New Swedish Books, Spring 2020 1
New Swedish Books 36 A History of the Dead: Restl
ess spirits, ancient skeptics and the quest for the immortal soul Once upon a time, it was common to believe in fairies, trolls and ghosts, but how is it that today in our enlightened times, there are adults who believe in things like this? In A History of the Dead, the historian and author Magnus Västerbro grapples with issues relating to belief and doubt throughout history, not to mention something that never seems to abandon the human race: the need for comfort. What it really boils down to, is that above all, it is our fear of death that brings ghosts to life. This study spans several millennia and fascinatingly re-examines some common notions of how people thought and reasoned in the past – and why. This original point of view on the rise of western civilisation shows that phantoms can be really ‘good to think about’, as Västerbro puts it, since they make it possible to glimpse both temporal and timeless aspects of what it means to be human. Magnus Västerbro Selected works Svälten. Hungeråren som formade Sverige, 2018 Pestens år. Döden i Stockholm, 2016 Awards The August Prize 2018 500 p. Publisher Volante www.volante.se Magnus Västerbro (b. 1971) Rights Volante Ulrika Bergwall ulrika@volante.se Photo: Peter Cederling