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Must-read literature of modern Swedish | ||
Tags: Literature | Swedish | ||
 Language Learning Forum : Books, Literature & Reading |  | |
| maaku Senior Member United States Joined 5564 days ago 359 posts - 562 votes  Speaks: English* | Message 1 of 17 28 November 2009 at 7:10pm | IP Logged |
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Would anyone have recommendations of really good, modern Swedish literature?
My last thread on French literature was so successful that I now have a bookshelf full of really, really good books I am slowly working my way through. I'm hoping to do the same now for Swedish! However.. I really don't know where to begin. I admit I know nothing about Swedish literature modern or otherwise. My wife was recommended The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Män som hatar kvinnor?) as she is a fan of crime novels, but that is really the only Swedish book I know! Any suggestions? There's a lot of Swedes on this forum--anything you read recently that you liked? PS: By "modern" I mean more or less what's spoken today; something that wouldn't be a distraction to someone learning spoken Swedish. But I certainly don't (necessarily) mean contemporary literature. Feel free to suggest some classics! Edited by maaku on 28 November 2009 at 7:10pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Gusutafu Senior Member Sweden Joined 5511 days ago 655 posts - 1039 votes Speaks: Swedish* | Message 2 of 17 28 November 2009 at 10:48pm | IP Logged |
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For one thing, if a book is written the way Swedish is spoken, it is certainly a very bad book. As with all languages, the literary language is quite different from what is spoken. If you are interested in modern literature however, you can't go wrong with Strindberg, Lagerqvist, Lagerlöf or Heidenstam. You can also have a look at Beskow's books for children and Fritjof Nilsson Piraten's stories. I would strongly advise against any book by Stieg Larsson. I am told that his books are badly written and full of leftist propaganda and porn. Also, avoid anything by Liza Marklund, she is absolute rubbish and couldn't write a well formed sentence to save her life. Edited by Gusutafu on 29 November 2009 at 12:37am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Elwing Tetraglot Groupie United Kingdom Joined 5498 days ago 43 posts - 51 votes Speaks: Swedish, Finnish*, English, French Studies: Norwegian | Message 3 of 17 30 November 2009 at 11:08pm | IP Logged |
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I'm sorry but I have to disagree with Gustafu here because I'm totally for Swedish crime novels. Stieg Larsson, Liza Marklund and Henning Mankell are all good authors to look for in my opinion. Are you looking to read the books in Swedish or English? The English translations I have actually never had a look at so I can't really comment on that aspect but in Swedish the language isn't too complicated so they are quite nice reads for pure enjoyment.
Stieg Larsson is really enjoyed by lots of people here in the UK so I think you should give him a go at least. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo also has two sequels to it. Personally I think that the Swedish in those books is fairly close to spoken Swedish but it's still not completely losing the literary spellings of things. The structure of the novels you might compare to Dan Brown's work for example: quite a jumping narrative in terms of places and characters but it all comes neatly (and surprisingly) together at the end. Liza Marklund and Henning Mankell have both written several books which have been translated into English also. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| maaku Senior Member United States Joined 5564 days ago 359 posts - 562 votes Speaks: English* | Message 4 of 17 03 December 2009 at 10:26am | IP Logged |
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Having looked into it a little more, I see what you mean about Stieg Larsson. I may give his books a try, but that kind of writing doesn't really appeal to me. Ironically, it's too often formulaic, and I've read enough of it to be able to predict what happens after just a few chapters. I much prefer a book that has a message, or better yet just offers a unique viewpoint and in either case is not just pure entertainment. The kind of book you'd find in a College class (but not just the well-known classics), or perhaps assigned reading at a book club.
PS: I mean novels published in Sweden by Swedish authors in Swedish. I like to read books when learning a language--it keeps me motivated and both guide and gauge my progress. And I will very soon start learning Swedish! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| doviende Diglot Senior Member Canada languagefixatio Joined 5976 days ago 533 posts - 1245 votes Speaks: English*, German Studies: Spanish, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Hindi, Swedish, Portuguese | Message 5 of 17 03 December 2009 at 11:08am | IP Logged |
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There's differently a difference between reading popular books for learning purposes and reading the "great books" for the literary value. As a total beginner in swedish, it sounds like these Stieg Larsson books will be just what I need as I start learning, because if they're very predictable and easy-reading, then they'll be easier for a person with basic swedish skills to understand.
This was one of the reasons that I started in German with a translation of Harry Potter, even though I just can't stand reading them in English. Having the plot transparently obvious because of their multiple repetitions of the hints and explanations means that it's much easier to read as a learner of the language. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
 jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6899 days ago 4250 posts - 5711 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 6 of 17 04 December 2009 at 1:50am | IP Logged |
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Speaking of Stieg Larsson, I read his Millenium trilogy earlier this year, and have just started reading the first volume in Spanish as well (L-R really, as I also have got the audio-book).
I like Jens Lapidus' "Stockholm noir" series. His debut is called Snabba cash (Easy money). Another author is John Ajvide Lindqvist who has written a few horror novels. Låt den rätte komma in (Let the right one in) was also filmed last year. Crime novels are nowadays a dime a dozen. In a bookstore in Germany, I saw about as many "Schwedenkrimis" as back home. Edited by jeff_lindqvist on 04 December 2009 at 1:50am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| cordelia0507 Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5828 days ago 1473 posts - 2176 votes Speaks: Swedish* Studies: German, Russian | Message 7 of 17 11 December 2009 at 4:06pm | IP Logged |
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Read something by Astrid Lindgren - a well loved childrens author and great for picking up a basic vocabulary of things from everyday life rather than specialised criminal and legal jargon.
I have probably read everything she ever wrote as a kid... My favourite book by her would be.... let's see.... Bröderna Lejonhjärta, a classic "good against evil" story with two brothers as the main characters. Check out Astrid in Wikipedia for more tips on her many books. Selma Lagerlöf is a classic Swedish author with whom everyone in Sweden is familiar, and whose books are enjoyable without being too heavy. "Gösta Berling's saga" is a good story by her. Also "Löwensköldska ringen" 3 persons have voted this message useful | |
| maaku Senior Member United States Joined 5564 days ago 359 posts - 562 votes Speaks: English* | Message 8 of 17 15 December 2009 at 10:57pm | IP Logged |
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Thanks Jeff and Cordelia! Those are both very good suggestions. I've added them to my list.
If anyone has more suggestions, please chime in! 1 person has voted this message useful |
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