Y OU R FR E E COP Y

The best of the latest
Swedish literature,
selected by an Independent
columnist, presented by
the Swedish Arts Council
written by åsa warnqvist
translated by anna tebelius
autumn edition 2013
Swedish
Your free copy
books
for young
readers
autumn edition 2013
picture books: 2 books for children aged 6-12: 14 young adult fiction: 24 support: 34 adresses: 36
In this brochure you will find a selection of new
Swedish books for children and young adults published
during late spring, summer and fall 2013. Yet again the
selection has been made by the academic and literary
critic Åsa Warnqvist, who made the selection for the
spring issue.
You can also read about trends and tendencies within the
separate categories, as well as in brief about our translation
grants and support for literature projects abroad.
In the back, you will find contact details for agents,
publishers and those in charge of our various grants.
Happy reading!
from jon has a black hole in his red heart
illustrated by emma virke. see page 6
Susanne Bergström Larsson
Project manager, Swedish literature exchange
Swedish Arts Council
1
picture
Books
The publication of picture books in Sweden has undergone a major transformation in recent years, and is today
distinguished by an artistic rejuvenation. The main reason
for this is that a group of young female illustrators, educated at established art schools, has come to the fore.
An example, featured in this selection, is Emma Virke.
But this generation has its forerunners in the genre.
An artist that has been highly influential to these new
illustrators is Jockum Nordström, who for the first time in
a long while has a new release on the way. Another illustrator that can be counted amongst these predecessors is
Eva Lindström, nominated for the 2014 Hans Christian
Andersen Award.
The extensive publication of picture books in Sweden
is internationally recognised as focusing on the child and
the child’s perspective. Several illustrators deliberately
set out to put the child into the foreground of both
image and text. For example, to name but a few, there is
the well-established Pija Lindenbaum, who was awarded
the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 2012, and Maria
Nilsson Thore, widely acclaimed in Sweden and a young
creator of picture books making headway with translations
in several European countries, and as far away as Japan.
From Wanna play? by Pija Lindenbaum
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3
In the 1990’s the internationally renowned artist
Jockum Nordström created the double-act Sailor and
Pekka and quickly made a name for himself as a creator
of picture books. He is now back again with deluxe
re-releases of these modern classics. After a long break
from the genre he has also returned with a quirky book
for the youngest readers, Where are you going?
Nordström’s picture book for toddlers is impressive
both in form and content. The book has no spine, and is
instead constructed like an accordion. The story winds
its way back and forth, continuing on the reverse of the
page until it returns to the beginning.
This circular movement is replicated in the story, which is
devised as a walk. The narrator asks all the passersby, out
strolling round town, where they are going. The elephant
is on its way to visit its sister, “imprisoned in the zoo”;
the poodle Renate is out walking the dogs; the ant is on its
way to an exhibition on insects at the Museum of Biology.
Throughout the beautiful collages, in a muted palette
of colours, we find a medley of people, animals and anthropomorphised animals dressed in shoes and clothes.
4
Photo: Ulla Montan
Fascinating return
In their depiction there exist both a playfulness and an
existential thoughtfulness. The story generates questions
about who is animal and who is human, questions about
how we treat our animals and how we perceive ourselves
in relation to them. Here, not only the humans reflect,
imprison, collect or arrange, but the animals do too.
The tables are turned and, with the title of the book in
mind, we might ask ourselves where we are all really
going. In this way even the walk itself acquires an existential significance.
As with Jockum Nordström’s Sailor and Pekka books,
Where are you going? is as much a book for an adult artlover as it is a book for a two-year-old. It is beautiful,
artistic and fascinating. Underneath the playfulness there
is a complex minimalism that gives you the opportunity
to discover new meanings, something yet to be uncovered. It is a book to return to over and over again.
Where are you going?
Jockum Nordström
Rabén & Sjögren
Rights: Rabén & Sjögren Agency
ages 0-3 years
5
Photo Lotta Olsson: Magnus Liam Karlsson
Photo Benjamin Chaud: Emilia Holmqvist
Photo Grethe Rottböll: Caroline Andersson. Photo Emma Virke: Stefan Tell Photo right side: Magnus Liam Karlsson
Finely tuned
Grief and death are recurring themes in Swedish picture books, but have seldom been depicted with such
solemnity and understanding as in the latest book by
author Grethe Rottböll and illustrator Emma Virke.
The black hole in the title refers to the hole left by Jon’s
dad. Dad occupies a special place in Jon’s heart, but now
he doesn’t exist anymore. Jon thinks no one will understand what he’s feeling and keeps his sadness bottled up.
Until he feels able to speak to his mum and understands
that Dad will always be Dad, death won’t ever take that
away from him.
6
This year’s literary advent calendar from the publishers Rabén & Sjögren is written by the poet and children’s
author Lotta Olsson. In her version, this Christmas
story in 24 chapters – one for each day from December
1st up until Christmas Eve – becomes a mini-thriller
where Christmas itself is at stake.
There’s something peculiar about Christmas this year.
There’s no snow, the Christmas trees all drop their needles,
and the Christmas decorations break. We follow Tilda,
a young girl, and her family as they decorate the house
when all the Christmas lights throughout Stockholm and
the whole world suddenly stop working. Someone living
behind the mirror in Tilda’s house tries to protest but
is prevented. Who is trying to ruin Christmas and why?
Will Tilda and the being behind the mirror succeed in
saving it?
This is a finely tuned and touching portrayal of the
vulnerable period after a death when everything is both
just as usual and at the same time so very different. The
book doesn’t shy away from grief, but approaches it with
the utmost seriousness. Grief, despair and also hope are
demonstrated through the choice of colour, perspective
and composition in Emma Virke’s beautifully collaged
illustrations.
Lotta Olsson has a fantastic sense of style which
this Christmas thriller
does great justice to.
She knows exactly how
to craft a tale to make it
funny, spooky and thrilling at the same time. The
humorous illustrations by
Benjamin Chaud complete the picture well.
Jon has a black hole in his red heart
text: Grethe Rottböll,
Illustrations: Emma Virke
Bonnier Carlsen
Rights: Bonnier Group Agency
ages: 3-6 years
Believe In Santa Claus
text: Lotta Olsson
Illustrations: Benjamin Chaud
Rabén & Sjögren
Rights: Rabén & Sjögren Agency
ages: 3-6 years
7
Photo: Alfabeta
Indulging a friend
The expression “to promise someone the moon”
echoes through the latest picture book by writer and
illustrator Eva Lindström. In it we meet Log and his dog
Marbles, painted in blue and yellow-toned watercolours
and with Lindström’s distinctive and brilliant outlining.
Marbles likes the moon, so Log builds a rocket and
makes the journey to pull it down. He returns with the
moon, now the size of a beach ball. It’s a gift of love
that doesn’t quite go as planned, because the moon has
lost its spell now it’s no longer far off and unreachable.
Soon Marbles begins to yearn for something else, which
seems to please Log, who loves to make his dog happy,
but becomes increasingly concerning for the reader. If
he pulls down the next thing Marbles desires it will have
dire consequences.
Eva Lindström’s books are always witty and multifaceted.
This is no exception. It’s a book about unconditional
love, but also about wanting what you can’t have: a book
with two different viewpoints for the reader to explore.
8
Sågen tjöt. Lund byggde.
Vad byggde han?
Log’s dog
Eva Lindström
Alfabeta
Rights: Alfabeta
ages: 3-6 years
9
Photo: Caroline Andersson
Perspectives
The two zebras Treo and Enis live together in one of
several identical houses on Humdrum Street. They live
their lives according to a strict routine: breakfast first,
then the washing up, and then on to the bakery to buy
biscuits, always the same kind.
Enis is more than happy with this life, whilst Treo longs
for something fun and different to happen. And so it
does. After washing up, Enis steps out of the closet a
changed zebra, dragging Treo along on adventures and
games. Soon the whole house is turned upside down.
But why is Enis so unfamiliar? And who will buy the
biscuits now?
Maria Nilsson Thore has become known for her warm
and timeless stories and her distinct illustrations full of
details, patterns and pale colours. The new picture book
is no different, a heartfelt story about being the same but
still individual, about the desire to experience something
beyond the everyday but also to appreciate the value of
what you’ve got.
Treo, Enis and another
Maria Nilsson Thore
Bonnier Carlsen
Rights: Bonnier Group Agency
ages: 3-6 years
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Photo: Ulrika Zwenger
Young integrity
The author and illustrator Pija Lindenbaum often approach themes that deal with norms and perceived notions
about children. In her latest picture book she deflates yet
another idea adults might have about children: the belief
that they always want someone else to play with.
Flisan is no such child: most of all she wants to be by
herself. Then Berit arrives, and wants Flisan to join her
in an outdoor-game so they can poke things. Flisan tries
her hardest to get rid of Berit, but she has a nasty habit of
quickly reappearing.
To be allowed, as a child, to find one’s place in the world
on one’s own terms is a fundamental idea that recurs in
many of Pija Lindenbaum’s picture books. With the child’s
voice echoing through the text, and a deft depiction of
feelings and body language in the illustrations, she sends a
convincing message that there is a time for playing alone,
just as there is a time to play in a pair.
Wanna play?
Pija Lindenbaum
Rabén & Sjögren
Rights: Rabén & Sjögren Agency
ages: 3-6 years
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Illustration by Johan Egerkrans from Mythical Creatures from the Nordic Countries
Books
for Children
Aged 6-12
Really good books to read aloud, or books for school-age children who
have reached a certain stage in their reading development, are always
in demand. There are several to be found among the list of new books.
Some welcome news is that the popular Frida Nilsson, whose books
have been translated into several European languages, has written a new
book in the same particular and slightly surreal style that she has become
famous for. As with several of the titles presented here, it deals with issues
around friendship, loneliness and exclusion. These themes are a general
feature of the 2013 selection of Swedish books for intermediate readers,
where even Death can become a symbol for the lonesome child.
The focus of this brochure has been fiction, but there are several
publications of non-fiction well deserving of a mention. Sarah Sheppard’s
amazing book of maps, Important maps for adventurers and daydreamers
(Viktiga kartor för äventyrare och dagdrömmare, Bonnier Carlsen), is exactly
what it says, a book of maps with marked points of an unusual sort:
treasures, the routes of famous adventurers, mysterious places and so on.
Or what about Johan Egerkrans’ exquisitely illustrated coffee table book
Mythical Creatures of the Nordic Countries (Nordiska väsen, B. Wahlström),
where he lists and describes many a folkloric creature?
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Photo: Mia Carlsson
Getting even
In the interview with the author Frida Nilsson, placed
at the end of her new book, she is asked: “What books
do you enjoy reading yourself?” Her reply: “Well-written
chapter books for children, books with a voice of their
own, where the story doesn’t become secondary.” This
could be a description of her own literary production.
In Jagger, Jagger we meet a boy called Bengt, bullied by
three children in the yard and shut out of their games.
One day, when they’ve locked him in a bin room, he
meets a dog looking for food, called Jagger Svensson.
Jagger is homeless, living in containers, and soon the
two bond over their mutual outsider status.
When Jagger recounts how he punished someone who
did to him what the children have done to Bengt, a plan
of revenge is forged between the two friends. With the
help of Jagger Bengt begins to get even. A dead rat in a
letterbox as revenge for the cornflakes thrown in his, a
bicycle in the stream instead of the ball that was thrown
in the water and so on. However, the retaliations don’t
go unnoticed.
Frida Nilsson often portrays society’s outsiders. In Jagger,
Jagger, it is the everyday life and conflicts of both the
bullied and the homeless that the reader gets an insight
into. Animals with human attributes, who can act and
interact as if they were human, often feature in the narrative, albeit with the knowledge of those around that they
are still animals.
With this the story acquires a surreal touch, although
it is represented with such conviction that the reader
never questions it. By introducing a dog into the list of
characters, Nilsson takes the edge off the rough social
realism and switches the focus to the deeply engaging
depiction of what it means to be an outsider, a depth
also captured by Lotta Geffenblad’s delightful black and
white illustrations.
Really good stories for children of school-age don’t grow
on trees, but this is one of them. It is poignant, deep and
with a bit of bloodymindedness.
Jagger, Jagger
Frida Nilsson
Illustrations: Lotta Geffenblad
Natur & Kultur
Rights: natur & kultur
ages: 6-9 years
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Photo: Helena Davidsson Neppelberg. Photo left side: Hippo
Selma has a bird pecking in her chest. It is her secret
and it constantly reminds her of how boring and ugly
she is and that no one wants to be her friend. During the
summers she finds sanctuary with her grandparents in the
country. Although the bird continues to peck, it is at least
better than in town.
One day a girl called String shows up and a friendship is
slowly formed. But it's not easy to know how to behave
when you've never had a friend before. Selma muddles
along, attempting to cope with the insecurity of not
knowing how what she says will be received. Because
now she's found String she doesn’t want to lose her.
First-time writer Ellen Karlsson has in this book about
loneliness and friendship already found a style that
confirms her great literary talent. With conviction she
describes a child’s full spectrum of emotions and her
path towards coming to terms with herself. The story is
further distinguished with illustrations by the multiple
award-winning Eva Lindström.
String, the bird and me
Ellen Karlsson
Illustrations: Eva Lindström
Hippo
Rights: hippo
ages: 6-9 years
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Being human
Stories set in a poverty-stricken 19th Century Sweden
are not common, but author Cecilia Davidsson has
written just such a story. With a sure hand she has taken
on the difficult task of bringing to life an impoverished
child, who lived in a time unfamiliar to the reader.
Maja, the girl, lives with her large family in a small cottage.
Her younger brother Little Pär has been ill and weak
since birth and is nursed and fussed over by their mother.
Maja longs for her mother’s embraces and carries within
her a jealousy that makes her wish for Little Pär to die.
But when he does she’s consumed by guilt and sadness
from realising it’s now too late to ask for forgiveness.
The portrayal of Maja is both delicate and believable but
above all human. Davidsson doesn’t shy away from portraying a child who is not idealised; who is just like everyone else, with both good and bad thoughts. The story
also allows for an insight into the way deaths were treated
in a Sweden where people lived from hand to mouth.
My Little Brother
Cecilia Davidsson
Alfabeta
Rights: Alfabeta
ages: 6-9 years
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The narrator is pictured as a rabbit, covered in white fur.
The other characters that inhabit the book are all in their
usual human forms, reinforcing the feeling of alienation.
The only one whom the narrator feels a connection to is
Grandpa, who listens and who also has rabbit ears.
Anna Höglund has created an incredibly powerful book,
both literally and pictorially dark. It marks a new beginning in her career as an artist. The illustrations are created
using a technique in which photographs make up the backgrounds, referencing both earlier and contemporary art.
Whereof one speaks with rabbits
Anna Höglund
Lilla Piratförlaget
rights: Lilla Piratförlaget
ages: 9-12 years
Photo: Stefan Tell. Photo left side: Stefan Tell
The writer and illustrator Anna Höglund’s new book
is about angst and the dread of living. It is a picture book
unconventionally aimed towards older children. The
thirteen-year old narrator describes a situation where
everything is meaningless, where fear is constantly being
allowed to take over and where the ability to get closer to
others has been lost.
Sudden love
When Young Adult author Johanna Lindbäck writes
a book for younger readers for the first time, it is a love
story with a twist.
Majken is drifting apart from her best friend. Tessan only
wants to talk about boys, a subject the violin-playing
Majken couldn’t care less about. But she realises that she
will be excluded if she isn’t interesting enough and the
only way to solve this is by finding a boyfriend.
When Ivan joins their school, and a first spark of friendship is ignited between him and Majken, she decides to
enlist his help with this hurdle and asks him to pretend
that they’re together. And it all proceeds as planned.
Until real feelings start to bubble up behind the facade.
Johanna Lindbäck has written a feel-good story for
children on the cusp of becoming teenagers. With it she
has found a joyful and rather unusual point of access for
a love story.
A bit together
Johanna Lindbäck
Lilla Piratförlaget
rights: Lilla Piratförlaget
ages: 9-12 years
“I came into this world
thirteen years ago on a spring day.
I regretted it almost immediately.”
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Photo: Jonatan Hastad
Poetic
In Kristoffer Leandoer’s affectionate story it is
Deathy, the son of Death, who tells the story of his life
together with his father on a rocky outcrop the sun never
reaches. His only friends are a venomous spider and a
crow. He hasn’t seen his mother, Nothing, for several
hundred years.
As time passes Deathy slowly learns his father’s trade,
to collect the souls of humans from the other side of
the river. He will be able to travel wherever he wants to
go without being restricted by time or space, but this
comes at a price – to never have friends: everyone Deathy
touches dies. When the time has come for him to take
over, he encounters a problem. He becomes so attached
to the people waiting to be collected that he can’t bear to
perform his task. To devastating effect.
Kristoffer Leandoer’s language is poetic and rich with
metaphor in this unconventional story of exile, impossible dreams and living a life you haven’t chosen for
yourself. The gloomy atmosphere is enhanced by Emma
Ekstam’s black and white illustrations.
Death and all of his friends
text: Kristoffer Leandoer
Illustrations: Emma Ekstam
Bonnier Carlsen
Rights: Bonnier Group Agency
ages: 9-12 years
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23
Illustration by Stina Wirsén, from the cover of Lex:s Book
Young
adult
fiction
24
The Swedish Young Adult novel of 2013 is a modern book for
pre and post adolescents. Linguistically, the authors make use of
contemporary teen language. The writing is straight to the point
and they are not averse to being sexually explicit. Social media
is increasingly a part of the stories. In no fewer than two of the
titles presented here blogs function as a central part of the plot.
But if there was a dominating theme, it would be that of feeling
like an outsider, be it self-imposed or forced. All of the titles
presented here, and countless others, thematise loneliness and
the feeling of being excluded in different ways. The plot is in
many ways based on how the main characters are able or not
able to interact with others. Perhaps Maria Nygren takes this
depiction of the consequences of being on the outside the
furthest. In her new novel, a teenage girl deals with her experience of being ostracised by adopting Hitler’s strategies in order
to gain status in school.
It’s a sign of the times that it’s frequently girls or young women
who are the central characters of these novels. For the last few
years, Swedish Young Adult authors, of which women writers
form a majority today, have predominantly been writing about
girls, often from the girl’s own perspective.
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Photo: Tina Jacobsson. Photo left side: Alfabeta
Obsession
Miranda loves swimming. She is a competitive
swimmer of the butterfly stroke, training nine times a
week with her sights set on the national games. But at
home things don’t float as easily as in the water. The
family is breaking down due to her brother’s addiction
to computer games and with all the focus on him, the
high-achieving Miranda is increasingly left out of the
spotlight.
So she tries even harder to perform, prioritising the
swimming above all else, despite jeopardising her
friendship with her best friend. She even risks getting
a serious sports injury in the race for that decisive
hundredth of a second.
Elin Nilsson’s second novel, following the success
of her debut in 2011, chronicles both the benefits and
the downsides of competitive sport. The almost poetic
descriptions of the meditative aspects of swimming are
among the great merits of the book, functioning as the
key to why swimming is so vital for Miranda. Equally
believable, albeit unnerving, is how her fixation with
reaching the national games takes hold on her life.
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
Elin Nilsson
Alfabeta
rights: alfabeta
ages: 15+
The author Ritta Jacobsson describes her latest novel
as a teenage thriller, a fitting description for the story
about sixteen-year old Alexa. The story has several strands
that weave in and out of each other, all with uncanny
elements.
Alexa lives alone whilst her mother works as a volunteer
in Africa. Her best friend has moved away from town and
she feels desperately lonely. The only one there for her is
her grandmother, but she is becoming confused and has
begun to act strangely.
No wonder that Alexa greets the cool Amanda with open
arms and an open house. Starved of friendship, Alexa
doesn’t realise that Amanda is only using her and the fact
that she has a house all to herself. On top of this it seems
as if thieves are monitoring Grandma’s house.
There are several unusual ingredients to Ritta Jacobsson’s
story. A web of lies, traps and threats is woven around
this girl who is perhaps not yet mature enough for the
amount of responsibility she has been given. As the climax mounts, many fingernails will be bitten to the quick.
The avenue of eternal oblivion
Ritta Jacobsson
B. Wahlströms
rights: forma books agency
ages: 12-15 years
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27
Photo: Stefan Tell
”Of course Hitler was a swine”,
Blenda says with a look at LSD’s pale face.
“But we won’t use his ideas. This isn’t about
what he said, but how he said it.
If a geek like him managed to create
a whole new empire we should at least
be able to take over the class.”
What would happen if a student in a normal Swedish
school decided to adopt Hitler’s strategies in order to
gain status? This is what Maria Nygren examines in
her second novel The Fourth Reich. There was already a
feeling with Nygren’s impressive first book that this was
an author to watch out for and this is confirmed with her
new novel.
Nygren situates Blenda, a relatively average ninth grader,
in a new school. Everything she does to fit in and make
new friends fails as she unsuccessfully attempts to get
the school’s queen bee, Hedvig, on her side. Hedvig has
absolute rule over the school and everyone sings to her
tune, including the headmaster.
During a group task about Hitler’s ascent to power,
Blenda realises that there is a way to break Hedvig’s rule
and take over the school. Sure, Hitler was a terrible person, but if one only used his strategies and not his views
surely that can’t be too bad, Blenda thinks, and gets two
further outcasts to join her.
Is it possible to achieve something good with the strategies of a manipulative mass-murderer? The girls are
convinced there is and to begin with they do see some
results. However, fallen rulers sometimes strike back and
soon the novel evolves into a story about power structures, and the abuse of power. This is made even more
horrific when the developments in the school are viewed
in the context of Hitler’s rise to power.
The Fourth Reich asks fundamental questions about how
we act. Is it possible for a social context to survive without a leader? Is complete democracy even feasible? And
what happens when a leader becomes a dictator, or the
opposite – as in the case of the headmaster – when they
relinquish responsibility?
This is a novel that’s impossible to put down. The
core idea is so brilliant that one is lost for words.
It is not every day one has the reason to seriously
say “this is a book everyone should read”, but this
is certainly such a time.
The Fourth Reich
Maria Nygren
Bonnier Carlsen
Rights: Bonnier Group Agency
ages: 15+
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29
It is rare to find an angrier book than this. For Joanna
existence becomes an enemy to expel with rage, swearwords and Ritalin. She has ADHD and despite being
clever she can’t deal with high school. She is not given
the support she needs, either at home or in school.
With a father suffering from depression and a failed
writer for a mother the family survives just above the
breadline. When they can no longer afford to buy Joanna’s
medicine all hell breaks loose. She gets caught up in
things she has no control over, she cheats money off a
drug dealer and receives a death threat. And in the middle
of it all she falls in love with Audrey, discovering that
perhaps monogamy isn’t a social construct after all.
30
Photo: Henric Lindsten
Extreme
The celebrated Jenny Jägerfeld presents us with a story
that rages on, angrily and filled with black humour. Her
language is extreme, with dirty words and hysterically
funny observations. Although Joanna would probably
be difficult to cope with in the real world for extended
periods – and particularly without her Ritalin – she is a
literary acquaintance you don’t want to miss.
I’m so fucking easy-going
Jenny JägerfelD
Gilla Böcker
rights: grand agency
ages: 15+
31
Nippon, or Pontus as he’s really called, is fifteen years
old and thinks the world is shit. In short, condensed
chapters he recounts his life after losing his beloved
grandmother, describes how he’s losing grip on reality
but trying to start over, this time completely from
scratch, by learning to breathe again.
Nippon describes how his belief in the future falters,
he writes about Hanna who no one notices but who
keeps following him around, about Ramona who he’s
in love with but who is going out with a scumbag. His
observations are extracts from his life and he describes
them as if they were scenes from a movie, a movie
without a happy ending.
Photo: Opal. Photo right side: Ulrika Zwenger
Finding focus
Lex doesn’t believe in society as it is today. She wants
to be outside of everything – with the emphasis on
everything. She is expecting to get bad grades for her
last year at school, because she has decided not to put
up with other people’s rules. But Lex is smart and can
perform when she wants to. Especially when the goal is
to get rid of her mum’s annoying boyfriend.
bly wrong. Maya’s blog quickly becomes widely talked
about and the situation is starting to get out of hand.
As part of the plan – more of which will not be revealed
here – Lex goes against her own principles by creating a
blog about the mysterious Maya, an alter ego who writes
about her tragic childhood. But something goes horri-
Lex’s book
Sara Kadefors
Lilla Piratförlaget
Rights: Brandt new agency
Suitable for ages: 15+
The award-winning author Sara Kadefors has written
an amusingly sarcastic and fun Young Adult novel. She
unravels a society rife with double standards. In fact, she
even unravels her own particular genre.
With this story Staffan Cederborg has created a
beautiful first novel as a Young Adult author. He has
found a language and style that allows this young man,
trying to reinvent himself, to come alive on the page.
This is not a movie with a happy ending
Staffan Cederborg
Opal
rights: opal
ages: 12-15 years
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Support
Support scheme for Swedish
literature in translation
The objective of this support scheme is to make it possible for
more Swedish quality literature to be published abroad. The
support scheme applies both to fiction for children and adults
and to non-fiction. 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.
Swedish literature means literature written in Swedish or any of
the national minority languages in Sweden.
Who can apply?
Applications for subsidies for translations to non-Nordic languages may be filed by foreign publishers. In certain cases
Swedish publishing houses that have drawn up a plan for distribution of a certain book abroad may also be eligible to apply.
Any publishing house applying for a subsidy must have both
well-documented experience of publishing quality literature as
well as professional distribution channels. If the publishing
house has not previously published Swedish literature in translation, the current publications catalogue is to be submitted
with the application. Support for translation of Swedish literature to other Nordic languages is financed by the Nordic
Council of Ministers through the Nordic Culture Point. There
is a special application form for this support scheme which is
administrated by the Arts Council.
Who cannot apply?
Neither translators nor authors may apply for translation
subsidies through the Swedish Arts Council support scheme.
What types of literature does the support scheme cover?
Applications for translation subsidies may be filed for books
in the following areas:
• prose, poetry, drama, literature for children and young
people:
• non-fiction in the area of general culture;
• essays;
• theme issues of journals and magazines including literature
translated from Swedish.
Regarding applications for drama translation subsidies, a subsidy
may be applied for on the condition that the play in question is
either going to be published in book form or performed on stage.
Irrespective of genre, the work for which a subsidy is being
applied must be of high quality in terms of both language and
literary qualities.
34
What types of literature does the support scheme not
cover?
Applications for support will not be considered for translation of:
• scholarly dissertations or research reports;
• text books, instruction manuals;
• reference books, handbooks, yearbooks;
• cookbooks, hobby literature, travel guides, etc.
• commercial literature with the potential to be widely
circulated abroad without a state subsidy.
Applications can only be filed to cover translation costs, but not
for production costs or to cover copyright matters.
What books will be given priority?
The objective of the support scheme is to raise the status of
contemporary Swedish literature in translation. Priority will
therefore be given to introduction of the work of contemporary
Swedish authors into languages where there are no previous
translations of that author’s work. Particular consideration will
be given to translations of literature for children and young
people into languages where Swedish children’s literature is
presently poorly represented.
How is an application to be filed?
Application should be filled out via the online-service. When
the application is filed, the following material is to be enclosed:
• one copy of the contract between the publishing house filing
the application and the rights holder
• one copy of the contract between the publishing house filing
the application and the translator
• The translator’s curriculum vitae if the translator has not
previously translated Swedish literature published in the
language in question
When can an application be filed?
These subsidies must be applied for before the book has been
published, and are disbursed when the Swedish Arts Council
has received four copies of the published translation and when
the conditions given below have been fulfilled.
Application deadlines are February 1, May 2 and November 1.
The application form is open four weeks before deadline.
Conditions for disbursement of a granted subsidy
Subsidies granted will be disbursed upon receipt of four copies
of the published translation by The Swedish Arts Council,
along with a written confirmation from the translator that (s)he
has received remuneration according to the contract. Subsidies
granted are always to be acknowledged in the published translation with the following text, translated into the language in
question: The cost of this translation was defrayed by a subsidy
from the Swedish Arts Council, gratefully acknowledged.
Contact: Susanne Bergström Larsson
[email protected]
Support for Translation of Swedish
Drama for Stage Performance
One objective of this support scheme is to make it possible for
more Swedish quality drama to be performed abroad. The support scheme includes Swedish plays to be performed outside
the Nordic countries. 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.
Swedish literature means literature written in Swedish or any of
the national minority languages in Sweden.
Application for this support scheme may only be filed by the
director or producer of a theatre outside the Nordic area where
the Swedish translation will be performed.
• There is a special form on which to apply for translation
subsidies. When the application is filed, the following
material must be appended:
• One copy of the contract between the theatre filing the
application and the rights holder
• One copy of the contract between the theatre filing the
application and the translator
• The translator’s curriculum vitae if the translator has not
previously translated Swedish plays or literature published
in the language in question.
• The subsidy must be applied for before the play is staged and
will be disbursed upon receipt of one copy of the translation
by The Swedish Arts Council, along with a written confirma tion from the translator that (s)he has received remuneration
according to the contract. Subsidies granted are always to be
acknowledged in programmes and or advertisements with
the following text, translated into the language in question:
The cost of this translation was defrayed by a subsidy from
the Swedish Arts Council, gratefully acknowledged.
Contact: Susanne Bergström Larsson
[email protected]
Literature Projects Abroad
Who can apply?
Swedish and foreign organisations and publishers are eligible to
apply for funding to support literary events and international
exchanges which promote high quality Swedish literature and
drama internationally.
What does the scheme cover?
Foreign publishers may apply for funding to help cover the cost
of inviting Swedish authors in conjunction with book launches,
literary festivals and similar events. Organisations 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.
Applications for internal activities and projects that do not explicitly aim to promote Swedish literature or drama will not be
considered. Support may, however, be sought for projects involving authors not yet published in the country or language in
question. Translation costs may be covered by the scheme if
incurred within the framework of a project, but grants for the
translation of Swedish literature are normally administered
through the Support Scheme for Swedish Literature in Translation.
The Swedish Arts Council cannot approve funds for events that
have already taken place.
How are applications assessed?
The subsidy aims to promote high quality Swedish literature
and drama. Applications are assessed according to the quality of
the projects proposed and the ability of these to reach a diverse
audience. The introduction of first time authors and contemporary authorships are prioritised, as are children’s and young
adult literature, poetry and drama.
Criteria considered include whether proposed events are locally supported and managed by a collaborating foreign organisation and whether additional funding has been applied for from
other sources.
How to apply
Applications are made online. Applications submitted outside
of the application period or after the deadline will not be considered. Incomplete applications not fully amended within a
timeframe determined by the Swedish Arts Council will be
treated as late submissions. Applications must include a project
description, a budget, aims and objectives. The budget must
clearly specify the costs for which funding is applied.
Decisions
Decisions cannot be appealed. When grants have been allocated,
confirmation will be sent to all applicants by email. A list of
allocated grants will be published on the Swedish Arts Council’s
website.
Conditions of the funding
All proposed activities must be carried out within the timeframe specified in the application and grants must be used according to stated conditions. A full evaluative report must be
submitted to the Swedish Arts Council no later than two
months after the completion of the project. This report must
include both a detailed account of expenses and a report summarising the impact of the project. Should the proposed plans
change, the Swedish Arts Council must be informed without
delay. Such changes may lead to funding being reclaimed. If
the recipient discontinues planned activities prematurely, all
unused funds must be returned.
The recipient must acknowledge the support received from the
Swedish Arts Council in all marketing and information material
related to the project and include The Swedish Arts Council
logo where appropriate.
Claiming funds
Once a grant has been awarded, funds can be transferred to the
account specified in the application on receipt of a payment
order.
Contact: Jan Kärrö
[email protected]
35
adresses
Alfabeta Publishers
Box 4284
Se-102 66 Stockholm
+46 8 714 36 32
AnnaKaisa Danielsson
[email protected]
www.alfabeta.se
Gilla böcker
Lövholmsgränd 12
SE-117 43 Stockholm
+46 709 94 21 60
Anna Danielsson
[email protected]
www.gillabocker.se
Rabén & Sjögren Agency
P.O. Box 2052
SE-103 12 Stockholm
+46 10 744 21 11
Kerstin Öberg
[email protected]
www.rabensjogren.se
bonnier carlsen
Bonnier Group Agency
Box 3159
SE-103 63 Stockholm
+46 8 696 89 17
Lina Talgre
[email protected]
www.bonniergroupagency.se
Hippo Publishers
Malmgårdsvägen 55A
SE-116 38 Stockholm
+46 8 68 43 95 50
[email protected]
www.hippobokforlag.se
Swedish Arts Council
P.O. Box 27215
102 53 Stockholm
Sweden
+46 8 519 264 00
Susanne Bergström Larsson
[email protected]
Zoi Santikos
[email protected]
www.swedishliterature.se
Brandt New Agency
Carina Brandt
[email protected]
B. Wahlströms
Forma Books Agency
Hälsingegatan 49
SE-113 84 Stockholm, Sweden
+46 8 728 23 00
Sofie Guldbrandsson
[email protected]
www.formabooks.se
© The Swedish Arts Council 2013
Text: Åsa Warnqvist
Translations: Anna Tebelius
Graphic design: Studio Mats Hedman
Editor: Susanne Bergström Larsson
Printed by Wikströms Tryckeri AB
36
Natur och Kultur
Box 27323
SE-102 54 Stockholm
+46 8 453 87 35
Catharina Lantz
[email protected]
www.nok.se
Opal publishers
Tegelbergsvägen 31
168 66 Bromma
+46 8 28 21 79
Catrine Christell
[email protected]
www.opal.se
from Whereof one speaks with
rabbits by anna höglund. see page 20
Grand Agency
Tomtebogatan 24
SE-113 38 Stockholm
+46 709 96 98 89
Lena Stjernström
[email protected]
www.grandagency.se
Lilla Piratförlaget
Kaptensgatan 6
SE-114 57 Stockholm
+46 8 412 13 50
Erik Titusson
[email protected]
www.lillapiratforlaget.se
from where are you going? by jockum
nordström. see Page 4