New Swedish Books. Autumn 2016 1
AUTUMN 2016 Denzel Christina Herrström’s novel De
nzel is a contemporary fairy tale. The divorced interior designer and party organiser Alvilde, and the single Cuban man Angelo, who makes his living from a series of menial jobs, are our characters. They long for love. Alvilde wants to say a prayer of longing to the moon. Her ex-husband’s betrayal is behind her, and Angelo has Christina Herrström DENZEL Bokförlaget Atlas Rights: Bokförlaget Atlas been living for his son ever since his experiences in 1970s war-torn Angola, and his failed marriage. Denzel is a contemporary tale of desire, of life’s impossibility, of the need to grasp it nonetheless. That’s how it is with fairytales: they show us ourselves. They comfort us, give us hope that despite the hardships and the darkness, we can find good. The Real Death-count Sorrow, for someone who has really experienced loss, follows you through life. It is a sensitive spot that can appear anywhere. Nicke is a freelance editor in her early forties: fairly successful, with an apartment in central Stockholm. With several relationships behind her, she has lived alone since the last catastrophe. In the novel The Real Death-count Lotta Olsson – a poet, critic and children’s book author – has captured a gripping portrait of a woman, mundanely urban but carrying a darkness inside her. Despite her clearsightedness and cutting humour, she wants something else, and in her longing she speaks for us all. Even if no one sees, we all carry our burdens, and all our conscious and unconscious choices, our missed opportunities, have consequences we must live with. Lotta Olsson THE REAL DEATH-COUNT Albert Bonniers Förlag Rights: Albert Bonniers Förlag 21