New Swedish Books, Autumn 2017 1
15 Autumn 2017 To Cook a Bear Lars Levi Laestadiu
s was a controversial and charismatic pastor in Pajala and Karesuando in Norrbotten, the most northerly county in Sweden, during the middle of the 19th century. He founded a revival movement, the Laestadian movement, which apart from being a religious grouping also waged war on alcoholism. In addition, Laestadius was a noted botanist. Mikael Niemi was born and lives in Pajala, in the Torne valley, and knows the landscape intimately. To Cook a Bear is both a tall tale and a semi-realistic novel. Here, like a kind of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, the odd couple of Laestadius and the quiet and peculiar Sami boy Jussi investigate a series of gruesome murders in the area. It’s a thriller but also an affectionate portrait of the priest, a wonderful description of the landscape, and a historical narrative about the injustices and prejudices endured by the indigenous Sami population. Mikael Niemi (b. 1959) To Cook a Bear Publisher Piratförlaget www.piratforlaget.se Rights Hedlund Literary Agency johanna@hedlundagency.se Selected Works Jag gjorde Vietaskuppen Play 2006 Skjut apelsinen Young Adult Novel 2010 Fallvatten Novel 2012 Selected Literary Prizes Norrlands litteraturpris 1988 Augustpriset 2000 Tidningen Vi:s litteraturpris 2000 Photo: Ulf B. Jonsson