New Swedish Books, Autumn 2017 1
New Swedish Books 20 The House of Candelaria It’s
the end of the last decade, in the Colombian countryside. The events in The House of Candelaria take place over a few years, right before the peace process between the Farc guerrilla and the government began. A Swedish woman, Ellen, has moved there with her son. She’s taking over an old house and coffee plantation from an older woman, Candelaria. Slowly an everyday existence begins to take shape, one moment brutal and harsh, then controlled by the economy and the price of coffee, or lit up by friendship and affection. Julia Svanberg has herself lived in Colombia for many years, in the region she describes so dramatically and with so much life. The portraits of the people, the descriptions of the landscapes, the stories from the village and the plantations all paint a picture of a country scarred by its violent history but which is in rapid change. Julia Svanberg (b. 1982) The House of Candelaria Publisher Albert Bonniers www.albertbonniersforlag.se Rights Albert Bonniers charlotte.aquilonius@ albertbonniers.se Works Varför kom du hit? Novel 2014 Photo: Nille Leander