”, “It Was Jens”. The author of these novels was awarded a prestigious literary prize with the jury’s wording: “For art that serves freedom.”
Representatives of Swedish intellectual prose also included Per Olof Enqvist, Göran Tunström and Sarah Lidman.
Modern Swedish detective
An undoubted breakthrough in modern Swedish literature was detective prose. Sweden is a small country, and its inhabitants are characterized by Nordic tranquility. But, despite this, a number of talented authors have created and continue to create works in the crime genre. Swedish detective writers are the authors of a unique style based on classical canons. But these masters of the pen also boldly borrow elements from other literary genres. Among the representatives of crime prose one can name such authors as Mai Chevalle and Per Vale, Henning Mankell, Åke Edwardson, Johan Theorin and many others.
In Russian literature, the detective genre is given secondary importance. And therefore, its study and development is not given due attention. In Sweden everything is different. An institute for the study of detective fiction has been created here, and special literature dedicated to the crime genre is published.
Such works, according to the Swedes, are somewhere between “mass literature” and “high genre”.
Interest in the Swedish detective story has been growing in many countries in recent years. This is explained primarily by the quality of the literature. It is not surprising, therefore, that many famous Swedish writers today are authors of action-packed detective novels. The main features of their works are mystical flavor and social orientation.
"Locked Room"
Mai Chevall and Per Vale - modern Swedish series of novels in the style of social detective. The works “The Locked Room”, “The Laughing Policeman”, “The Scoundrel from Saffle” have become an important phenomenon not only in Swedish literature, but also in world detective prose. In their novels, Père Valeux and May Chevalle - using the traditional form of the genre - managed to create something new, different from the works of “mass culture”. The reader of The Locked Room already knows the name of the criminal from the first pages. He is on par with the villain and has complete information, which the police are so zealously seeking to obtain throughout the entire story. This is the main difference between the Swedish detective and
The style of Pere Valeux and Mai Chevalle is characterized by the presence of small details and quick changes of action with a slow investigation, and sometimes even its complete absence. The typical character of the detective Valeux and Chevalle is melancholic and suicidal. He is constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. A striking example is the depressive image of Commissioner Beck. Subsequently, other authors began to actively use this tradition.
Ghosts and crime
Johan Teorin is also a representative of the authors of the crime genre. But modern Swedish writers are popular all over the world because they know how to combine classics and original features in their books. In Theorin's novels, the real world and Ghosts harmoniously coexist here along with living people. It’s not for nothing that this writer is called the Swedish Stephen King.
About his novels, the author nevertheless said in one of his interviews: “The heroes of my books often meet with the inhabitants of the other world, but the reader always has the right to decide whether these ghosts are a figment of fantasy, or whether they actually exist.”
Maria Lang’s work “The Heirs of Alberta” is not without a mystical atmosphere. The action takes place on the estate of an elderly lady who dies under strange circumstances. Many details, circumstances and minor events from the first pages immerse the reader in a mysterious and fascinating world. The effect is enhanced by the darkness during which the main actions of the novel take place.
Henning Mankell
Swedish detective writers have become popular outside their country. One of the most widely read authors is Henning Mankell. The biography of this man is full of adventures, which allowed him to become a multifaceted creative person.
At sixteen, he left school and joined the navy as a sailor. He managed to live in France and Japan, worked in one of the theaters in Stockholm. In 1993, he made his debut: the novel “Mountain Blaster” was published. Mankell gained international fame thanks to a series of police novels about Kurt Wallander. For the work “Faceless Killers” in 1991, the writer was awarded the Swedish Academy of Detective Writers Prize. Almost all of Mankell's works have been filmed.
Karin Alvtegel
Karin Alvtegen is the niece of the famous Astrid Lindgren. But, unlike her relative, she does not write literature for children, but action-packed crime fiction. Before publishing her first work, Karin Alvtegen worked for several years as a screenwriter. The most famous novels are “Loss”, “Betrayal”, “Shadow”.
Social themes in crime fiction
The books of Swedish writers are filled with acute social problems: fascism, social phobia, dominance of emigrants, loneliness, depression and family violence. The detective story in Sweden has not been part of popular culture for a long time. It has turned into a highly social art brand.
Experts in ancient Icelandic literature believe that the roots of the Swedish detective story go back to As in calm, prosperous Sweden, nothing special happened in medieval Iceland. Life in these parts has always been unusually calm and measured. Therefore, such terrible events as murders, rapes and robberies have always caused an insane stir. For the same reason, the world depicted in the Swedish detective story sometimes appears truly monstrous in the eyes of readers.
For the first time, critics paid attention to the Swedish detective story with the release of Stieg Larsson’s trilogy “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Events in the life of Mikael Blomkvist captured the consciousness of fans of the detective genre. The image of this character is ambiguous. In a classic detective story, he could well become an outstanding personality. For the Swedish author, this is an ordinary person who is trying to fight the all-powerful state machine.
Modern Swedish detective writers skillfully use mysticism and boldly introduce their heroes to religion and mysterious societies. Their characters suffer from depression and struggle with a cruel government system. These plot features, as well as the fact that the action itself takes place in Sweden - a mysterious and incomprehensible country for foreign readers - make the Swedish detective story incredibly popular all over the world.
Swedish literature for children
Astrid Lindgret and Selma Lagerlöch are the creators of iconic Soviet cartoon characters. Fairy tales by Swedish writers for Russian readers are, first of all, stories about Malysh and Carlson.
However, few people know that the character Astrit Lindgret was never particularly popular in his “homeland”; rather, he was a negative hero. The writer herself argued that there is a lot of Russian in Carlson. She was also sure that her books were popular in Russia primarily due to high-quality translation. However, this author has written more than 80 books, most of which have been published in one hundred countries around the world.
Selma Lagerlöf's best work for children is the tale of Nils' journey. This book was written at the beginning of the last century. According to legend, the writer planned to create a work that would present information about the history and geography of Sweden in a fascinating way. The best way to captivate a young reader, Lagerlöf believed, would be to create a traveling character. That's what Nilsson became. But the work did not turn into an educational book, but a wonderful fairy tale about the extraordinary wanderings of Nils and his friend, Martin the goose. With the light hand of Soviet animators, these heroes of the Swedish author turned into famous cartoon characters. Few people today know that their creator was Selma Lagerlöf - the first woman to become
Astrid Lindgret and Selma Lagrelöf are Swedish children's writers who gained popularity in Russia thanks to domestic cartoons and performances. The annoying but likable Carlson may have taken root on Soviet soil thanks to the character traits that are inherent in many characters in Russian fairy tales: laziness, boasting, unceremoniousness. In the United States, due to the bad character of this character, the work was excluded from the school curriculum.
Tales of Maria Gripe
In recent years, the Russian reader has discovered the mysterious fairy tales “Children of the Glassblower,” “The Dung Beetle Flies at Twilight,” and “Children of the Shadows.”
Since childhood, Maria Gripe loved to tell all kinds of stories. In her youth, she began to write poetry, but, in her opinion, she did not succeed in poetry. And only when she became a mother did she take writing mysterious children’s stories seriously. In the 70s, the writer created a series of stories about the boy Elvis, who later became a classic character in Swedish children's literature.
Other Swedish writers are less popular outside their homeland. Works by Sven Nordqvist, Birgitta Hedin, Rosa Lagekranz, and Ulf Stark are also published for children. But these authors are little known in Russia, perhaps because they are not particularly actively translated into other languages.
Literature of the 21st century
However, Swedish literature is not limited to the detective genre and children's prose. Today, Swedish writers representing the so-called social prose also publish their works. These include Jonas Gardel, Marie Hermanson, Vigdis Hjort, Lynn Ullman.
The works of Marie Hermanson are called “fairy tales for adults.” The Mystery of the Shell House is based on a Norse myth where a man is kidnapped by evil trolls. The prisoner will be able to return home, but never become the same.
The best Swedish writers make up a whole list of talented authors, the most popular of which at the end of the last century and the beginning of 2000 was Stieg Larsson. His famous trilogy has been translated into forty languages. In addition to his writing, Larsson made a significant contribution to journalism, becoming the author of numerous articles on sensitive political topics. The journalistic prose of this Swedish author has an anti-fascist orientation. The novel Right-Wing Extremism explores the history of the development and spread of racism in modern society.
