NB: The wrap post for #NordicFINDS with the full list of all books reviewed can be seen here.
Finally, my project for five weeks of reading Nordic literature is here.
‘FINDS’ – stands for Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark & Sweden.
For me, reading Nordic literature really began in the 1990s, when a few modern novels began to appear in translation in English. Some of them went on to become huge bestsellers. I’ve been a fan of contemporary Nordic fiction ever since. I know that there is much more
One of my plans for the project is to revisit those ‘gateway’ novels for me, and hopefully each week feature at least one more novel from each country. It’d be lovely if you’d care to readalong with me, or read any Nordic fare during the challenge.
Here are my gateway books and weekly themes:
- Jan 3-9 – DENMARK – Miss Smila’s Feeling for Snow by Peter Høeg (1992, 1993 in Eng)
- Jan 10-16 – NORWAY – Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder (1991, 1994 in Eng.)
- Jan 17-23 – SWEDEN – Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist (2007) – also film comparison Sw vs US versions
- Jan 24-30 – FINLAND – My first Finnish reads have been recent, so I will read The Summer Book by Tove Jansson for the first time instead.
- Jan 31- Feb 6 – ICELAND – Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason
Fiction and Non-fiction are welcome, and don’t feel you have to match the countries to the weeks like I am. Reading any book from any of the five countries at any time during the project will be welcome. This post will remain sticky, so do leave your links in the comments, and I’ll compile a master list for the project of everyone’s reviews, and if tweeting etc, please do use the hashtag #NordicFINDS – thank you.
I hope you enjoy Nordic reading this January with me.
Kippis! Skál! Jubel! Skål! Skål! – Cheers!
And here are the links to all the books reviewed (let me know if I’ve left yours off).
DENMARK
- Havoc by Tom Kristensen – Thoughts on Papyrus
- Island by Siri Ranva Hjelm Jacobsen – Lizzy’s Literary Life
- Minna Needs Rehearsal Space by Dorthe Nors- AnnaBookBel
- Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow – by Peter Høeg
- The Copenhagen Trilogy by Tuve Ditlevsen – You Might as Well Read
- Childhood (Copenhagen Trilogy #1) – Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings
- The Last Good Man by AJ Kazinski – The Content Reader
- The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul – AnnaBookBel
FINLAND
- Dark as My Heart by Antti Tuomainen – You May As Well Read
- Moominsummer Madness by Tove Jansson – Calmgrove
- Notes from an Island by Tove Jansson and Tuulikki Pietila – Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings
- The Healer by Antti Tuomainen – AnnaBookBel
- The Iron Age by Arja Kajermo – Lizzy’s LIterary Life
- The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen – AnnaBookBel
- The Rabbit Factor by Antti Tuomainen – Lizzy’s LIterary Life
- The Summer Book by Tove Jansson – AnnaBookBel
ICELAND
- Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir – AnnaBookBel
- Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason – AnnaBookBel
- Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was by Sjón – Calmgrove
- Red Milk by Sjón – Lizzy’s Literary LIfe
- The Book of Reykjavik by various authors – Lizzy’s Literary Life, Liz Dexter
- The Heaven and Hell Trilogy by Jón Kalman Stefánsson – Liz Dexter
- The Museum of Whales You Will Never See by A Kendra Greene (NF) – Liz Dexter
- The Promise of Iceland by Kari Gislason (NF) – Liz Dexter
NORWAY
- A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter (NF) – Liz Dexter
- The Birds by Targei Vesaas – Lizzy’s Literary Life
- Girls Against God by Jenny Hval
- The Ice Palace by Targei Vesaas – AnnaBookBel, Winston’s Dad
- Love by Hanna Ørestavik – Reading and Watching the World
- Novel 11, Book 18 by Dag Solstad – You MIght as Well Read
- Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder – The Content Reader, AnnaBookBel, Bookish Beck
- The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am by Kjersti A Skomsvold – Cathy at 746 Books
- The World According to Anna by Jostein Gaarder – Calmgrove
SWEDEN
- A moth to a flame by Stig Dagerman – Imogen at Reading and Watching the World
- Döstädning: The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson – Bookish Beck
- Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist – Cathy at 746 Books
- Some Kind of Company by Nan Östman
- Roseanna (Martin Beck 1) by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö – Cathy at 746 Books
- The Man on the Balcony (Martin Beck 3) by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö – Lizzy’s LIterary Life
- The Man Who Went Up in Smoke (Martin Beck 2) by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö – Lizzy’s Literary LIfe
- The Room by Jonas Karlsson
MULTIPLE COUNTRIES
- Magnetic North by Sara Wheeler (NF) – LIz Dexter
- River Kings: The Vikings from Scandinavia to the Silk Roads by Kat Jarman – Liz Dexter
This sounds like such fun! (I’ve recently started reading Nordic literature and I’m becoming hooked). I plan on at least trying Tove Ditlevsen’s Copenhagen Trilogy; if that doesn’t work out I have a couple of other things on my list. I’m really curious about Jar City, as I was looking for an Icelandic novel to read.
I was wondering about the Ditlevsen – but was trying not to spend any more money but reading what I do have already instead. Jar City was good, but I like Yrsa Siggurdadottir more for Icelandic crime.
I do like my Nordic nations, and would love to take part in this, if I can find a way to combine it with January in Japan! For Finland, what about Tove Jansson and the Moomins? I know she was of Swedish descent, but she lived and worked in Finland, so that counts.
I hope that others will join in with some Jansson – I’ve only read her, even the Moomins in recent years. I might just read more of the other Finnish novels I have already, of which there are quite a few.
I’ll be joining in the Jap Lit Challenge which runs through to the end of March rather than the Jan in Japan one (if they’re different).
Yes, it does run until end of March, but I just love the alliteration… and have other things planned for Feb and March. Too many challenges and I want to join them all!
Jansson’s The True Deceiver is excellent.
Less excellent, but I treated myself to a rare edition of Sun City, her least well known work, and might read it this month so I can participate in Nordic FINDS, although not necessarily in quite the right week.
No worries about hitting the right week! Look forward to it if you manage to squeeze it in.
Finland has a Swedish-language minority of which Tove Jansson was a member. Finland was Swedish territory for hundreds of years.
I’ve really enjoyed the Nordic fiction I’ve read so I’m looking forward to lots of ideas of what to explore further during your event!
If all goes to plan, I’ll be joining in each week. With one crime novel in the five …
That’s fantastic – thank you. 😀
So exciting! I’m interpreting it in my own way, so I’m glad we can do that. I’ve got all the Nordic books off my shelf, including the huge “Sagas of Icelanders” book which is full of saga retelings and I’ve had since just after I got married in 2014! and will try to read and review them all in the month. I have Jon Kallan Stefansson’s “Heaven and Hell” trilogy (Iceland), Christine Ritter’s “A Woman in the Polar Night” (Svalbard, thus Norway), A. Kendra Green’s “The Museum of Whales I will Never See” (Iceland), “The Book of Reykjavik” (short stories, Iceland), Sara Wheeler’s “The Magnetic North” (Svalbard and Lapland, not sure whose bit), Kari Gislason’s “The Promise of Iceland” (Iceland) and Cat Jarman’s “River Kings” (Vikings, so various bits). Photo of the books all laid out on my 1 Jan blog post. https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/01/01/state-of-the-tbr-january-2022/ Hope everyone enjoys the challenge!
Wow Liz! Thank you.
Hurrah I shall definitely be joining in, though not necessarily in the right order (as Eric Morecambe would have said!) I have Tove Jansson, possibly Tove Ditlevsen and Edith Sodergran in my sights! I even have a Haldor Laxness somewhere…
I read Smilla’s Sense for Snow (that’s how I remember the translated title) and Sophie’s World long ago when they first came out and were all trendy, it would be interesting to reread now. The only Scandinavian author I’ve read much from is Astrid Lindgren, who has so much to offer beyond Pippi Longstocking (not my favorite of hers in any case). It will be lovely to learn about more authors from yours and others posts, whether I get to any of them during this time or not.
Smilla’s Sense of Snow was the title of the film and US version I believe. My Sophie’s World re-read is coming up in Norway week!
My first contribution – A. Kendra Greene’s “The Museum of Whales you Will Never See” https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/01/07/book-review-a-kendra-greene-the-museum-of-whales-you-will-never-see/
Thank you Liz. I suitably quirky book!
I am loving your Nordic project and your Denmark reads so far. Looking forward to Norway next week for extra books to add to my Norway Project TBR! 👏🏻
Thanks Liz, Norway coming on Monday.
Just missed Norway by a day – book 2 done, Christiane Ritter’s A Woman in the Polar Night https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/01/09/book-review-christiane-ritter-a-woman-in-the-polar-night/ I’m also working my way slowly through my massive book of sagas, at last a reason to pick it off the TBR!
More Iceland for Book 3 … https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/01/13/book-review-kari-gislason-the-promise-of-iceland/
Here is my review of Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist!
https://746books.com/2022/01/18/no-388-harbour-by-john-ajvide-lindqvist-for-nordicfinds/
What a lovely idea for an event. I’ve stumbled on this a little late to post to the Classic Club events list, I think, but if you do it again in the future, I hope you will let us know.
Thanks Deb. I wouldn’t do the full five weeks again, but perhaps a one-week all in one event in a couple of years time?
That sounds great. I do plan to read many books from Scandinavian countries this year. I have just reviewed Tom Kristensen’s Havoc (Denmark) and there was plenty of “Skål!” there since the characters drink a lot in the story. This year I plan to read Henrik Ibsen’s plays too and have just started on Laxness’s Independent People (Iceland).
Hi Diana, I’ve added your review to my list in the sticky post. I’ve not ever tackled any ‘classic’ Nordic lit, except for an encournter with Laxness’s Under the Glacier which was very strange, so good luck with that!
Here’s my review of the first Martin Beck book!
https://746books.com/2022/01/25/no-386-roseanna-by-maj-sjowall-per-wahloo-translated-by-lois-roth/
Thank you. Added to my home page list for the project.
Here’s my review of The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am by Kjersti A Skomsvold:
https://746books.com/2022/01/28/no-385-the-faster-i-walk-the-smaller-i-am-by-kjersti-a-skomsvold-translated-by-kerri-a-pierce-nordicfinds/
Here’s a review of A Moth to a Flame by Stig Dagerman for Sweden! http://readingandwatchingtheworld.home.blog/2022/01/26/a-moth-to-a-flame-by-stig-dagerman-sweden/
if you haven’t read “lovestar” yet by andri snær magnason (from iceland), i’d be curious what you think of it! i loved it very much but don’t see it showing up a lot on people’s icelandic literature radar!