Swedish Contemporary Fiction 1
Alex Schulman (b. 1976) Leo Tolstoy’s statement t
hat every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way applies particularly well to Alex Schulman’s writing, which centres on his own family. Most of his books are biographies or reportage rather than novels. His 2009 debut focused on his father, a prominent TV producer. In Forget Me (‘Glöm mig’, 2016), his mother’s alcoholism is the central subject. She was also a public figure, first in television and later in business. Then in Burn All My Letters (‘Bränn alla mina brev’, 2018), Schulman turned his attention to two leading figures from Sweden’s cultural sphere in the second half of the 20th century. His own grandfather, a conservative author and journalist, was against everything the largest Swedish broadsheet newspaper’s chief literary critic stood for. Now, with both men long dead, Schulman could reveal the personal reasons behind their antagonism – namely, Schulman’s grandmother, who was unhappily married to one and had a long-term affair with the other. While his own family is unique, there are traits reminiscent of other family chronicles where addictions and affairs are concealed and kept silent. If that were not the case, Schulman’s books would not resonate with readers the way they do. The family has its secrets but the narrator, a child, has a particular talent for sensing moods, reading gestures and silences, sensing when it is dangerous to be around his parents, when a caress becomes a slap. Schulman’s narrator is intensely present in the settings he describes, seeing and hearing everything. He cannot understand how parents can prefer the company of alcohol over their children, but he tries. When Schulman turned his hand to fiction in his latest book, The Survivors (‘Överlevarna’, 2020), he continued to build on his previous material. This novel is about another family shattered by the parents’ alcoholism and their indifference to the children’s feelings and needs, which are fuelled by their dependency. Stories of childhood occupy a special place in Swedish literature, and Alex Schulman’s psychologically insightful, well-pitched portrayal makes that place a little bigger. Ingrid Elam Rights sold to: 33 countries Malma Station 250 p. 2022, Albert Bonniers Rights: Ahlander Agency Five people are on a journey through Sweden. They are all heading to Malma Station, and neither they nor the reader know how their fates are connected – nor do they suspect that what is about to happen at their final destination will come to redefine their lives. The Survivors 272 p. 2020, Albert Bonniers Rights: Ahlander Agency A devastating story of a family falling apart and a stunning chronicle of a mind unravelling in the wake of a tragedy. This cyclical novel explores the relationship between siblings and the way in which the intimate bond of brotherhood opens up for the greatest betrayal of all. Burn All My Letters 280 p. 2018, Bookmark Rights: Ahlander Agency The summer of 1932 has just begun when Karin falls hopelessly in love with a young writer named Olof. But there is one problem: Karin is married to Sven, a blustering high-profile author with a cruel streak. This is at once a gripping love story and an intricate literary thriller. 15 Swedish Contemporary Fiction Foto: Thron Ullberg