Swedish Literature at a Glance
Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer has been awarded the 2011 Nobel prize in Literature, for a body of work that began with his 17 Poems, published in 1954 when he was just 23, and continues to this day. With this announcement, Tranströmer becomes the seventh writer working in Swedish to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He joins Selma Lagerlöf (1909), Verner von Heidenstam (1916), Erik Axel Karlfeldt (1931), Pär Lagerkvist (1951), Eyvind Johnson and Harry Martinsson (1974, shared prize).
In addition, the Millenium serie (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is a hit, Henning Mankell is more popular than ever andand a cascade of new Swedish young authours are entering the international market. The Swedish literary breakthrough is a fact.
Tales of murder, mystery, and historic intrigue by high profile Swedish authors such as Larsson, Camilla Lackberg, and Henning Mankell have recently captured the imagination of readers.
Swedish literature is not only crime, Sweden has produced more than its fair share of notable writers over the past 100 years.
The past decade in particular has marked a breakthrough for contemporary Swedish literature.
Stockholm has always had its appeal, but the incredible success of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy has made the city more popular than ever. Follow in the footsteps of Salander while exploring beautiful Södermalm.
Henning Mankell’s ten crime fiction books, featuring Swedish detective Kurt Wallander, come alive in the alleyways, streets, eateries and watering holes of Ystad, Sweden’s southernmost town.
Murder and mystery are in the air on the west coast of Sweden, at least in the books of Swedish crime writers Camilla Läckberg, Åke Edwardsson and Ann Rosman.