New Swedish Books, autumn 2019 1
15 Autumn 2019 Lina Wolff (b. 1973) Carnality, no
vel, 266 p. Publisher Albert Bonniers förlag www.albertbonniersforlag.se Rights Bonnier Rights Elisabet Brännström elisabet.brannstrom@ bonnierrights.se Selected works: Många människor dör som du, stories, 2009 Bret Easton Ellis och de andra hundarna, novel, 2012 De polyglotta älskarna, novel, 2016 Selected literary prizes: Tidningen Vi:s litteraturpris 2012 Svenska Dagbladets litteraturpris 2016 Augustpriset 2016 Nominated for Prix de Lecteurs 2018 Carnality Lina Wolff made her debut in 2009 with the taut, pitch-perfect short story collection Many People Die Like You. Even in this first book she displayed her sensual, evocative language, her pitch-black humour and remarkable gift for fathoming the more unpleasant depths of the human soul. In her recent novels, she has fine-tuned her articulation even more and her descriptions of the human condition and love in its many forms are painfully apt. She outlines men and women’s ways of looking at each other, the many twists and turns of seduction, the humiliation of love’s disasters, and our dream of finding understanding. In Carnality, Wolff examines our need for spirituality. In the novel, a Swedish writer travels to Madrid to get inspiration for a job. In a bar, she meets a man who believes he is being pursued by former clients. He asks the writer to hide him and then tells her his story. This event preludes a remarkable chain of events that culminates in the writer meeting a demonic faith healer called Lucia. It is a significant encounter for the writer, forcing her to make a life-changing decision. Photo: Gustav Bergman