New Swedish Books, Autumn 2018 1
13 Autumn 2018 Johanna Frid (b. 1988) Nora, or Bu
rn Oslo Burn Publisher Ellerströms www.ellerstroms.se Rights Ellerströms Marie Pettersson marie@ellerstroms.se Works Familieepos (with Gordana Spasic), poems, 2017 Nora, or Burn Oslo Burn Swedish Johanna and Danish Emil meet on a course. They read each other’s poetry, fall deeply in love and slowly learn each other’s languages. But the arrival of Emil’s Norwegian ex-girlfriend Nora creates a Scandinavian love triangle. Or, at least this is how Johanna sees it, despite Emil’s reassurance. Her body aching with jealousy and endometriosis, she becomes more and more obsessed with Nora: her life, her body, her family and friends. Johanna Frid’s first novel is an autofictional study of the nature of pain, at once ruthlessly analytical and painfully personal. It depicts contemporary neuroses such as compulsive internet stalking and Instagram-driven perfectionism, but also reveals their core – the timeless desire to be seen and loved. Photo: Jennifer Sameland