New Swedish Books, spring 2017 1
15 Spring 2017 The Scent of a Man We seek friends
hip, love, the things that give us good, independent lives. And we are constantly seeking our identity, the one that will define us. Our identity as a woman or a man, romantically, ideologically, spiritually. Agneta Pleijel’s long writing career spans novels, poetry, drama and literary criticism. The Scent of a Man is a narrative deeply rooted in autobiography, a continuation of Spådomen (A Fortune Foretold, 2015). The protagonist Agneta is caught in an emotional, ideological and spiritual chaos. It follows her through her career, her writing, her marriage, her parenting, from the 1960s to the present. Openly, intensely, and with great warmth, Agneta Pleijel tells of a love that heals and wounds, of the consolation and insight offered by literature, of the elation of parenting, and of the act of writing. The book’s narrator looks back on dreams, desires, encounters. And at last she can see: life is the fruit of a long search for truth, being true to herself and what she believes in. Agneta Pleijel (b. 1940) The Scent of a Man Publisher Norstedts förlag info@norstedts.se www.norstedts.se Rights Norstedts agency linda.altrovberg@norstedts.se Selected Works Litteratur för amatörer. Samlade texter (Norstedts 2012) Syster och bror (Norstedts 2014) Spådomen (Norstedts 2015) Literary Prizes (selection) Esseltepriset 1987 Stora romanpriset 1987, för Vindspejare Gleerups litterära pris 1997 Övralidspriset 1999 Aniarapriset 2000 Gerard Bonniers pris 2000 Sveriges Radio P1:s romanpris 2001 Selma Lagerlöfs litteraturpris 2001 Gustaf Frödings stipendium 2002 Albert Bonniers Stipendiefond för svenska författare 2012 Ledamot av Samfundet De Nio Photo: Göran Segeholm