tisdag, december 11, 2007

Led Zeppelin in concert!


Led Zeppelin, the greatest group during the 1970's(?) is back on track - if only for one night.

This band has influenced many other rock groups as we know and their influence on rock music has been immense.

The interest for the group and their reunion is also impressive. Problems with tickets as usual. 1000 £ per ticket and that is the ordinary prices.

This is an interview with Jimmy Page before the reunion.



måndag, december 10, 2007

Thore Skogman dead


Svenska:

Thore Skogman är död. Han skrev säkert uppåt 1500 låtar genom åren.
Han var med i operett på Säffleoperan, nämligen som Sigismund i Vita Hästen. Filmmusik skrev han också och han deltog även som skådespelare i ett antal filmer.
Jämtgubben (original)


English:

Thore Skogman is dead.

This is an artist who is mainly known in Sweden. I don't think that anyone reading this in other countries outside Sweden ever have heard his name.

He wrote more than a thousand and maybe up to fifteen hundred songs. 
He performed in a light opera, namely The White Horse Inn at the Säffle Opera. He also wrote film music and participated in some films as well.
Surströmmingspolka






(Foto Thore Skogman på skivomslag kopierad från: https://mx.napster.com/artist/thore-skogman/album/nar-man-talar-om-trollen-20-originalinspelningar-fran-aren/track/dansa-och-sjung-mens-du-ar-ung)
(Photo Thore Skogman copied from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHA94ralyUw3TNomElYogQMfLQtA0KzQx71qxIOXbY9xcAmbV_BMSY9wN-VAk7ClayMM0oIXUr0Yytdn7jU34Nn_B-EvNY200pDDj2hmKqmpnV_ePygzFJO8xG98vF0ufNlxicmw/s1600/thore_skogman_1_jpg_117402d.jpg)

fredag, december 07, 2007

Karl-Heinz Stockhausen dead

Karl-Heinz Stockhausen is dead. The famous composer of serial music and twelve-tone technic has inspired many composers and popular artists. This not least with his electronic music.

Pierre Boulez and Luigi Nono are two other composers often associated with this musical movement. To some extent they are regarded as the Trinity within serial music, if I may say so.

If they are the Trinity, Olivier Messiaen, was the God (Father) and a very important source of inspiration for both Stockhausen, Boulez and Nono.







(Photo Karl-Heinz Stockhausen copied from: www.wikipedia.org)

lördag, november 17, 2007

Therapy for the Count and Countess in Figaro?

The Gothenburg Opera have started a series of presentations including some kind of therapeutic seance before the opera performances.

This time it's in connection with 'The Marriage of Figaro' ('Le Nozze di Figaro...') where the opera house also invited a psychotherapist to analyse the problems between the Count and the Countess.

Will the singers sing or act better after this? Judge for yourselves if you have the chance.

In Stockholm one also practice introductions to the opera performances but not yet with psychotherapists - thank God!


(Photo poster copied from:: www.seriesam.se)

Backa theatre


A new theatre is inaugurated in Gothenburg today.
It's the so called 'Backa theatre' and their ensemble who now can use a new building for their theatre performances.
They are celebrating this with three performances all of which are based on 'Crime and Punishment' by Fyodor Dostoyevsky with Raskolnikov in the center of course.

The three plays use the same scenography (stage design), the same costumes and partly the same actors but have different kinds of intonation and are directed to different ages.
Above: Mattias Andersson, artistic director


(Photo Backa Teater copied from: https://vartgoteborg.se/backa_teater_inviger_nya_lokaler_pa_lindholmen/)
(Picture book 'Crime and Punishment copied from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzTKtV0W-7yNy__v5nr6nRW8s5wn4LDrX1dJ8VfY4MQQMjOySZFIIaE0T-I20HUJZ8QoAdot8b0UCnANcVWkdvDLnyBjlTI3NNC3jRVRd4kyuS_XoyQU_c_ottYrEz2OKnm7I/s1600/1122.gif)
(Photo Mattias Andersson copied from: https://www.expressen.se/gt/backa-teater-invigs-pa-lindholmen/
Mattias Andersson konstnärlig ledare)

Climate change

(Photo copyright: http://iarnoticias.com)

The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, makes a sharp warning concerning the climate changes and he urge countries to act immediately, before it's to late.

Preceeding a new report on climate change he writes in The International Herald Tribune that the world is on the verge of a natural catastrophy.

Today the Interngovernmental Panel on Climate Change present their new report in Valencia, Spain. 
Preceeding this report Ban Ki-Moon says that the climate changes are first and foremost the fault of humans.

According to him however there are very few people that fully understands the seriousness and how urgent the problem is.
He also claims that the climate changes can be stopped if everyone make an effort.

The discussion among so called experts has been going on for years and meanwhile not least the Western world continues to live in the same way as before, taking few initiatives to a radically changed lifestyle.

Today I feel that most scentists agree to that there are great changes taking place in the climatological development. However there still are some scientists who engage in pseudo discussions as I would like to call them.
For example: 
Some scientists still argue to and fro concerning if the problems we are experiencing mainly is due to natural fluctuations in the climate or to our lifestyle as such.
I think this discussion is superfluous.

We don't have to be scientists/experts to understand that the way of life in Western countries and in other developed countries in the world have a negative impact on nature. 
To what extent and how long it will take before it affect us irreversible, is totally irrelevant. It has already affected great parts of the world and not least in some poor countries with a climate that already before these changes were harsh.

Some of the relevant questions are:

1. In what way does the modern, industrial and postindustrial lifestyle affect the nature? Negatively or positively. 
Negatively!

2. Can nature exist without us? 
Yes.

3. Can we exist without nature or natural resources? 
Not today and surely not within a near future.

4. If we would reduce the amount of cars and other vehicles, boats and airplanes run on fuel that discharge carbon dioxide, would that lead to better consequences for our environment and our health? 
Yes.

Of course someone could argue that this depends on what we replace these vehicles with but generally speaking a reduction of carbon dioxide is something positive as such both for us, for other living creatures and for nature.

We can't wait until scientists find a fuel that solely let's out harmless steam - even though this has existed according to many reports.

5. Can we change our way of life? 
Yes.

6. Do we want to?
This is the main problem. People often talk about the environment and love to breathe fresh air, swim in clean oceans and so on but don't seem inclined making an effort accomplishing this.

Emissions trading is one way even though I question its efficiancy. 
It could be perceived as a way to clean the private or corporate conscience. However when travelling with civil aviations one has the possibility to trade emissions but in a survey in Swedish radio very few knew that they could do so. Some said that they found it to complicated!

The Swedish Minister for Agriculture, Eskil Erlandsson, said in a interview the other day concerning the problems with Methane gas from cattle, that he thought it better that the scientists found an answer to the problems with this than us trying to reduce our meat consumtion.
This is of course very unwisely spoken. To reduce our meat consumtion does not mean that everyone has to become a vegetarian like me. There are also a lot of problems of other sorts when it comes to eating meat.
To produce one beef one have to use 5 000 liters of water and as we all know clean water is something very rare in many parts of the world leading to diseases and death to many millions of people. But who cares?

One have to underline that Erlandsson comes from an agricultural family and has followed qualified studies within agriculture so his view is a bit biased.

fredag, november 16, 2007

Delphinium and Asplunds library


The proposal called Delphinium won the competition concerning the extension of the Municipal Library in Stockholm, also called Asplunds library after its architect, Erik Gunnar Asplund.

A link to pictures of the winning proposal:

http://www.arkitekt.se/asplund

onsdag, november 14, 2007

Astrid Lindgren 100 years today!


Today it's one hundred years since Astrid Lindgren  (click to see how this is being celebrated in Sweden) was born.

This is celebrated in different parts all over Sweden, not least in her hometown Vimmerby (with information about the celebration in the rest of the world as well) in the southern parts of Sweden (Småland).

A garland of flowers with one hundred roses where placed on her grave in Vimmerby.




(Photo Astrid Lindgren copied from: http://www.alma.se/en/Astrid-Lindgren/)
(Photo Astrid Lindgren and the book about Pippi Långstrump, copied from: https://www.hindustantimes.com/books/the-tragic-backstory-behind-swedish-author-astrid-lindgren-s-pippi-longstocking-tales/story-PIjhFHEBDGM1NF6des26uK.html)
(Photo Astrid Lindgren and Inger Nilsson as Pippi Långstrum and the stamp of Lindgren and Emil copied from: https://www.tradera.com/item/150146/368165526/astrid-lindgren-100-ar-frimarke-pippi-langstrump-emil-i-lonneberga-)

tisdag, oktober 23, 2007

Paris - a corner of Paradise?

I recently finished reading a book by the Swedish journalist Knut Ståhlberg.

He was a well known reporter both in radio and television from the late forties till mid- eighties. He is still among us but born in 1920, he has since long retired from his journalistic career.

He became so intimately connected with France and Paris that he almost became an institution. 
Before him there had been renowned Swedish reporters stationed in France and Paris but for the majority of Swedes today he is the correspondent par préférence when it came to covering the political-societal and cultural situation in France. He was given the surname, The Voice from Paris.

He had a very personal style and in a way he epitomized the general idea of a Frenchman. He talked with every part of his body almost, not least his hands. He leaned towards the TV-screen and almost came out of the TV-set.

The book I've read by him is called A Corner of Paradise. Light and Dark Years in Paris (my translation).
He arrived in Paris in 1945 and came to live on Rue du docteur Blanche in the 16th arrondissement where he met his wife to be, Juliette
They lived very happy but after a while the cold war broke out and this made Ståhlberg have to take on a great amount of responsibility concerning news coverage.

Through his wife, he also learns about her family history from the trenches in the Flanders to the concentration camps of the Third Reich. A travel in time far from the Swedish self-righteous isolation.

In the book we can also read about André Gide, Claude Simon, Jean-Paul Sartre, politicians, musicians, painters (not least Swedish painters) and others who he met during his years in France.

It's a fascinating book and a evidence of the post-war history of Europe and also a story about love, the love to his wife, to France, to people who made an impression on him.

He has written several books and one of them is about Charles de Gaulle and called: 'De Gaulle, the General who was France' (my translation).

In 2006 he was honoured with Légion d'honneur' (Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur) - Legion of Honor.

I don't know if it has been translated into English but if so I would like to recommend it.



(Photo of Knut Ståhlberg copied from: https://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/a/wE9WRM/knut-stahlberg-ar-dod)
(Photo of his book copied from: https://books.google.fr/books/about/Ett_h%C3%B6rn_av_paradiset.html?id=hPr_ZwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y)

Google, military expenses and NASA

It now seems as if we have to rely only on Google as it has become by far the biggest Search engine in the world, worth 200 billion US dollars.

The world is suffering under starvation and other global threats but there is never money enough to help those who need help the most. 
What could 200 billion dollars do for the poor and dying in the world? It of course depends on in what way we use the money but even poorly used it would be enough to help millions of people around the world.

According to some figures 1000 billion US dollars is spent every year on the military in the world. Could these money be used in a more constructive way? 
Of course it could.

I don't know if I understood correctly the other day when I heard mentioned the amount of money spent on the space programme in the USA. I think the sum 1200 billion dollars every year was mentioned!!

How does these projects help the poor and people exposed to war and plagues?
Maybe the USA and other countries in the world are planning to send poor people to the moon?

When it comes to solving the problems with poverty, famine and diseases, the problem is not money...

tisdag, oktober 16, 2007

Drum solos - obsessed?

There are a lot of impressive drum soloists in this blogsection but - besides the older and younger very well known 'legends' - take a look at the third clip below. He's amazing.



























































The Hives at Liljevalchs

The art museum Liljevalchs in Stockholm was the site for this recording by The Hives, the Swedish rock group. Artists making art in a art museum. Enjoy!

torsdag, oktober 11, 2007

Doris Lessing


Now we know: Doris Lessing.

In the interview above she concluded that she had won almost all the litterary prizes there are in Europe but not the Nobel Prize. She ment that the Academy had to hurry before she died. I think it's a wonderful reaction and not the "Oh, my God, meeee, I'm-not-worth-it-reaction" one normally gets.

When I talked to people I know, there are few who have read her books and some doesn't even know who she is! This was surprising for me to hear.
Listening to interviews from a book shop in London I heard the reporter talk to people who didn't know who Doris Lessing is. Not even in her native country (I know she was born in Iran or Persia as it was called then).

"That epicist of the female experience, who with scepticism, fire and visionary power has subjected a divided civilisation to scrutiny" was the descripiton of her as a writer delivered by Horace Engdahl, Secretary of the Swedish Academy.

She is the eleventh woman to be awarded the Noble Prize in litterature since 1901! This out of 99 laureates!

She is by many regarded as very important for women writers and their possibilities to become and remain authors.
She is also a commentator of current development in the world, seeking to find out what it is to be human.

Look at these links for more information about her:
http://www.dorislessing.org/biography.html

http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Lessing

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2007/index.html

Nobel prize in litterature



Today, the 11th of October, The Swedish Academy will present to the world the laureate in litterature for 2007.

If one would try a guess judging from what continents the laureates of the last few years have originated from, I would say that this year it's time for an author from the African, South American or Asian continent.

Will there be a person who deals with questions concerning race, nationality and religious beliefs? Will there perhaps be a poet who is regarded being non-political?

Orhan Pamuk was regarded as a political author even though he didn't regard himself as one.
Elfriede Jelinek is also in many ways a political author and that goes for the dramatist (playwright) Harold Pinter.

Will there be a woman or a man? We will see at 1 pm.





(Photo Swedish Academy copied from: http://www.ullamontan.com/foton/portratt_sv_forfattare/svenska_akademien_2_l.jpg)
(Photo Orham Pamuk copied from: http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Books/Pix/authors/2007/05/29/pamuk460.jpg)
(Photo Elfriede Jelinek copied from: http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_krtpe6piS11qzn0deo1_400.jpg)
(Photo Harold Pinter copied from: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45327000/jpg/_45327315_pinter7_bbc.jpg)

fredag, oktober 05, 2007

Otto G.Carlsund and Olle Baertling

Svenska (English below):

I Stockholm kan man just nu se två stora utställningar omkring två svenska modernistiska målare:

Otto G. Carlsund Liljevalchs konsthall där man (bl.a.) målat upp hans stora väggmålning 'Rapid' (ovan) som gjordes till Stockholmsutställningen 1930. Det är en geometrisk soluppgång pekandes mot framtiden under konkretismens banér.

På Moderna museet öppnar höstens stora utställning nämligen, 'Olle Baertling - en modern klassiker'. Baertling född 1911 var autodidakt och skapade vinklade fält - ofta i triangulär form - i olika färger. 
Detta kom att bli sinnebilden för den moderna konstens abstraktion från det föreställande.
Olle Baertling
Irgur, 1958
oil on canvas, 195 x 97cm

Baertling var mycket produktiv men utställningskommissarien John Peter Nilsson har enligt uppgift varit mycket sparsmakad.

English:

In Stockholm one are able to visit two exhibitions displaying two great Swedish modernist painters:

Otto G. Carlsund at Liljevalchs art museum where they've (among other artworks exhibited) hanged his big wall painting 'Rapid', a painting he made in connection to the Stockholm exhibition in 1930. It's a geometrical sunrise pointing towards the future under the banners of concretism.

Sculpture YAYAO 1971 h 525 cm Centre National d'Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou, Paris

At Moderna museet (The Museum of Modern Art) the big autumn exhibition opens 6th of Octobre: 'Olle Baertling - a Modern Classic'. Baertling was born in 1911 and he was totally autodidact, creating angles and fields in different colours - often triangular in form.

This came to be the pure idealistic symbol for the modern art and its abstraction from the depicting art.

Baertling was very productive but the curator John Peter Nilsson has according to the information I've got, been very restrictive in his choice of works by Baertling.
Delaumbre bleu



(Photo 'Rapid' Otto G. Carlsund copied from: http://www.nt.se/inc/imagehandler.ashx?id=2278485&height=312&quality=75)
(Photos Olle Baertling, Irgur and YAYAO copied from: http://www.baertling.com/first.htm)
(Photo Delaumbre bleu copied from: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/565131453214508288)

torsdag, oktober 04, 2007

The Sputnik wll not be back and neither will Lajka!


Today we - or the Russians - celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the first space aircraft launched into space - Sputnik 1.

This marked the start of a race in space and for the Americans it was a great defeat to see the Sovjet Union being ahead of them. 
It was not only a defeat but the American government thought that this could become a military threat against the country.

President Eisenhower at the time declared that the United States also could have launched their own Sputnik if they had lowered the scientific demands of the operation. This was of course nonsense. He lied to the whole nation.

The Sputnik showed that the Sovjet Union now could strike the United States with long distance missiles and USA was actually far behind. 

A month later Sputnik 2 was launched with one passenger, namely the dog Lajka. Poor dog!

Sputnik 3 on the other hand became a failure as the tape recorder that was supposed to record the event did not work. 
This could have been avoided if not the premier of the Sovjet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, had refused to postpone the launch. The reason he did not postpone was because he had promised the Italian communist leaders something special in connection to the election the day after.

Since these early days 4 500 satellites have been launched - half of which have been military spy satellites! 

I heard an interview on the BBC where a Russian space expert thought that within twelve-fifteen years they will be able to launch the first manned space aircraft for a journey to Mars.

And for what good?

måndag, oktober 01, 2007

Vladimir Putin will be back!


Now it seems as if Vladimir Putin is willing to enter the election in order to become the next prime minister in Russia.
This is not surprising when studying who he suggested as prime minister recently and maybe his successor as president, namely Viktor Zubkov. Zubkov is a person not known to the vast majority in Russia and even less known in the rest of the world.
Putins idea is perhaps - as some have suggested - that he will run for the prime minister post, take the initiative in political matters and gradually undermine the position of the person succeeding him as president. After some years or even earlier than that, he will be back as a presidential candidate, hoping to gain victory. 
Putin is still comparatively young and I don't think he wants to give up the possibility of ruling this vast country again. 

With a small travesty from a well known governor one could say that: Putin "will be back".








(Photo Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator copied from : https://www.theterminatorfans.com/arnolds-ill-be-back-from-the-terminator-tops-movie-quotes-brits-love-to-say/)

fredag, september 07, 2007

Luciano Pavarotti dead



Most of us now know that the great tenor is dead and this did not come as a surprise if one knew what kind of disease he was suffering from.

I have only heard him live once in my life, in Stockholm, at the Stocholm Globe Arena. It was in 1992 and he sang in a setting-up of Guiseppe Verdi's 'Requiem'.

The Russian conductor, Vladimir Fedoseyev lead the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Kringkastingsorkestret from Oslo and the World Festival Choir with 1800 singers! 

The other soloists were the magnificent singers Carol Vaness, Shirley Verrett and Franco de Grandis.

I remember being somewhat sceptical towards the acoustic conditons in the Globe Arena but when it came to the soloists, it functioned well. 
The choir however did not always sound well, but not because of them but because of the fact that there where "too many" singers in the choir and this became hard to moderate from an acoustical point of view.

Many critics say that Pavarotti should have ended his singing career earlier. 
This is probably right from an artistic point of view. On the other hand, if people still want to pay money in order to listen to an artist even if he is not at the peak of his career, who can blame him for continuing?
It's true that he reached his peak as a singer many, many years ago. He managed though to keep his voice in good shape even at this fairly high age for a singer. 
It is also hard for an artist to end his career and stop singing publically when - like in this case - his instrument always is within him.

One can always discuss if Pavarotti promoted opera as an art form or only Pavarotti as an artist? I think he managed both.

The problem is that this art form becomes more and more dependant on these world artists. People are eager to see a Pavarotti, Domingo, Carreras, Bartoli, Nilsson, Callas or the like.
But the music, the drama, the passion of opera itself? When the audience after hearing a singer like this - when being at his best - arrive to an opera house with 'ordinary' opera singers, this can create a situation of disappointment.

Sometimes Pavarotti also sang songs together with pop artists (like Queen), songs that wasn't always suitable for his voice. In this case his judgment failed him. And again: He became rich by doing so and this was of course one driving force.

Recommended recordings would be those from the 1960's, 70's, 80's and early 90's.

A great opera artist is dead but still I hold Jussi Björling as the foremost lyrical-dramatical opera tenor of all time!


(Black and white photo of Luciano Pavarotti at The Royal Opera House in London and in the role of Manrico/?/ copied from: http://www.roh.org.uk/people/luciano-pavarotti)
(Pavarotti smiling copied from: https://www.1stdibs.co.uk/art/photography/black-white-photography/jack-mitchell-italian-operatic-tenor-luciano-pavarotti/id-a_3931972/)
(Pavarotti in color, smiling copied from: https://www.learning-history.com/luciano-pavarotti-italian-tenor/)

tisdag, augusti 21, 2007

Baltic Sea Festival

Tomorrow, Wednesday 22 of August, is the last day for the Baltic Sea Festival.
This festival is arranged for the fifth year in a row and one of the initiators was the Finnish-Swedish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. (Photo).
Music is being performed both at Berwaldhallen (below), at sea and in other premises around Stockholm.

At the same time one uses this occasion to discuss the climate in the Baltic Sea.
The Baltic Sea is in a worse condition than ever before and at the same time many experts says that now we are in a better situation than ever to come to terms with these problems.

Let's hope so but we have to wait and see (not sea).




(Photo Esa-Pekka Salonen copied from: http://www.classiquenews.com/images/articles/0YGCRhwQrm_Salonen_portrait.jpg)
(Berwaldhallen exteriorally copied from: https://www.visitstockholm.com/see--do/attractions/berwaldhallen/)
(Berwaldhallen interiorally copied from:https://www.audioease.com/IR/VenuePages/berwald.html)

lördag, augusti 18, 2007

Uniformity in Swedish literature

In Sweden, as in many other countries, the discussions around what is 'good' literature, music, film or any other form of cultural expressions is a recurrent debate.

During the spring and summer 2007 this discussion has been made topical again.
It started already before the general election last year when a representative for the liberal party proposed that Sweden should adopt a canon of literature.
This canon had to be put together by different representatives from both the cultural 'elite' and other citizens interested in 'good' Swedish literature.
This proposition also included ideas of some kind of national identity within literature and it became a hotly debated suggestion.

The government earlier this year decided to abolish the support to The Swedish Institute concerning translation of Swedish literature into other languages.
This specific economic support totalled the amount of 2 mllion kronors (222 000€ or 285 700$), a subsidy hardly ruining the Swedish economy.

Now the government suggest that the financial support for something called A book for all (En Bok för Alla) also should be abolished. This is an institution in Sweden with the aim to make Swedish and other literature known to a larger public.

Lien
Instead a new 'literature centre' is supposed to be created and in principle do the same job as The Swedish Institute, namely distribute money to foreign publishing houses showing interest in translating Swedish literature into other languages. 
The Swedish Institute is going to promote international cultural exchange.

All this is surely fine but a problem with this idea could be that the work would be carried out by The Financing Institute of the Publishing Houses (my literate translation from Swedish Bokbranschens Finanseringsinstitut AB) a subsidiary to Svenska Förläggare Föreningen/'The Swedish Publisher's Association'
This is a special interest group/-organization representing the big publishing houses and it was from this organization the idea for this literature centre came.

Concerning the economic support aimed at translating Swedish literature, the memorandum from the government states that: 
"No difference between so called commercially negotiable book titles and what is not regardes as such" (my translation) should be made.

In this memorandum it is also said that an openness in this sense could lead to that foreign publishing houses would dare back up different kinds of authorship.

One problem is that if the above mentioned organization in Sweden is so tightly knit to the publishing houses and if it becomes their duty to distribute money for the translation of Swedish literature, it could lead to that foreign publishing houses only dare to risk money on the literature already being 'hot items'.
This would in turn lead to the same uniformity as we can see in Sweden at this very moment.

People do not seem interested in reading something intellectually challenging, they instead choose the more easy read literature - like 'easy listening'. 
This might be acceptable if it's the first encounter with literature, leading to other readings of different kinds but unfortunately it seems as if all to many people continue reading the same type of literature over and over again.

Another problem concerning literature is that one can find good Swedish literature in other countries translated to the native language of this very country but at the same time not find the same literature in Sweden - in Swedish!
My fiancée and I thought this was very obvious when visiting Paris last year and the book-/music- and DVD-store FNAC (among others). At FNAC (and elsewhere) we could find a number of Swedish high quality literature in French, literature we had not found in Sweden, in Swedish!

When it comes to culture (in the forms of literature, music, film and other expressions) Sweden is extremely bad in promoting these different areas both within the country and outside it. 
Through the Swedish Institute we promote the concept Sweden or the concept of certain Swedish cultural expressions but this is an image often 'smashed to pieces' when foreigners visit Sweden.

They think of Sweden as the country of August Strindberg, Selma Lagerlöf, Jussi Björling and Ingmar Bergman, the idea of the intellectually, culturally open-minded society - and it's not.

If we talk about IT, other technological areas and economy, Sweden has been much more succesful in promoting these sectors and that is because they generate more money in the short run but also more problems in the long run. These are also domains within society not having much problems applying for subsidies AND receiving them.

The 'money generating, consumerist factor' is more important than anything else for our politicians, decision makers and people in general. 
This is very much due to the fact that the 'materialistic thinking' is more developed in Sweden than in many other comparable countries at the expense of our historic cultural heritage, in a wide perspective.

Sweden has, unfortunately, become a culturally undeveloped country.


(Picture cover 'A History of Swedish Literature' copied from: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41qIofc5%2BoL.jpg)
Foto 'Then svenska Argus' kopierad från: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Then_Sv%C3%A4nska_Argus.png/220px-Then_Sv%C3%A4nska_Argus.png)
(Foto Kungliga biblioteket Stockholm, läsesalen kopierad från: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4698743229_7b191aa11d.jpg)

Ernst Brunner: Youngster on Gold


The Swedish author Ernst Brunner (unfortunately I could not find any information in English about Ernst Brunner though his books have been translated into other languages) recently had a new book published: 'Youngster on Gold' (my own, literal translation of Yngling på guld).

This is the Swedish title on a painting by Rembrandt van Rijn - a self portrait.
This painting is one of many works by Rembrandt we have been able to see when visiting The National Musuem of Fine Arts in Stockholm.

This book tells the story of how this piece of art and two other famous paintings were stolen from the museum in 2000. The story told in this book is in other words built on facts.

Three armed robbers ran in to the musuem a couple of days before Christmas that year, stole this painting and two paintings by Auguste Renoir.
They fled in a boat and they also used different kinds of methods to delay the police when the latter in turn started pursuing the thiefs.
It took the police a couple of months to detect and apprehend the perpetrators.
It would last five years before the painting by Rembrandt was found and brought back to the museum.
Brunner also tells the story of the persons behind this coup, some quite young men from the suburbs of Stockholm.

Brunner has earlier written historic novels using some fictional ideas of his own.
The two latest books by Brunner is one about the Swedish 18th Century poet Bellman ('Fukta din aska') and one about king Karl XII ('Carolus Rex').
Ernst Brunner in his library(?)




(Photo 'Yngling på guld' copied from: https://www.albertbonniersforlag.se/bocker/158281/yngling-pa-guld/)
(Photo Ernst Brunner in a/his library copied from: http://www.ullamontan.com/en/portraits_sw_authors/brunner_ernst//)