But looking past Stieg Laarson, what Swedish books available in English translation should you read? Please don’t assume that all Swedish literature is cold crime investigation and psychological thrillers — you should know that childhood classic Pippi Longstocking, about the antics of a wild, strong, mischievous red-pigtailed girl, came from Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, translated by Florence Lamborn. So in order to give you this list of grim dystopias and creative speculative fiction, of stark realist literary fiction and emotional contemporary literature, I drew from a variety of genres and authors. Some disclaimers: Marginalized authors, particularly authors of color, are less likely to be published and also less likely to be translated, and there is an unfortunate lack of them on this list. (Please let me know if I’m missing someone crucial!). This is also a list of translated literature specifically: In Every Mirror She’s Black is a recent novel by Stockholm-based Nigerian American author Lola Akinmade Åkerström, but it was written originally in English. Over the past month, I have read, read, and read in order to recommend you these 11 Swedish books available in English translation, and I have loved every minute of it. So get reading! Please note that while I took great care to list content warnings where I could, sometimes things fall through the cracks. Please do additional research on the recommended titles if needed. Want more books in translation content? I have lists for you of books in translation from Argentina, Brazil, Catalonia, Central Africa, France, Japan, Mexico, Southeastern Europe, and Ukraine. If you have recommendations or requests for future lists of books in translation, or if you want me to know about a book I might have missed, let me know on Twitter. Content warnings for violence, torture, terrorism, shooting, police and militia brutality, hate crimes, Islamophobia, xenophobia, death by suicide. Content warnings for alcoholism, manipulation, suicidal ideation and threat, emotional and domestic abuse, sexism. Content warnings for fatphobia and suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts. Content warnings for suicidal ideation and attempts, self-harm, institutionalization, blood, neglect, violence. Content warnings for death, poverty/classism, substance abuse, sexual assault/rape, child abuse, sex shaming, domestic abuse, self-harm, institutionalization, suicide. Content warnings for anxiety, bullying, pedophilia, genital mutilation, self-harm, violence. Content warnings for imbalanced relationship, obsessive behavior, manipulation, anxiety. Content warnings for Islamophobia, xenophobia, manipulative/abusive relationships, antisemitism. Content warnings for suicidal ideation, sexism, emotional abuse.
