Swedish Contemporary Fiction 1
Karin Smirnoff (b. 1965) In 2018, journalist Kari
n Smirnoff’s first novel was launched by the publishing house Polaris. The novel, entitled My Brother (‘Jag for ner till bror’), told of a woman who leaves the big city and returns to her small hometown in northern Sweden. It was nominated for Sweden’s prestigious August Prize, achieved excellent sales and could be termed the year’s literary sensation. Smirnoff published another two novels – Our Mother (‘Vi for upp med mor’, 2019) and I Return (‘Sen for jag hem’, 2020) – in what came to be known as the Jana Kippo trilogy, named after the protagonist. There are two key themes in Smirnoff’s trilogy that The Elephant Symphony 317 p. 2021, Polaris Rights: Politiken Literary Agency It’s the 1980s and Agnes, Kristian and Miika are growing up in Södertälje. They have nothing in common until their unique talents bring them together and they end up becoming close friends. This is a story about music, outcasts and enigmatic love. My Mother 349 p. 2019, Polaris Rights: Politiken Literary Agency After their mother’s death, twins Jana and Bror return to their hometown of Kukkojärvi, in Sweden’s far north. They inherit their mother’s family home and soon notice that life in Kukkojärvi is very different. My Mother is a sequel to the acclaimed debut novel My Brother. My Brother 318 p. 2018, Polaris Rights: Politiken Literary Agency Jana is returning to see her twin brother Bror, still living in the small family farmhouse in rural northern Sweden. They are both damaged by horrific childhood experiences, buried deep in the past. This is the story of a homecoming without a home, a story of forgiveness. are typical of contemporary Swedish fiction on a broad scale. The first is the notion of homecoming, which has become very popular in novels and short stories since the turn of the millennium. A character comes back from the bustling metropolis to her childhood home, where everything seems to have stood still and old ghosts lurk on the gravel roads. The second theme has been around longer. We can call it ‘the North’, or Västerbotten to be more precise – Sweden’s second-northernmost county, and the setting for what feels like at least a third of Swedish post-war literature. The premise of Smirnoff’s trilogy is Jana Kippo’s return to her hometown to rescue her twin brother from the slough of alcoholism. Eventually she gets a job as a carer, which gives her an opportunity to confront the wounded souls she had once left behind – and to come to terms with events in her own childhood. The narrative is crammed with violence, murder, incest, passion and injustice. Karin Smirnoff is following tradition in writing in dialect – sometimes authentic, sometimes invented, violating the rules of standard spelling and capitalisation. She paints images of horrible events in Jana’s hometown. Things get bloody and boozesoaked. This is also in line with Swedish tradition – one that Karin Smirnoff has mastered. Jonas Thente Rights sold to: 13 countries Swedish Contemporary Fiction 18 Foto: Johan Gunséus