Published by Swedish News. Volume 144 No. 22, December 30, 2016. Price per copy $3.50.
celebrating 145 years When you read this we will be entering 2017 and our 145th year of consecutive publishing at Nordstjernan – that’s 145 years of service to readers in several generations. While most changes throughout our history have been behind the scenes—from longhand writing to a typewriter (after its invention in 1878); from pages worked backward by hand due to the direct printing process to the first typesetters, then a giant step to digital typesetting, working on computers and today’s seamless connection with printers directly from our screens—with this issue change is coming to our actual pages. We’ve seen growth in readership over the last few years, especially after adding color on a select few pages. To acknowledge and celebrate our growth and our 145th year of service we felt the time was right for an upgrade. This is only the second time in history we’re changing size—the last time was in June 1971 when we went from a broadsheet size to tabloid. This time is almost as drastic since, to accommodate color on all pages
continues on page 3
A Man Called Ove wins Best Comedy For the second year in a row Sweden wins Best European Comedy at EFA — the European Oscars. In 2015 it was Roy Andersson’s A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence that got the prestigious award, and this year Sweden’s box office success A Man Called Ove, directed
Actor Rolf Lassgård, director Hannes Holm and producer Annica Bellander Rune
Nordic films light up the screen at the Nordic Lights Festival in Seattle, Washington. / p. 9
by Hannes Holm, received the statuette for Best European Comedy at the gala ceremony held in Wrocław, Poland. A Man Called Ove has been seen by 1.7 million moviegoers in Sweden alone (population 10 million). The film, the Swedish Oscar entry in 2016, is number three on the list for most successful Swedish films ever domestically, and no other film has tempted more people to the cinemas in the past 45 years. It has not only been a hit domestically, but it has also been on the New York Times best seller list for 46 weeks. The drama comedy is based on Fredrik Backman’s successful novel with the same title which we reviewed in issue 16 this year. It tells the story of 59-year-old Ove (Rolf Lassgård), a grumpy old man, an isolated retiree with strict principles and a short fuse, who spends his days enforcing block association rules that only he continues on page 4
A Swedish architect designs her own home with modern simplicity and affordability in mind. / p. 12
Let’s Make it Good Nordstjernan will celebrate 145 years of being a newspaper in 2017! Through all these years, in order to stay relevant, we’ve had to embrace change, constantly adapt, invent and reinvent ourselves. As we roll out this new format, please know we’ve worked hard to keep our traditional newspaper feeling in content and design, but it’s also a work in progress: After many decades of doing it a certain way, it may take more than one issue to settle into a layout we want to look at for some years to come. Change is always what we make of it. Fortunately, knowing change is good if we make it so — and that our readers are great — we look forward to this opportunity to bring you all the content you’ve always enjoyed but in a new and improved format. Förändring är bra (change is good). We hope you think so, too.
Trends that will affect us all, as interpreted by Sweden’s most renowned trend analysts. / p. 5
dashboard | december 30, 2016 SCANDINAVIAN QUIZ
1 2
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Name’s Days of the Swedish Calendar Namnsdagar i januari månad.
January 01 January 02 January 03 January 04 January 05 January 06 January 07 January 08 January 09 January 10 January 11 January 12 January 13 January 14 January 15 January 16 January 17 January 18 January 19 January 20 January 21 January 22 January 23 January 24 January 25 January 26 January 27 January 28 January 29 January 30 January 31
Nyårsdagen Svea Alfred/Alfrida Rut Hanna/Hannele Kasper/Melker/Baltsar August/Augusta Erland Gunnar/Gunder Sigurd/Sigbritt Jan/Jannike Frideborg/Fridolf Knut Felix/Felicia Laura/Lorentz Hjalmar/Helmer Anton/Tony Hilda/Hildur Henrik Fabian/Sebastian Agnes/Agneta Vincent/Viktor Frej/Freja Erika Paul/Pål Bodil/Boel Göte/Göta Karl/Karla Diana Gunilla/Gunhild Ivar/Joar
December 30 | Sunrise & Sunset
New York 7.20 am 4.38 pm Chicago 7.18 am 4.28 pm Stockholm 8.45 am 2.56 pm Kiruna under the horizon Lund 8.37 am 3.43 pm Los Angeles 6.59 am 4.54 pm 2 NORDSTJERNAN
5
Answers: 1:A, 2:C, 3:A, 4:C, 5:B, 6:C, 7:A, 8:B, 9:B, 10:A
The Nobel Peace Prize was created by a Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer, pictured above.
The Nobel Peace Prize was founded in 6 What city in the North gets most rain? a) Oslo Sweden. What was Nobel’s (pictured left) b) Tromsø c) Bergen d) Hammerfest first name? a) Alfred b) Arnold c) Hans 7 What is the last name of the royal family of Swed) Albert den? a) Despreaux b) Sommerlath c) Bernadotte d) Westling What Swedish town is known as “lilla Paris” (little Paris)? a) Vänersborg b) Visby c) Stock- 8 What Swedish town is known as “rosornas holm d) Trosa stad” (city of the roses)? a) Borgholm b) Visby c) Landskrona d) Trosa What is Sweden’s rank in Western Europe in terms of geographic size? a) 2nd b) 4th c) 9 Which is the world’s northernmost city? a) 3rd largest Umeå b) Hammerfest c) Rovaniemi d) Kiruna What is the name of the gulf that separates 10 What beautiful park is located outside Oslo? Sweden from Finland? a) Bothnian Bay b) the a) Vigeland Park b) Oslo City Park c) Grieg’s Kattegat c) Skagerrak d) Vänern Park d) Holmenkollen Actress Liv Ullman was born in Japan, but what is her nationality? a) Swedish b) Norwegian c) Finnish d) Danish CULTURE
Our ‘Namnsdagar’
The celebration of namnsdagar (name days) in Sweden is an old tradition that goes back to the Middle Ages. Originally it was a Catholic and Orthodox custom, but the Protestant Church retained certain Catholic habits, and celebrating name days was one of them. The namnsdagar originate in the holidays celebrated in commemoration of saints and martyrs to the Church. For example, the name Karl, or Carl, which is celebrated in Sweden on January 28, was originally Carolus Magnus, the Latin form of Charlemagne, who died on this date. The Church promoted celebration of namnsdagar (or rather saints’ feast days) over birthdays, as birthdays were seen as a Pagan tradition. Namnsdagar today are being celebrated in many different countries and to various degrees. In some countries, like Poland and Greece, it’s a festive celebration that involves presents, parties, and desserts. In Sweden (the only country in the Nordic region except Finland, that really celebrates namnsdagar), people usually don’t go that far, although the lucky person might get a small treat, especially if it’s a child.
Januari
founded in new york city in september 1872 Nordstjernan (ISSN 1059-7670), founded in New York City in September 1872, is published by Swedish News, Inc., 570 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022 • Readers services and editorial submissions: P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 Periodicals Postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. www.nordstjernan.com, Nordstjernan is published semi-monthly, except for the months of January, February, July and August. POST MASTER: Please send address changes to Nordstjernan, P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 Subscription rates: 1 yr. = $55, Two yr. = $99, outside US 1 yr. = $167.
Contact us at 1.800.827.9333, ext 10 for Reader services, ext 12 for Advertising www.nordstjernan.com • email: subs@nordstjernan.com, ads@nordstjernan.com www.facebook.com/nordstjernan • www.twitter.com/nordstjernan www.instagram.com/nordstjernan • www.youtube.com/nordstjernan free digital newsletter www.swedentoday.com
this week…
…celebrating 145 years and offer you a saddle stitched paper that stays together and makes it easier to go back to earlier issues, we’re going to a size smaller. It’s with better paper and four-color print on every page. You’ll get more pages than before with a slightly different structure—dashboard and relevant events with local features appear in the beginning of every issue, a Swedish news summary has been moved to the back but we’ve done our utmost to stay true to the paper’s soul. We’re also changing frequency, putting more emphasis on spring/ early summer and fall/early winter. Two issues in January, February, July and September will be combined which brings us to 18 issues per year. Your next issue after this will be dated February 1. We’re at the beginning of this change and welcome comments and input from you all—simply comment in social media, if you follow us there, or better yet, send us your thoughts over email to editor@nordstjernan.com, or in an envelope to P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 It bears to be repeated: You are the reason we go to work each day, cover events, sit by our computers, crack out words or lick labels, and you are the reason we constantly strive to be the best we can with our resources. I thank you for the opportunity to keep you informed and entertained. I know that everyone who has been part of creating the content for each and every issue this year shares my thanks. Allow me to take this opportunity to also thank those who one way or another contributed to the content and appearance of Nordstjernan. Amanda, Anders, Bo, Carl, Cecilia, Chipp, Chris, Desiree, Erik, Gunilla, Guy, Göran, James, Jessica, Jim, Kerstin, Leanne, Leif, Lisa, Marianne, Mette, Mitch, Muriel, Nadia, Niclas, Nils, Olle, Pernilla, Roxie, Ted, Ulf and Valorie … everyone! Without you, Nordstjernan would not be what it is and my life would be a lot less fun.
There are many different kinds of interest groups in Swedish America. Nordstjernan continues to be there for all of us, not just the few. Nordstjernan is a forum for discussion. I have previously called Nordstjernan a living bulletin board for Swedish-America and one thing is certain: With a keen eye on our legacy and history we will continue to increase our coverage of life in Sweden and Swedish-America today. We pride ourselves on open communication with our readers and we constantly venture into new channels online. This opens up even more lines of contact with you and has made us all feel an additional amount of gratitude and connection with each and every one of you. We try to read every comment in every channel, so please keep them coming! As most of you know, the way I see it, working with Nordstjernan is both a privilege and an obligation—and that privilege, that honor, has grown more fun every day. And, working with and for Nordstjernan has never felt better. Never better! Not too long ago, someone—I think it must have been one of our religious leaders—said: “Do as much good as you can, for as many people as you can, as often as you can, wherever you can, for any reason you can, for as many days as you have.” Begin today. Begin with just a smile.
What’s really going on in Swedish America? In Boston (above), in Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Washington and Wisconsin…
Dashboard, P4-5
Ove goes to the Oscars / Trends in Sweden can compare to elsewhere / Season of celebrations / Creator of mouse-sized Swedish cafe remains a mystery / Two Swedes have best memories in the world.
Page 25
Director Pernilla August, center, with actors Sverrir Gudnason and Sweden’s latest “Shooting Star,” Karin Franz Körlof.
Events Calendar, P6
What’s going on around Swedish America / 98-year-old artist exhibits in Chicago.
Art & Culture, P8, 9
Nordic Lights Film Festival brings Scandinavian movies to Seattle.
Continued Happy Holidays! Christmas may be over when some of you read this, and let’s make 2017 a good, safe and happy year together. All the best for 2017!
Feature, P12
Modern Swedish design in an unlikely, wonderful location.
Feature, P18
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson Editor & Publisher
dated Your next issue, , will be February 1, 2017 cond mailed in the se half of January.
Photo: Annelie Connolly
continued from page 1…
Page 4-5 and 22-25
Part 2 of “Samuel,” a period story of a man who stayed in Sweden while most of his family immigrated to the U.S.
Practice Your Swedish, P28 What does Knut have to do with Christmas trees?
Page 27
California native Casey Wellman leads Frölunda into the semifinals of the Hockey Champions League. DECEMBER 30, 2016 3
dashboard | december 30, 2016
What are Swedes Searching? What are Swedes most interested in? The top google search in Sweden this year was how to download Pokemon Go. Google Sweden also showed that more inquiries were made to the search engine from mobile phones than through computers or tablets. Top searches also included iPhone7, Brexit and Donald Trump.
A Modern Classic Hip-hop artists Just D didn’t know they were writing what has become a Christmas classic. The song, which took all of 10 minutes to write, has endured since 1991 as one of Sweden’s top 10 holiday favorites. “Juligen” is described as a parody, a cheery song with dark lyrics. Listen to the song performed on Swedish TV 15 years after it was first released: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXwCbyD7pz4
The stories, the traditions, the people behind the news. founded in new york city in september 1872 executive editor & publisher:
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson (editor@nordstjernan.com) editor:
Amanda Olson Robison (editor@nordstjernan.com) managing editor & production: Everett Martin graphic design: Nadia Wojcik (design@nordstjernan.com) contributors:
Chipp Reid - Lisa Mikulski - Ted Olsson - Leif Rosqvist Ulf Kirchdorfer - Valorie Arrowsmith - Olle Wijkström Bo Zaunders - Göran Rygert - James Kaplan - Gunilla Blixt
L-R: Director Hannes Holm, Bahar Pars and Rolf Lassgård.
On the Short List for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars continued from page 1…
cares about. But, when pregnant Parvaneh (Bahar Pars) and her family move into the house opposite and accidentally back into Ove’s mailbox the initial conflict turns into an unexpected friendship. We gave the film and main actors five stars — as many others have as well. “The story of the film is universal; grumpy old men exist everywhere,” said actor Rolf Lassgård when we met up with him in New York City in the fall with director Hannes Holm, who added how the immigrant aspects of the story would resonate well in America, a country of immigrants. “Ove behaves like a racist but he’s not a racist. He’s just a man who’s afraid of changes in society, and audiences easily connect with either him or the other main character, the vibrant lively Iranian wife of the new neighbor,” Holm said. A Man Called Ove is also one of the nine feature films that will advance to the next round of voting in the foreign-language film category for the 89th Academy Awards. The shortlisted films in the category Best Foreign Language were selected from a record 85 submissions this year. Upon hearing the news director Hannes Holm, through commentary from the Swedish Film Institute, said “[This is] obviously great news! Ove is first of all a powerful story. But it also touches on some hot topics, and that makes it feel even greater to be able to reach so many people all over the world with this story. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone in the team who fought so hard for this project.”
publications director:
Mette Barslund Mårtensson (mette@nordstjernan.com; 800.827.9333, ext 12)
nordstjernan p.o. box 1710 new canaan ct 06840 contact us at 1.800.827.9333 ext 10 for ceader services, email: subs@nordstjernan.com; ext 12 for advertising, email: ads@nordstjernan.com www.nordstjernan.com Covering three worlds: Sweden, America and Swedish America. Order your own copy, $55.00 for a year (18 issues) Choose ‘subscribe’ at www.nordstjernan.com or call 1.800.827.9333, ext 10 4 NORDSTJERNAN
Herr & Fru | Mr. & Mrs.
Him, in his sleep: No, not a new year again!!!
Him, dreaming: Not that!!!. Her: “Wake up”
Him: “I had a terrible nightmare”
Him: “It was a new year and I got one year older!!” Her: z zzzzz
dashboard | december 30, 2016
Swedish Trend Analysis 2017 Twilight — The effects of Brexit, stricter loan and amortization requirements together with tougher bank attitudes, and the risk of a more restrictive U.S. trade policy are signs of a tougher economic situation in 2017. The assessment is that there is a substantial risk of shrinking consumer spending, which could obscure economic progress in Sweden. AI + X — Artificial intelligence will change all industries. Some forms of intelligence are increasingly added to products and services. The consumer will have to get used to gadgets getting smarter and that in the near future they begin to think for themselves. How is everyday life affected when the environment becomes more and more intelligent? Building of walls — After a period of openness, when walls were torn down and borders opened, we are entering a time of containment and exclusion. We join together in groups and close others out; it’s us and them. Both physical and mental walls are built, and the question is what impact it will have.
CULTURE
‘Tis the Season of Celebrations
Christmas is indeed a serious matter in all of Swedish America. Not serious in the true meaning of the word, but rather it’s considered a time of year when on a mandatory basis you take time off to celebrate with friends and family. This year’s most interesting Lucia performance was at the Hartford, Conn. Emanuel Lutheran Church where above group of young people performed the church’s 103rd annual St. Lucia Festival. The pageant, now under the stewardship of artistic director Jonathan Reuning-Scherer, has been presented by the youth of the church since 1914. To honor the heritage of the church, the songs are sung in Swedish, although many of the present cast have no Scandinavian ancestry. Lucia songs were complemented with tunes that were dear to the early immigrants. More celebrations, p NATIONAL
Online by 2025
Trademarks — It is a time of boundless supply of both goods and services, and companies compete with each other globally. It could mean the importance of a strong brand is increasing, and consumers look to secure brands they recognize. Or, it could mean that prior to buying consumers do careful research, ask friends and experts, and brands become less important. Climate adaptation — As a result of the threat of climate change and global agreements on a necessary transition to sustainable development, we’ll see a growing amount of gadgets, building codes and legislative changes moving us toward being climate smart. Companies follow and adapt their products and services to climate change conditions. Multifunctional — Function is central today. More and more things around us add new features that complement the original use — they become multifunctional. The exciting developments in mobile technology and new materials mean that clothes and gadgets have more functions than before. Individual norm — Characteristics like gender and age have lost importance. The trend is toward ceasing to distinguish between feminine and masculine, young and old, and instead focus on people. A neutral attitude to sex and age means that the individual is the new norm, within which there are no characteristics, manner of dress and way of being that is exclusive to a specific gender or age group. Source: Swedish trend site buzzter.se
CULINARY
Mouse-sized Restaurant Pops Up in Malmö
A tiny mouse-sized shop and restaurant has appeared on the corner of Bergsgatan and Almbacksgatan in Malmö, where if you aren’t paying attention you might miss “Noix de Vie” (Nuts of Life) which was built at ground level. Complete with tiny menus, seats, posters, a bicycle, cheese and crackers, the little shop located next to the “Il Topolino” (the Italian name for Mickey Mouse) has been creating big Swedish smiles among the city’s residents. The artist responsible for the installation is unknown. CULTURE
Always at the forefront of technology, Sweden will be completely online by 2025, according to the government’s new broadband strategy which endeavors to improve working and living conditions across the country. Prime Minister Löfven has also promised that a half a million more Swedes will have access to the internet in the next four years. “It is unacceptable that everyone is not included,” said Löfven. Three quarters of the population presently has access to fast broadband.
Sweden wins gold in memory championships
Martin Wallonius remembers numbers, lots of numbers. This year he won double gold as the world champion when he committed 520 numbers to memory in five minutes. The event, held in Singapore, also brought a gold to Emma Andersson of Gothenburg when she won in abstract images. The world cup is a three-day competition for memory that focuses on 10 areas — remembering names, playing cards, historical dates, numbers, words, binary numbers and abstract images. DECEMBER 30, 2016 5
local events
Around Swedish America NEW YORK Swedish New York based artist Siri Berg’s solo exhibition In Color, the Art Center’s first, at the Shirley Fiterman Center in downtown Manhattan is open until February 4, 2017. The Shirley Fiterman Art Center is located at 81 Barclay St., New York, NY 10007 (Subway, E to World Trade Center or 1,2,3 or A,C,E to Chambers Street). For more info, see www. siriberg.com or www.bmcc.cuny.edu/ sfac. If you’re anywhere near New York City, don’t miss this, combine with a visit to the World Trade center and the Santiago Calatrava designed transit hub or the Snøhetta designed Memorial Museum – all a journey not to be missed. CALIFORNIA San Diego 02.01 Scandinavian Crime Thrillers, 6-7:30 PM Dr. Jim Kaplan discusses Scandinavian crime novels, and features “Jar City” by Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason, “Occupied” by Norwegian author Jo Nesbø, and “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Swedish author Stieg Larsson with film clips based on these works. House of Sweden, San Diego. Repeated on Feb. 2 in San Francisco. 415.557.4411/ www.houseofsweden.us ILLINOIS Chicago 01.08 Julgransplundring, 11 AM
Before the tree can be thrown out it needs to be danced out: Join the children at Bullerbyn and Svenska Skolan to sing and dance around the tree as we say goodbye to Christmas with a party. Before the tree can be thrown out it needs to be danced out. Swedish American Museum, Chicago. 773.728.8111/ www.swedishamericanmuseum.org Chicago 01.21 The Dream of America Exhibit Guided Tour, 11 AM Uncover the stories of real immigrants in the Swedish American Museum’s permanent exhibit, “The Dream of America.” Learn about what awaited the millions who came to America via Ellis
Nordic Spirit presents
All Power is of God:
The Reformation in Sweden and Finland
Island and what life was like in Swedish neighborhoods like Andersonville in Chicago then and now. Swedish American Museum, Chicago. 773.728.8111/ www. swedishamericanmuseum.org MASSACHUSETTS Boston 01.14 Opera is Cool: Famous Scandinavian Singers, 12- 2 PM Join local Opera expert Erika Reitshamer for a talk that will take you on an audiovisual exploration of great singers of the past and present from the Nordic countries. Scandinavian Cultural Center, West Newton. (617) 795-1914/ www. scandicenter.org Boston 01.28 Piatruba concert, 1 PM Piatruba, the Swedish trio who plays flugelhorn, piano and upright bass, is inspired by the music of Dalecarlia, tunes that have been passed on for many generations. Piatruba mixes them with a contemporary expression, adding improvisation to tell old stories in a new way. Scandinavian Cultural Center, West Newton. (617) 795-1914/ www. scandicenter.org
A Popular Program of Lectures and Music for the Public
Distinguished speakers from Sweden Prominent California Finns Friday evening and Saturday February 10 and 11, 2017 Campus of California Lutheran University Thousand Oaks, California Information: scandinaviancenter.org callutheran.edu/calendar/cultural/
Scandinavian American Cultural & Historical Foundation 6 NORDSTJERNAN
Jamestown 01.07 Family Culture Day, 9:45 AM-12 PM Enjoy a morning of Swedish culture with sessions in woodcarving, Swedish language, knitting, folk dancing, singing and cooking at Jamestown Community College. 716.665.0883/ www.scandinavianjamestown.org New York 01.10 Keyboard Conversations, 7-9:30 PM Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel at Scandinavia House. 212.779.3587/ www.scandinaviahouse.org
MINNESOTA
MICHIGAN Grand Rapids 01.07 Julgransplundring, 2-3:30 PM End the Christmas season with a party for young and old at Covenant Village of the Great Lakes, Grand Rapids. 616.458.0420/ www.sahswm.org MINNESOTA Minneapolis 01.07 Adult Slöjd Workshop: Felted Slippers 9 AM – 3 PM Learn classic wet felting techniques to create something perfect for winter: a custom pair of warm, wooly slippers. American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis. 612.871.4907/ www.asimn.org Minneapolis 01.07 Lantern Lit Glögg Tour, 6:30-8 PM Lantern Lit Glögg Tour at the American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis. 612.871.4907/ www.asimn.org
On the 500 Year Anniversary of the Reformation
NEW YORK New York 01.06 Elsa Nilsson Quartet, 6 PM Combining the rich heritage of her Swedish homeland with modern jazz and varied musical influences from around the world, Nilsson and her quartet showcase arrangements of Swedish traditional music and her brand new record “Salt Wind” at the Rockwood Music Hall, New York. 206.661.7462/ www.elsanilssonmusic.com
Minneapolis 01.21 Green Card Voices, 12 PM Through a collaboration with Green Card Voices, this exhibition uses video storytelling to present seven experiences of contemporary immigrants from the Nordic countries. On exhibit through March 5 at the American Swedish Institute. 612.871.4907/ www.asimn.org Minneapolis 01.25 Frozen in Film, 6:30-8:30 PM The 2017 Winter Film Series highlights the work of Swedish filmmakers with “Bikes vs. Cars” by Fredrik Gertten at the American Swedish Institute. 612.871.4907/ www.asimn.org Bemidji 01.13-01.16 Norwegian Family Weekend Four days for the family to learn the Norwegian language and culture together at Skogfjorden Language Camp in Bemidji. (800) 222–4750/ www.concordialanguagevillages.org
Ongoing through Jan. 8 The exhibition Nordic Holidays: Celebrations of Light is open at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. This is an annual exhibition that showcases Nordic and other holiday traditions through the decorated rooms in the historic Turnblad Mansion. Explore the special traditions of five Nordic countries and this year also the Jewish Community and Hanukkah and learn more about light-filled celebrations. Sweden is also represented in Jul Dalmålning - Figurative Paintings. Common between 17901850, these paintings from the Swedish province of Dalarna are characterized by intricate and imaginative flower motifs, many representing Biblical scenes as interpreted through Swedish folk painting. American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis. 612.871.4907 / www.asimn.org New York 01.19 Harriet Nilsen Winter Concert, 7-9 PM The American Scandinavian Society is delighted to present some of the Grant Recipients 2016 in honor of Harriet Nilsen. Reception to follow at the Norwegian Seamen’s Church, New York, NY. 212.319.0370/ www.sjomannskirken. no/newyork New York 01.24 Music on Park Avenue, 6:30-9 PM Music on Park Avenue: Evenings with Per Tengstrand at Scandinavia House. 212.779.3587/ www.scandinaviahouse.org
local events
Significance of the Ordinary Longtime Swedish artist’s landscapes on exhibit in Chicago in January.
Swedish-born artist Lars-Birger Sponberg has been living in the American Midwest since 1930. Now 98, he is showing his painted landscapes in an exhibit at the Swedish American Museum in Chicago, opening Jan. 13, 2017.
Born in Sweden, Lars-Birger Sponberg immigrated to Evanston, Illinois with his family in 1930 when he was 11 years old. As a college student he attended the Art Institute in Chicago where he studied with Kenneth Shopen, Laura Van Pappelendam, Louis Ritman and Carl Schwartz. Now, at 98 years old, Sponberg continues to paint at his home in Deerfield, where he lives with his wife, Dallas. In recent years he has painted landscapes as viewed from the roadside. His bold use of color and strong, sure strokes
pay tribute to the landscape; they invite the viewer to experience the broad vistas of the Midwest. Far from being ordinary landscapes, Sponberg’s paintings are vivid with bold colors and strong brush strokes. They reflect his fascination with the rhythm of mundane occurrences that fill the lives of people between their celebrations and special events. Sponberg says, “We often mark the significant events of our lives and fail to note the passages that lie in
between. In using the Midwest landscapes as subjects of these paintings I am calling attention to the extraordinariness of the commonplace, the inbetweens of the celebrated places as well as the in-betweens of our lives.” Sponberg’s work is found in numerous private collections. He has had work shown in solo and group exhibitions in Sweden, New York and the Chicago area. His next exhibit, “Significance of the ordinary,” at the Swedish American Museum in Chicago, opens on Friday, January 13 and goes
through Saturday, March 12, 2017. www.swedishamericanmuseum.org
New York 01.26 Folk Music from Dalarna, 6:30-9 PM Folk Music from Dalarna with the trio Piatruba at Scandinavia House. 212.779.3587/ www.scandinaviahouse.org
Exhibit: The Troll with No Heart at Nordia House, Portland. 503.977.0275/ www. scanheritage.org
PENNSYLVANIA Phildelphia 01.28 Pea Soup and Punch Supper, 6-8 PM Pea Soup and Punch Supper: Ärtsoppa och Punsch Saturday at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia. Warm up with a bowl of Swedish yellow pea soup and a cup of punsch, sharp cheese, bread and dessert. Register by phone or online by Jan. 23. Also ask for a guided tour. American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia. 215.389.1776/ www.americanswedish.org
ting group in an informal Scandinavianlike café setting. The Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle. 206.789.5707/ www. nordicmuseum.org
OREGON Portland 12.01.2016-01.17.2017
Portland 01.10 Cook and Eat: Pea Soup, 6:30-8:30 PM Learn to make a hearty pea soup the Nordic way at Nordia House, Portland. 503.977.0275/ www.scanheritage.org WASHINGTON The Photography of Anders Beer Wilse is on exhibit at the Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle. Until the latter 1880s Scandinavians had comprised a relatively insignificant proportion of the city’s population, but by 1890 they constituted fully one-fourth of Seattle’s foreign-born. After that, the number of Seattle residents native to the Nordic countries increased steadily, exceeding 5,000 in 1900 and expanding to nearly four times that by 1910. Anders Beer Wilse (1865–1949) was a Norwegian engineer and self-taught photographer who lived in Seattle from 1892–1900. He left a legacy of early photographs documenting this period of unprecedented change, including views of the Alaskan Gold Rush of 1896– 1899. Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle. 206.789.5707 / www.nordicmuseum.org
WASHINGTON Seattle 12.02.2016 - 02.28.2017 The Photography of Anders Beer Wilse. Exhibit at Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle. 206.789.5707/ www.nordicmuseum.org 01.12-01.16 Nordic Lights Film Festival A contempory cinematic festival offering award-winning films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the Faroe Islands. The Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle. 206.789.5707/ www. nordicmuseum.org 01.08 Nordic Knitters’ Café, 1-4 PM Drop in for the monthly monthly knit-
Related events: Exhibit Opening, Friday, Jan. 13, 6 – 8 p.m. Gallery Walk, Saturday, Jan. 14, 11 a.m. Start with Art, Friday, Jan. 27, 9 a.m. – noon Family Night, Friday, Jan. 27, 4 – 6 p.m. Exhibit Closing, Saturday, March 12, 4 p.m.
WASHINGTON, D.C. 01.23 First Winter at the North Pole, 8 PM Robert Benson, a scientific member of the first group to winter at the Amundsen Scott South Pole Station in 1957, describes that first winter at the geographic South Pole 60 years ago. Chevy Chase, MD. 202.364.8332/ www.scandinavian-dc.org 01.30 Nordic Winter Wonderland, 1-4 PM Family friendly art adventure celebrates the delights of the Nordic Winter with traditional crafts projects, stories, films and performances from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden at the Phillips Collection. 202.387.2151/ www.phillipscollection.org WISCONSIN Milwaukee 01.14 The Walgreen Story, 1:30 PM Find out about the Swedish history of the national company known as Walgreens. Redemption Lutheran Church, Wauwatosa. www.sahswi.org DECEMBER 30, 2016 7
local events
drifters Swedish drama exudes authenticity with actors off the street.
the most popular films and tv shows from sweden
swedish dvd releases Order Swedish language movies on DVD. All videos are in the original language with English subtitles.
Drifters (Original title: Tjuvheder) 1h 32 min Director/Writer: Peter Grönlund Drifters is an intense and brutal glimpse into the peripheral world where a debt can get you killed and where a roof over your head can sometimes be a luxury. The film is a raw, untainted view into a parallel world of crime and punishment — the original title translates to “honor among thieves” — that was hailed by some critics as the year’s best in Sweden. The film starts with the main character Minna running around in her apartment. It’s messy everywhere, the mail is piling up and she’s juggling a phone call while she fills up bags with drugs. At the other end of the call is her landlord. Minna is forced out of the apartment and into the street. Here, violence is even more urgent, and after cheating on a drug dealer she’s forced to flee the city. At a campground she finds a moment of peace among other outcasts. Until her past catches up with her.... Nearly all (95 percent) of the characters in the film are not portrayed by professional actors but were hand-picked based on their own life experiences. It’s not just acting ex-addicts and the homeless but also social workers, police officers and staff at shelters. Director Peter Grönlund points out that this doesn’t make Drifters a documentary, but a fictitious fast paced drama-thriller. “We made a very thorough casting call to find the right people. It has not just been about finding people with the right experiences, they also had to have the ability to use them, as well as have the urge to finish the film and not disappear in the middle of production,” he told Swedish media. Drifters is not for the faint of heart as is really good. It hurts and stays with you like an old wound and is empathetic without being polished. The amateurs that make up the live wallpaper of the film give it strong credibility and Malin Levanon starring as Minna is absolutely stunning. 8 NORDSTJERNAN
Sweden’s selection for the Oscar’s
Immerse yourself and family in swedishness with the latest dvd releases from Sweden. A Man Called Ove (RELEASED Dec. 27, 2016) $29.95 = _______ The Last Sentence $29.95 = _______ The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared $29.95 = _______ The Dragon Tattoo Trilogy Extended Boxed Set $39.95 = _______ Wallander Series 2 Boxed Set $74.95 = _______ Max Manus: Man of War (in Norwegian) $19.95 = _______ Jackpot (in Norwegian) $24.95 = _______
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local events
Nordic Films Light Up the Screen Nordic Lights Film Festival celebrates another year with a great line-up on January 12-16, 2017 in Seattle.
Nordic Lights Film festival (NLFF) celebrates its 8th year with a great line-up with films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and for the first time from the Faroese Islands, showing at the SIFF Film Center near Seattle Center. The cutting-edge cinematic festival offers immersion into the world of Nordic films during the chilly winter season. Audiences are given the opportunity to share the long-standing film-making traditions and the newer art cinema style of the Nordic countries. NLFF is proud to bring people together to discover original stories through the lens of Nordic film makers. The first NLFF took place in 2009, spanning three days. It has been presented in partnership with the Nordic Heritage Museum, domestic and international film institutes, the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), Finlandia Founda-
tion, Finnish Studies at UW, the Icelandic Club of Greater Seattle and SWEA (Swedish Women’s Educational Association). This year the festival includes an opening reception on Thursday night, Jan. 12 — kicking off five days of films, adding an extra day from last year. Opening night will include a screening of the Icelandic film “Reverse,” which tells the story about two childhood friends who decide to drive around Iceland with their car in reverse. It doesn’t take long for them to realize this probably wasn’t the best idea in the world. Nothing goes as planned and almost everything goes wrong. Director/writer/actor Gunnar Hansson will attend the screening and the reception following. Sweden’s “Drifters” (Tjuvheder), by Peter Grönlund, is making its U.S. premier at NIFF while most of the movie cast makes its premier, too — nearly all the first-time actors were chosen by Grönlund for expressing their personal, real life experiences through this social political drama thriller. It screens on Friday, Jan. 13.
For the first time in NLFF history a Faroese component is featured in the festival. A shorts film program with up-and-coming filmmakers will be part of the program on Saturday, Jan. 14. Sakaris Stórá, Heiðrik á Heygum and Andrias Høgenni from the Faroese Islands will host a Q&A session following the screening. Other highlights include the Danish film “The Commune,” which received the Cinema of Scandinavia Awards for Best Danish Film in 2016. The Finnish film “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki” is Finland’s Oscars submission for Best Foreign Language Film that also received The Cinema of Scandinavia Awards for Best Finnish Film in 2016. The documentary “Reindeer in My Saami Heart” by Australian film maker Janet Merewether, tells the story of Inghilda Tapio, an inspirational writer and performer in Saapmi, Sweden’s Arctic Circle. The festival takes place at the SIFF Film Center in Seattle on January 12-16, 2017. For tickets and more information see http://nordicmuseum.org/nlff.
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“Reindeer in My Saami Heart” tells the story of Inghilda Tapio, an inspirational writer and performer in Saapmi, Sweden’s Arctic Circle. DECEMBER 30, 2016 9
readers forum
InBox What a wonderfully perceptive and well written article by Leanne Stewart: “Tension in my adoptive country.” Her reflections match my own experiences and impressions so well! Hope to read more by her. Gunnar Sahlin The piece you refer to was a contribution under InBox but Leanne Stewart usually reflects on life in Sweden as an expat and those columns will continue. /Ed. “Carl Bildt thinks Trump spells trouble” My parents and grandparents were Swedish and immigrated to the USA. They subscribed to Nordstjernan for a long time and when they passed away, my wife and I subscribed. We have always enjoyed your paper. That was until we got the Nov 30 issue. On the 2nd page under Swedish News, I read that Carl Bildt thinks that Trump spells trouble. Who cares what he thinks. Why would you print that? If you are going to be political, You should print both sides, however I don’t subscribe to your paper for political views. PS, Bildt should be concerned with what is happening in Sweden. My relatives there are very concerned about the immigrant problem and what could be the end of Sweden as we know it. Sincerely, John Olson
Dear John, Allow us to voice our deep appreciation for your recent submission and long time subscription, which helps support the mission and vision of Nordstjernan. Rest assured, we won’t become political but will continue to report news that feels relevant for the readership — your letter gives us an opportunity to stress that we are committed to opening our pages for issues that may be important and relevant for you, as a reader. We also open our pages for readers’ contributions, commentary and perspectives, and make a point of trying to cover all aspects of any individual issue through contributions and “guest perspectives.” Sometimes different points of view don’t arrive to our inbox simultaneously so they appear in different issues, but we do our best to balance them out over time. The latter is especially important when it comes to covering Sweden since we are the preeminent source of information about Sweden for many of our readers. As mentioned in our latest issue of Dec. 15, we strive to stay objective by allowing different voices to be heard and by doing so offer the reader a way to form his or her own opinion. Former Prime Minister Bildt has a history of involvement with Sweden’s difficulties with immigration. And though we believe this is not the end of Sweden as we know it, your point is understandable. One of the first decisions Bildt’s conservative government did after he won the election in 1991 was to repeal the so-called Lucia decision of Dec.
13, 1989. (The Lucia decision [Luciabeslutet] was a decision on asylum policy taken by the Social Democratic government led by Ingvar Carlsson.) The background was the record flow of refugees to Sweden during the second half of 1989, when 20,000 people arrived compared with 19,000 in the entire previous year. This volume of refugees was not considered sustainable for Sweden at the time. The decision meant that in the future only “UN refugees” or quota refugees that met the requirements under the UN Refugee Convention, and those with so-called “particularly strong needs for protection” would get political asylum in Sweden. The decision was repealed in December 1991 by the government led by Bildt and with the moderate party in majority. Then “liberal-conservative” Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, (2006 - 2014), leader of the then liberal-conservative New Moderates, upheld those open door policies, which were in effect until November 2015 when Sweden introduced border control again under the newly elected social democratic government. The same New Moderates are now critical of the present government for not imposing harder control of and harder rules on immigration. No, we won’t become political (though our readers might); it’s simply too hard to keep up with politics everywhere, anyway! /Ed.
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Dear Desiree, We had a lot of fun researching all of those recipes and while leftovers are mostly a blessing, the time after Christmas can be a bit of a challenge. When it comes to the leftover ham, however, you don’t have to be immensely resourceful — no time? Simply cut the ham into small pieces and freeze, and you have the perfect ingredients when you want to throw together a quick pasta or for use in pies, pizza, etc. /Ed.
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Dear Editor, Thanks for running the “Christmas ham of dreams” recipe under feast on Christmas ham leftovers in the Dec. 15 issue. I grew up with this dish and have often wondered about the recipe. Desiree Hertz, former Skåning
For next year, we’d love to hear about YOUR favorite recipe for the leftover Christmas ham. Simply write “Leftover ham” in subject or on the envelope and email editor@nordstjernan.com or mail to Editor, P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan CT 06840
viewpoints
Christmas is for the Birds It is likely I am not suited to write about Christmas or jul. The festive spirit does not inhabit me. I am unable to turn on Christmas like a light switch and feel what the advertisers want me to feel. That sense of incredible family togetherness, commandeered around the 24th and 25th of December, preceded by an onslaught of messaging beginning the very latest at Thanksgiving, does not course through my Viking and American veins. Sure, I can almost get misty-eyed watching Swedish red Christmas candles that do not bleed onto a table cloth, swoosh around glögg in my mouth and crunch into the almond in some modified ritual of a dentist’s fluoride treatment, and I can call up memories of the lighting of the Advent ljusstake in a kind of countdown to the main event, but Christmas to me is an overdone and over-repeated blaring of the Rocky movie theme. Emotion must be felt, not coerced. So you could say, or at least I can, that Christmas is for the birds. I have long been intrigued by this phrase “for the birds,” and I while I know what it means in an intuitive way, I did not know the origin of this phrase exactly. Research online delightfully confirms the uncertainty as to the exact origin of the term. Though the term is unilaterally deemed an American one, and the meaning assigned is that of “undesirable,” even trivial, some say it is World War II U.S. army slang. Other sources maintain “for the birds” was uttered much earlier, when propelled by horses, Americans in cities were overwhelmed by sparrows and other birds who liked to peck for nutrition in the horse apples
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bountifully supplied and left behind. One site, englishstackexchange.com, featured a contributor who said “for the birds” originated from the Bible, Isaiah 18:4, in which unproductive shoots were cut off and left for the birds to eat. So a lowly kind of nutrition emerges as the meaning for the phrase “for the birds.” As with everything else, this comes from the point of view of humans. I am quite sure birds are all too happy to derive nutrition from plant matter and even plant matter in horse apples. There is a common denominator, at least in my mind, with “for the birds” and “Christmas.” The holiday serves as a kind of coming together of persons desperate or hungry for nourishment and sustenance. Looking around, both at commercial and non-commercial activities that “make” Christmas, I see a feverish attempt by people to find some kind of meaning. Who can fault humankind for that? But no matter how you view things, a large part of the horse apple remains less than desirable. I have not written this column to rain on anyone’s parade, to use yet another wonderful phrase. I am all for Swedes and Swedish Americans singing “Nu är det jul igen” and dancing around julgranen until dizzying speeds have been reached. But as the equilibrium returns, let us think if we can find other ways to fill our need for sustenance, and not save it all up for Christmas. And why is jul or Christmas for the birds again? It all came to me while I was birding in the woods, at the end of a drought, no rain at all for over two months. At a tiny mud puddle, the only water around for miles, I watched from behind a tree several birds land nearby. In close proximity, two woodpeckers, one blue jay, and one brown thrasher came together. They were that parched. I took away with me, in addition to a photo, the great gift of realizing why so many of us yearn so for Christmas. The birds gave me the
The great gift of realizing why so many of us yearn for Christmas.
best julklapp I have received in years. For a brief moment, many of us are willing to put aside our differences to be able to fill some void that must be filled for life to have meaning. Fortunately, the rains come (they came here last night), and with clear heads we can work during the year to minimize the drought brought on by busy lives that often do not take time to listen for and make sustaining meaning. So God Jul everyone, from your skribent who thinks Christmas is for the birds! Ulf Kirchdorfer ulf.kirchdorfer@nordstjernan.com
Born in Sweden and raised in Europe and the U.S., Ulf Kirchdorfer is as Swedish American as we come. As a contributing writer for Nordstjernan he has shared eloquent and witty essays on how his Swedishness has influenced his life, reflecting on his childhood with his Swedish grandmother and experiences as an adult in America. You might just see a little of yourself in what he writes, in a collection of essays Kirchdorfer calls Swede Among the Rednecks: The Language That Just Won’t Stay Buried, available from Nordstjernan and through amazon.com. DECEMBER 30, 2016 11
feature
Sitting on top of a steep, rocky site, the house looks as if it grew out of the landscape. Architect Rahel Belatchew Lerdell was initially challenged by the natural topography and stony environment of the site, but solved any design problems by turning those conditions into an advantage. She oriented the front and rear of the structure north and south respectively on the slope of the terrain to create two floors of living space. The facade was planned to provide privacy into the interior from the street. 12 NORDSTJERNAN
Sophisticated Urban Simplicity A Swedish architect designs her own home with modern simplicity and affordability in mind. For architect Rahel Belatchew Lerdell, the biggest challenge she faced was situating the home she designed for herself and her family on the proposed building site in a suburb 15 kilometers east of Stockholm, Sweden. The site was not only extremely rocky, but local building regulations restricted the size and height of any new houses to be built in the area. She solved these design issues by taking advantage of the stony topography for the orientation and placement of the house. In an area where standardized prefabricated houses lacking authentic building methods or true architectural expression have become the norm, Rahel wanted to design a modern single-family home, one that would echo the traditional Swedish summer cottages that once populated the area. The house, built in 2002, sits high above street level. The strict rectangular form is covered in horizontal, untreated larch panels, and simple geometric architectural elements that create interesting and contrasting accents. The house is not large in size, but big on impact. “I wanted to build a house for a reasonable price,” says Rahel. “I wanted to show that houses of modern expression didn’t have to cost a fortune.” The house consists of two stories: the private zone is on the ground floor; the living room and kitchen are on the first floor. The front of the house faces north, and therefore the back faces to the south. Rahel took these directionals into consideration to orient the rooms in the house during the design phase. On the west side, she provided wide, sliding windows that open to a large terrace, allowing plenty of natural light into the space. On the north side facing the street, long horizontal windows allow light into the home, while providing maximum privacy from the street. From the street, the house looks impressive set on its steep, stony hilltop. Vertical and horizontal lines beautifully balance the architectural expression on the north façade. There is a terrace on the ground floor accessible from the master bedroom and the guest bedroom. A balcony on the first floor is accessible from the main living area. Rahel says she designed the façade with these elements in mind, not only for the purpose of ventilation, but also as an interesting composition. The main entrance into the house is accessed by a metal and wood stair leading up to a recessed portal that provides a covering when it rains or snows. Although the main entrance is on the ground floor, a simply stated black stained beech stairway with an elegant, slightly curving handrail ascends to
the first floor. The ground floor consists of two bedrooms, a dressing area and a large bathroom. The bathroom is a simple, clean, yet elegant retreat for the family. The luxurious Jacuzzi tub, supplied by Tonga, is strategically placed beneath a large window, taking advantage of the view of the rough stone indigenous to the property. For extra drama, the stones are illuminated at night, showcasing the beautiful, natural scene. On the opposite side of the bathtub is a simple, extra large walk-in shower finished in elegant rectilinear white tiles. Across the room is a set of pure white wash basins supplied by Sanova of Sweden, with gorgeous fixtures manufactured by Mora. They are attached to the wall, perfectly symmetrical, and appearing weightless in the space they occupy. The floor is finished with slate-colored tile, which is in contrast to the pure white tiles on the walls, creating a smooth transition between the two planes. The tiles, measuring 100 x 430 mm, keep the rectangular design element repeated on
the long horizontal mirror above the washbasins. The mirror stretches horizontally across the wall, reflecting the window, bringing natural light deep into the room. Recessed spotlights above the bath and in the shower keep the minimal space sleek and free of obstruction. The master bedroom contains all the elements of the purists’ modernist vocabulary: simple, clean, linear and functional. The naked bulb hanging in the center of the room gives an exclamation point to the starkness of the room, however, the soft billowy comforter on the bed gives an organic softness to balance out the space. The beautiful black stained floor is a dramatic contrast to the all white plaster walls. When asked about the lack of art work and other decorative ornaments throughout the house, Rahel explained that she feels the lack of those objects accentuates the linear quality to the space, giving it interest based on its own merit. Also on the ground floor is a large guest room that has the option of being divided into additional rooms in the future, if needed.
The back of the home was orientated facing south. Large windows allow optimal sunlight deep into the first floor living space. Warm lighting is seen through the large windows, making the home inviting and cozy retreat from the cold and snow outside. DECEMBER 30, 2016 13
Sparsely furnished, yet elegantly inviting, the upper level of the house becomes the central living area for the family. A beautiful pinewood floor, stained black and highly varnished is smooth as ice, grounds the simple furniture, a combination of modern, custom and industrial, into the space. Large windows face south let in optimal natural lighting all year round, including during short Swedish winter days.
In the overall design, Rahel also focused on small simple luxuries that make life a bit more comfortable. First, the bedrooms are generously equipped with large cupboards providing plenty of storage, keeping the rooms uncluttered. To avoid dark corridors, she installed a motion detector to activate a light when someone walks through. The pinnacle of luxury, however, is that all the floors throughout the house are heated! A very practical luxury that warms the feet during cold winters as it is customary for Swedes to remove their shoes upon entering a house. In the main living space on the first floor are the living room, kitchen and dining areas. With a simple modernist statement, the main floor is basically one large room, allowing maximum interaction between the living area and the kitchen. A timeless rendition of the Bauhaus tradition, the beautiful open floor plan maintains a smooth ease of mobility through the space. With taller than average ceilings and an overall white interior, the space remains simple and crisp with accents of black leather, steel and wood. The integration of the outdoors with the interior is carried off with 14 NORDSTJERNAN
large, wide sliding windows that face south, allowing generous amounts of sunlight to penetrate into the house all year round. Nature is also carried in through a long horizontal window on the north wall, through which treetops are seen while shutting out street activity. “It’s almost like living in a forest,” says Rahel. In contrast to the white walls, a beautiful black stained varnished pinewood floor, shiny and sleek, ground all aspects of the design elegantly into the space. The furniture in the sitting and dining areas are a mix of the modern classics, industrial and custom designed pieces. A black leather Le Corbusier sofa is placed in front of a wonderful handcrafted coffee table. Dag Irdall, grandfather of Rahel’s husband, David, custom designed the piece with chromium-plate metal and sandstone from the Swedish island, Öland. The comfortable sitting area faces large floor-to-ceiling built-in bookcases on the west wall. They contain not only books, but also the TV and other media components. “These bookcases keep the space clutter-free by concentrating everything only on this wall,” says Rahel of its practical function in the space.
The dining area, which shares the same space as the sitting area, is defined by the contemporary furniture chosen with simple functionality in mind. The large dining table is actually a white painted upholstering table. Its original function was to provide a large area for cutting and pasting wallpaper for ease in applying it to walls. Rahel liked its industrial design, as well as its size and ability to fold in or out to accommodate small or large dinner parties. Six beautiful, chrome-plated and black leather directors chairs, Armchair X75-Z, produced by Swedish firm Lammhults, complement the minimalist theme throughout the house. The main floor has a ceiling height of 3.5 meters, and the kitchen is designed with a lower ceiling giving an impression described by Rahel as “a room within a room.” The kitchen is long, sleek and beautifully efficient. The cupboards and drawers are white painted MDF boards with routed handles for a smooth look. Kitchen supplies and food items can be stored in the abundant full-height cupboards. The vertical and horizontal lines are delicately played out to accentuate length and height, giving the kitchen a clean, airy feel. There is a very practical, large pass-through on the kitchen wall allowing ease of food service to the dining table. The counter on the pass-through runs horizontally across the whole length of the wall and repeats the rectangular shape of the window on the north wall opposite the kitchen. The main appliances - refrigerator, oven and dishwasher - are built into the walls in order to maintain the streamlined look and overall efficiently of the kitchen. Off the kitchen is a small bathroom that boasts a grand surprise! While the rest of the house is a pure black and white theme, this little bathroom is painted in a rich, bold deep purple, picked out by David. Rahel says that it offers an element of surprise in an otherwise neutral environment. Another small detail Rahel selected for this bathroom is to have music play when anyone enters the room and flips on the light. Both the color and the radio add a fun personal statement to the sometimes rigid rules of minimalist design. Rahel Belatchew Lerdell knows and understands the concepts and principles of the 20th century Modernist movement and smoothly incorporates them into her distinctive design. With the completion of the house, Rahel has successfully synthesized the elements of the Bauhaus philosophy: use of visual space and light; use of the landscape to support the house; traditional indigenous materials, and the functional simplicity in the interior scheme. Rahel says she does have an overall good feeling on the completion of the house. “I’m quite happy,” she says, “but never entirely satisfied. I can always find things that could be done differently, but overall it worked out well.” She adds that while the minimalist look may seem simple, it really is difficult to achieve. “It demands a lot of thought to get it so pristine, but overall, I feel that the end result has been very positive!”
Although contemporary and simple, without excessive flourishes, the master bedroom suite is spacial and tranquil inviting a soothing nights’ sleep. Natural light comes in through the balcony door, adhering to the geometric motif repeated throughout the design. The billowy soft comforter on the beds adds a soft and warm element to the stark, simple room.
A wonderful combination of modern, custom and industrial furnishings blend the living and dining areas into a simple, yet comfortable space. The table, normally used in wallpaper application, becomes a very large dining room table surrounded by six leather-covered directors’ chairs which work in harmony with bent steel construction giving the space the industrial feel Rahel wanted to achieve. DECEMBER 30, 2016 15
feature
Walkabout Åkeshov
Evening picture of Åkeshov Castle, photo Åkeshov Conference Center.
In most of my Stockholm walkabouts I have presented to the reader, I included my very personal view of areas in the inner city of Stockholm, the city of my youth and love. In this walkabout I will bring you with me to Åkeshov Slott (castle) located west of the inner city, 15 minutes by subway (tunnelbana), the green line Ängbybanan, from Fridhemsplan to Åkeshov Station. From the subway station I see the castle situated in an area of great natural beauty adjacent to Judarskogen Nature Reserve including the beautiful Judarsjön (lake). I’m walking along the alleyway toward the castle which comprises a main building and two smaller outbuildings (a walk of about five minutes). The picture shows a very attractive view of the north side of the castle, and as I approach the castle I’m having a strong sensation that I’m walking shoulder to shoulder with its builder, Marshal of the Realm, Åke Axelson Dag and Natt, who built the castle in 1635. It has served many functions in its history: aristocratic home, the Margareta Home for mentally handicapped persons, home for Baltic refugees during World War II, Åkeshov Elementary School, and since 1988 a conference hotel after a very comprehensive and careful restoration showing deep respect for the historical heritage. When I approach the front door at the castle I remember when as a young boy in 1949 to 1951 I attended the Åkeshov Elementary School. The classrooms were on the second floor in the building, and the dining room in the great hall in the middle of the building. My class was in the south part of the castle. I remember my class teacher, Mrs. Ullberg, as a very warm and sophisticated older lady that gave us kids a very good three-year elementary education. As I walk to the south side of the building I see a very nice and well manicured park from the 1730s, 16 NORDSTJERNAN
typical for Swedish castles in the area. In the right upper corner of the building I see the windows of my classroom. Many warm memories are coming to me from that time in my life. Behind the castle I walk in the park, the arboretum, and remember when we as kids picked flowers to bring home to our mothers. I turn to the west and still see the garden’s fruit orchard, Åkeshov’s Trädgårdar (gardens), where they were growing all sorts of fruit. I have to tell a secret: As young boys full of mischief we went there in the evening grabbing some apples. I’m turning back to the east side of the castle and entering into the nature reserve for a short walk to Judarsjön, which is about 10 minutes full of nature. On my way back to the castle I pass by a place where there was a large barn that housed the king’s
sheep during the period 1939 to 1988. The barn burned down in 1989. Every spring there was a significant spectacle when the sheep were herded, through central Stockholm to Ladugårds Gärde east of Östermalm. This was more than a full day’s event. At the end of this walkabout, I take the subway back to the city for an early dinner with my sister. For more information search online for Åkeshov slott or www.stockholmskällan.se for Åkeshov history information.
by leif rosqvist
Judarforrest, photo Wikipedia.
A school is not the first thing that comes to mind when you see the interior of today’s conference center.
Stable for the King’s sheep up to 1991, photo Wikipedia.
Stairs to the basement where we kids thought a ghost lived, although it was a nice ghost, photo Åkeshov Conference Center.
The Mythology of Trolls Explore the mythology of trolls at Nordia House in the new exhibit, The Troll With No Heart: Woodcuts By Betsy Bowen and Stories by Lise Lunge Larsen. Beautiful woodcuts are paired with tales of trolls from up and down Norway, coming via the American Swedish Institute and Kerlan Collection at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Nordia House, Portland. 503.977.0275/ www.scanheritage.org.
The troll on the left was captured through the lens of travel photographer Bo Zaunders during a recent Norway trip. In as far as we know the he’s still at large in the Norwegian fjord country (the troll that is). DECEMBER 30, 2016 17
fiction
Samuel continued ... The conclusion of Judit Martin’s short story about a father who stayed behind in Sweden (the first part ran in Issue 21). Samuel announced: “I would like Matilda to marry me and we could have a family.” “But Herr Nordström cannot marry me!” Matilda cried. “I am too old. Besides, he certainly has heard that I have a fatherless daughter who lives with my sister. He knows what people say about me.” “None of that matters. I have seen that Matilda is hardworking and kind. I don’t want a paid housekeeper. I want a wife.” Matilda shook her head. “What will people say?” “They can say what they want. I have a place to live in another village where people don’t know either of us. Come with me as my wife.” “But what about my daughter?” “I can be a father to her.” Matilda left the Sahlins during the free week at the end of October when all farm workers had the right to seek new employment if they wished. Madame Sahlin protested her decision, maintaining that Matilda belonged to the estate, since she had no family. “She is not entitled to move during free week because she is not considered to be hired help, since we don’t pay her,” Madame Sahlin declared, realizing too late what she had said. And thus Matilda was free to marry Samuel. They made their home outside a nearby village, where they rented the upstairs in a three-family house. Like in other working-class families, the kitchen was the focal point, where they ate, slept, and spent their time. But unlike other working-class families, the other room was not kept as a “best room” for special occasions. Instead, Samuel set up his cutting and sewing table, an ironing board, and his treadle Singer there. A desk served as his office, and a large cupboard held bolts of cloth. At first Matilda’s ten-year-old daughter, Marie, lived with them. But with the arrival of her half sister, she begged to go back to living with her aunt and uncle, where she was the only child. Matilda was deeply grateful to Samuel for having seen beyond her reputation and given her a new life. Even though she never managed to learn to read or write, she did everything within her power to show Samuel that he had not made a mistake by marrying her. She bore him two daughters and a son during their first six years of marriage, followed five years later by another daughter when she was forty-two. And five years later, at the age of forty-seven, she gave birth to Emma. Unfortunately, her illiteracy had prevented her from being confirmed, yet Matilda was deeply religious in her own way. She went to church to listen to the music, finding the sermons boring. She believed 18 NORDSTJERNAN
that all one needed to do to be a good Christian was to live according to the Golden Rule. That single directive made all the rest of Christianity, including the Ten Commandments, and even the Bible itself, redundant. Such views she kept to herself, however, only hinting of them now and then to Samuel. And true to her beliefs, she did her best to do unto others as she would have them do unto her. She kept their home neat and clean, was economical, a loving mother, a true companion to Samuel, and was known in the community for her kindness. Although Samuel found it difficult to put his emotions into words, he went out of his way to show Matilda how much she meant to him. In his spare time, he sewed clothes for her from his nicest cloth, adding bits of lace he had saved for the collars. During the summer, small bouquets of wild flowers appeared on the kitchen table. He borrowed books he thought she might enjoy from one of his well-to-do customers and read aloud to her on winter evenings while she knitted or mended clothes. And while he welcomed the birth of each new child, they were all secondary to Matilda. A few days after each birth, when she was safely out of danger, he held her hand and silently thanked God for having watched over her. There were other signals of love that passed between them, unreadable to outsiders: A light touch when they moved around each other in the crowded kitchen, her small tug at his tie to straighten it before he went out, a look. And every night, unbeknownst to each other, they both thanked God for having let their paths cross that day long ago. The children grew up without any serious illnesses or mishaps. One by one they immigrated to America in search of better economic possibilities, for at that time Sweden had nothing to offer people of their class. Both Samuel and Matilda were filled with sorrow each time one of them left, uncertain as to whether they would ever see them again. At the same time, they looked forward to growing old together, just the two of them. At last, only Emma was still at home. She was seventeen and engaged to Fritz, a young man in the next village. One Saturday afternoon when Samuel had taken a pause from his work and went into the kitchen to see if there was any coffee left, he came upon Matilda sitting with her head resting on the kitchen table. “Whatever is the matter?” he asked. “Is Matilda not feeling well?” “I have pain in my stomach,” she replied. Samuel laid his hand on her forehead. It was burning. “Come and lie down,” he said, helping her to her feet. “How long has it been going on?” “Since this morning.” “Shall I send for the doctor?” he wondered. “No, no. It will pass.” But it didn’t pass. Samuel sat beside her all night, soothing her forehead with cold, wet towels.
The conclusion of Judit Martin’s short story, “Samuel.” The short story about a father who stayed behind in Sweden as most of his family immigrated to the U.S. is from Martin’s “Swedish Portraits,” a collection of five short stories. The first part of the story ran in our issue, No. 21.
She was worse on Sunday, now and then losing consciousness. He sat beside her all day, visibly worried. She had never been sick in all the years they had been married. The only thing that had put her in bed was giving birth. “If Matilda is not better by tomorrow morning, I’m going to send to town for Dr. Hagström,” he told her. He sat up beside her that night also. At daybreak on Monday morning, Emma went to the telephone station in the village and placed a call to Dr. Hagström. But when he arrived an hour later, it was already too late. Matilda had died while clutching Samuel’s hand. The autopsy revealed a burst appendix. Samuel was inconsolable. “Why, God, have you let it end like this? What did we do wrong?” he cried over and over silently. He was to ask the same questions hundreds of times in the twenty-nine years he had left to him, but he never received an answer .... ... Samuel picked up Walter’s letter and continued reading it half-heartedly. He appreciated his offer to go and live with him in America, but he knew he would never do it. For one thing, he couldn’t leave Emma, nor would she go with him. Both she and Fritz had many times remarked that they had no desire to emigrate. But most of all, he couldn’t imagine abandoning the world that he and Matilda had shared. He felt her presence in the rooms and surroundings where they had lived together for thirty years. Every Sunday, he
fiction walked several miles to church in the next village. It wasn’t because of the service or the fact that they had worshipped there together their entire married life. Nor was it because of the proximity of her grave just outside the wooden building. It wasn’t in these places that he felt her spirit. It was when he walked home on the forest path they had always taken. Because it was too narrow to walk side by side, Samuel always went first “to scare away the vipers” that sometimes sunned on the rocks. The path climbed upward through the trees to a ridge, on top of which the landscape suddenly opened up to the east. One could see so far that the horizon became just a dark line against the sky fifty miles away. The first time they saw the view they were overwhelmed. Simultaneously, they sank down next to each other onto a large, flat stone and gazed out in awe over the endless forest below them. Neither of them spoke, for there were no words for what they both felt. They simply sat together, joined where their shoulders touched, and let their feelings flow freely between them. Finally, Samuel laid his hand over Matilda’s where it rested on her lap, and they stood up. “Now I know why I never find God inside the church,” he said. “He’s not there. He’s out here in nature.” The experience had joined them in a silent bond that was to last the rest of their lives. Every Sunday, on their way home, they rested on the stone without speaking, as if to renew that bond. Even after her death, Samuel continued to visit the ridge to marvel at the view, sitting on the stone alone, yet not alone. Matilda’s spirit was so strong that he could almost feel the pressure of her shoulder and the warmth of her hand under his. At first, Emma tried to convince him to go with her to Fritz’s church in another village, but he excused himself by saying he felt more at home in his own parish church. His real reason was too private, too fragile. When Emma and Fritz married a few years later, Walter repeated his offer. This time, Samuel was forced to consider it. Emma was moving to Fritz’s family farm, that he had taken over when his parents retired. In keeping with farming tradition, they had moved into the little cottage on the edge of the land, which existed solely for that purpose. Consequently, there was no place for Samuel to live. Just when he was about to write and accept Walter’s offer, Beda, an old family friend, came to his rescue by offering to rent out her upstairs to him. This was no love affair. She was a widow, and like Samuel, she couldn’t imagine sharing her life with anyone else after her Jakob. But she liked the security of knowing that she was not alone in the house, especially at night. And because she had spent her younger years in America and had become somewhat fashion conscious, she often came to Samuel with a piece of material she had found and asked that he sew something according to her own design. In return, she saw to it that he had at least one warm meal a day and took care of his washing and ironing.
When Fritz’s parents died, it was natural that Samuel moved into the little cottage on their land. Once again, Emma cooked for her father and took care of his household needs. She tried to convince him to go to church with them, but he argued that he preferred to continue attending his old parish church where he felt at home, even though he now had farther to walk. He couldn’t bring himself to speak of his meetings with Matilda. By the time Fritz and Emma eventually bought a larger farm even farther from Samuel’s parish church, he was in his early eighties. Not only was there no cottage for him there, which meant that he would have to live in the main house with them, but it was also too far for him to walk to the ridge. For twenty-nine years he had communed with his Matilda on their ridge every Sunday, except when the deep snow made it impossible, and he couldn’t bring himself to stop. It was his lifeline. Reluctantly, he chose to move to the old people’s home in his native village. Emma found his decision strange but knew her father well enough to understand that it was useless to argue with him.
went up into the attic to hang up the washing out of the rain. The first thing she saw when she reached the top of the stairs was Samuel’s feet swaying gently above the floor as the wind passed through the attic window.
The first Sunday after he had moved into the old people’s home he set out as usual for the ridge after church. He hadn’t reached the beginning of the path on the far side of the village before a nurse from the home, caught up with him. She grabbed him by the arm, jerking him to halt. “Just where does Herr Nordström think he is going?” she demanded. “I’m going to visit my wife,” he replied innocently. “Herr Nordström is not allowed to go home,” she told him, ignoring his answer. “I’m not going home, I’m going to visit my wife,” he repeated. “No one is allowed to go out walking without being accompanied by one of our nurses.” He jerked free of her grasp. “Leave me alone! I do not need an escort when I visit my wife!” he declared. Just then one of the men who worked at the home caught up with them and, in spite of his angry struggles to free himself from their grasps, they marched Samuel back to his room. The next day he was diagnosed as being out of touch with reality and potentially dangerous. He was sent to a nearby mental hospital. A few days later he was discharged and returned to the old people’s home. The following Sunday he once again set off for the ridge. This time he was brought back by two strong men. When he protested that he was only going to meet his wife, he was told that she had been dead for thirty years. “I know that,” he wept in frustration, but no one appeared to have heard him. From then on, he was kept under close scrutiny. But when he failed to show up for dinner one day, a search party was sent out to find him. They returned empty handed. He wasn’t found until several days later when one of the maids
A word from the author:
Author Judit Martin
Until the middle of the 1950s, life for those living in the Swedish countryside was much the same as it had been for centuries. Not only did the poor live in primitive material conditions, but their treatment, by those considered to be their superiors, was often inhumane— especially when it came to children, who were merely looked upon as a source of free labor and incapable of having feelings. But life had always been so and few had higher expectations. They made the most of the situations in which they found themselves. Judit Martin wrote four stories inspired by the lives of people she has known, or known about, who lived under the shadow of their superiors.
Third person and ‘ni’ and ‘du’
For the sake of authenticity and atmosphere, the stories by Judit Martin were written as people spoke at the time in which the story takes place. Well into the first years of the 20th century, Swedes spoke in a manner that sounds awkward to English-speaking ears. Instead of addressing each other directly (“Are you tired, Carl?” or “It’s time for you to get up, Carl”), they used the third person when speaking directly to each other (“Is Carl [or he] tired?” or It’s time for Carl [or him] to get up.”) In the middle of the century the use of the Swedish equivalent of “you” (ni) in its more plural form began to take over when one spoke with strangers and acquaintances, while “you” (du) in its more informal singular form was reserved for family and friends. Finally, by the end of the 1960s, there was a campaign to encourage people to use the informal singular “you” with everyone, the so-called du-reform. DECEMBER 30, 2016 19
local events
Photo: George Katsekes
Wisconsin Lucia
After a cancelation due to a snowstorm, Swedish Americans in southeast Wisconsin celebrated Lucia on December 18. And it was worth the wait: For the first time in many years, real candles were used in the Lucia crown, worn by this year’s Lucia, Ellen Robison. (Everyone was happy that Lucia History repeated itself yet again: The bucket of water that was ready at stage left, was not needed!)
Lucia and her court of 20 stjärngossar, pepparkaksgubbar and tomte nissar ranged widely in age, and it was a very memorable event full of candles and beloved music, a smorgasbord laden with open-faced sandwiches, baked goods and Swedish candy, dances around the Christmas tree and a visit from Jultomten.
A taste of Swedish Christmas in San Francisco
SWEA San Francisco’s president Camilla Podowski, with her mother and daughter, visited Santa at SWEA’s Christmas Fair. Photo by Kerstin Fischer Swedish Christmas decorations, traditional foods, baked goods and glögg galore. Photo by Helene Karlsson
A taste of Swedish Christmas in San Francisco SWEA San Francisco’s annual Christmas Fair showcased a taste of Sweden on Saturday, Dec. 3. More than 3,000 people were greeted by wandering musicians and volunteers dressed in their Swedish folk costumes. The visitors could enjoy four fantastic Lucia processions, dancing around the Christmas tree and folk music. Lots of Christmas shopping got done since the fair had a lot of Scandinavian items for sale. “For many visitors, the Swedish Christmas food is the highlight,” said SWEA San Francisco’s president Camilla Podol20 NORDSTJERNAN
ski — open-faced sandwiches, Swedish waffles, coffee, baked goods and glögg were on sale to satisfy the cravings for Swedish food and sweets. The children had a blast with a “fiskdamm” (fishpond), crafts and of course the possibility to meet Santa and tell him about their Christmas wish list. “A great big thank you to all the visitors and to all our fantastic members who made this Christmas Fair amazing! We will see you all again for the 34th time on Dec. 2, 2017!” said Podolski, ending with wishing us all a God Jul! Cecilia Mases
SWEA members served delicious glögg with a smile. Photo by Camilla Podowski
On December 1, SACC-New York presented the 29th annual Lucia Trade Award to Hans Stråberg, former CEO of Electrolux, in recognition of his longstanding support of free trade. The traditional Christmas luncheon
Elsa Rix Lucia Every year, the children’s group of the Elsa Rix Vasa lodge in New York celebrates Sankta Lucia not just once, but two times. The people who get to attend both celebrations consider themselves lucky. On Sunday, December 4, 2016, Barnklubben Elsa Rix #1 performed the first of two annual St. Lucia festivals to a full house. This one is traditionally held at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in West Hempstead, NY. St. Andrews is a pretty church and we were fortunate to have a beautiful day for the occasion. Just as the ceremony began and the children were processing up the aisle, candles and stars in hands, the setting sun shone through the stained glass windows illuminating the ceremony. This year Colleen Rose Williamsen was the lovely Sankta Lucia at St Andrews. Besides singing beautifully, Colleen was an especially poised and graceful Lucia. Although this is only her fourth year performing in the Elsa Rix Lucia Festival, Colleen appeared confident and accomplished. She shared the day with her brother Stephen Williamsen who was very proud to be The Big Star Boy, and with her younger sister Lucy, who enjoyed being a maiden for her second year. Robert Prasso also performed impressively, soloing as a
Photo: Catarina Lundgren Åströmw
29th annual Lucia Award and SACC NY Christmas Luncheon (Above) L-R: SACC Chairman Steve Trygg, the 2016 honoree Hans Stråberg, SACC president Renee Lundholm and former Lucia Trade Award receipient Claes Björk. (Top Right) Member of the year, Börje Ekholm, Investor flanked by Renee Lundholm and Steve Trygg. (Right) SACC NY Lucia, Michaela von Koch and two of her maidens.
baker in Staffansvisan. And Bryanna Zabe, one of Elsa Rix’s Lucias in 2015, was kind to return this year and present Colleen with a gift of pearls during the ceremony. Alana Winstead and Hannah Zabe also stood out for their wonderful reading as Candle Girls as well as Liv Abrahamsen’s reading of the Lucia poem. The full ensemble of children of Elsa Rix is directed by the very talented Dr. Nina Prasso. After the ceremony the happy crowd went downstairs to enjoy dancing and some wonderful homemade Swedish fare prepared by the Elsa Rix community. There was even an appearance by Jul Tomte! Elsa Rix is generously co-led by Liz Dahlstrom and Kathryn Brown and further assisted by Elaine McGrath and Robin Abrahamsen. An amazing job was done by all of the Elsa Rix’s numerous parents, alumni and alumni parents that work each year to keep this tradition alive and available. When asked what she would like to share about the St Lucia Festival this year and her Lucia experience, Colleen said: “… it was an honor and a joy. I’m very sad that it’s over, but I’m thankful to Liz for her tremendous help and to Elsa Rix’s for sharing their traditions and experience with me. I know the next Lucia will have as wonderful of an experience as I did.”
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DECEMBER 30, 2016 21
local events
Winners of the Church Golf Tournament 2016, Team Subsea Global Solutions, L-R: Kevin Peters, Harun Duzgoren, Lise Billing, Martha Norelid, Toni Roiha and Tom Flaherty
Golf for a Cause
Difficult to beat but great to hire: Swedish elite college golfers Paulina Bergbom and Rebecka Holmström
to both “beat” the pro as well as “hire” a pro. Paulina and Rebecka received much praise and proved very difficult to beat but good to hire. After the round, lunch was served in the ballroom, as usual prepared very nicely by Jacaranda and featuring the taste of Sweden with Ikea’s cured salmon and princess pastries. As players were getting seated, Michael Franzen welcomed everyone with a toast to celebrate the event and thank the sponsors. The highlight of the award ceremony was Martha Norelid presenting Jan Norelids Trophy to the team with the lowest team score. This year’s winners, Team Subsea Global Solutions beat Team Cement-it with a lower gross score after having tied with net scores of 48, the lowest score on record, and Team Kiomex came in third. These teams all received stylish candle holders from Orrefors Kosta Boda, and the winners won a foursome and champagne at Jacaranda while the runner-ups each received putter grips from SwitchGrips. Prizes for hole competitions were also awarded. This was a lot of fun, especially for the winners. Max Rothstein won “Longest Drive” (310 yards) on hole 10; Jan Schiavone hit the “Straightest Drive” on hole 5 (6 inches off the line); Aaron Silverman won “Closest to the Pin (3 inches from hole) on hole 17; Joe Olsenwon the Marshmallow
Challenge (55 yards); Hans Lind won the putting contest (6 inches), and Filippa Reading and Maggie Armbrust tied for “Best Dressed Hole.” The event wrapped up with Michael and Susanne Franzen raffling some of the best prizes all day: among others, a night at Pelican Beach Resort, a foursome at Grande Oaks, gift cards and products from Ikea, and many other fine door prizes found their lucky winners. As players were taking their time leaving, there was much praise for Jacaranda, especially Mike Maalouf and Mike Reed who run the course and catering, respectively. The church’s golf tournament committee was happy the event ran smoothly and has already started plans for making next year’s tournament even better. A group of players reflected on the importance of finding more time to get together outside the office to meet people and build relationships, which happened throughout this day at Jacaranda. That’s what this tournament is all about — bringing people together for a fun day of golf with the bonus of its proceeds benefiting the Swedish Church.
Stockholm University Tops Ranking
The California Institute of Technology takes the first place of the worldwide ranking, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the University of Cambridge and Stanford University, which form the top five. Overall, the top ten list includes nine American universities, one British, one German, and one Japanese university.
The 8th Annual Swedish Golf Tournament in southern Florida became a premier event. Lovely weather, a superb course, delicious food, terrific people and very generous sponsors proved to be a winning formula for a fun day of golf for a good cause. Players arrived earlier than usual so most had time for both breakfast and warm-up before Michael Franzen, the new priest at the Swedish Church in Florida, greeted everyone, blessed the tournament and wished all the players best of luck. On the course, the teams played well tee to green, both thanks to solid swings and the mulligan cards which sold exceptionally well at check-in. Putting remained a challenge because of Jacaranda’s tricky greens as well as mulligans not applying to putts. Still, team scores were better than ever. The players encountered many fun activities throughout the round. In addition to the standard Longest and Straightest Drive and Closest-to-the-Pin competitions, they teed up marshmallows and tried to make a 60-foot putt. And, of course, they tried to win a Volvo XC90 by making a hole-in-one on hole 3. Moreover, thanks to the help from Swedish elite college golfers Paulina Bergbom and Rebecka Holmstrom, the tournament players had the chance
The 2016 Global University Employability Ranking ranks Stockholm University first in Sweden and 62 globally, which puts the University among the top 100 for educating work-ready graduates. Out of all Nordic universities, Stockholm Uni22 NORDSTJERNAN
versity ranks first in Sweden, and second among the Nordic universities after the University of Copenhagen (ranked 51 overall) and followed by the University of Helsinki (70), the Technical University of Denmark (76), and Lund University (78).
written by swedish church in florida’s special golf correspondent photos by petra graeff and julio ohep
Photo: Annelie Conolly
local events
Swedish Yuletide in Boston Yuletide for sure. Swedish Yuletide in Boston organized by the local SWEA organization offered the smorgasbord of contemporary and traditional Sweden we’ve all come to expect from this, the largest Scandinavian event in New England. This year it fell on December 10 — Nobel Day in Sweden — and much of the presentation of Sweden focused on the festivities and award winners of the prestigious prize. Already by opening time and in spite of freezing temperatures, a long line had formed around the plaza that extended beyond the next street corner. Swedish School of Boston along with students and teenage au pairs entertained in evocative, solemn and mischievous ways. Swedish students from the Berklee College of Music contributed jazzy
Swedish melodies and SWEA Singers and others performed throughout the day from the stage under the giant dome of Cyclorama. The airy space of Boston Center for the Arts is a perfect venue for a winter fair and is decorated for the holidays. The scent of glögg (mulled wine) and waffles and the two cafes contribute to the atmosphere. Organizers, volunteers and their families, visitors and vendors coming from as far away as Florida for this event all contribute and everyone is happy. The coordinator Ginga Sewerin-Olsson emphasized that she could not begin to express her gratitude for all of the volunteers’ work. As for us, we’d like to give special kudos to Ginga for holding all this together with a warm and never tiring hand!
Reindeer Join Old Norse Class Students in the fall semester Old Norse class at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis surprised their professor Dr. Anatoly Liberman, during the final week of class. He walked into the room to face a raft of reindeer antlers perched on the head of each student. One may be surprised to discover that reindeer had a connection to the Medieval Icelandic world of the sagas. During the course of class work, students translated into English the sagas written in Old Norse. Early on students made interesting errors as they selected an item in the glossary that made for odd translations. One student found the word for reindeer, and did not look farther to see if other meanings could be a consideration in a particular sentence. The class enjoyed a good laugh and “reindeer” became the code word for any time a wrong glossary choice was made. At one point in the semester a reindeer puppet joined
the class, popping up with a visual to represent that translating error. Then in the last week, the group donned reindeer antler headbands and took a photo with the professor to commemorate his one and only “reindeer class.”
DECEMBER 30, 2016 23
news in brief
Swedish News Stockholm Ranks High for Digital Entrepreneurs
After London, Stockholm has been ranked the number two city for people working as digital entrepreneurs. The ranking, conducted by the European Digital City Index, provides an indication of conditions and benefits required for successful businesses in the digital age. Amsterdam, Helsinki and Paris also rank highly.
Nobel Laureate Warns of Scientific Brain Drain via Trump
This year’s Nobel laureate in chemistry, Fraser Stoddart, warns that Trump policies could result in a scientific brain drain similar to the UK during the Thatcher era when British universities were affected by reduced funding and support. Stoddart states that “science is global and we must be able to recruit the best researchers from around the world. There is concern that it may be harder to get a visa to the U.S. which would affect the entire scientific community.” Trump has stated that he does not believe in climate research and VP to-be Mike Pence is skeptical of evolution. Rhetoric expert Elaine Eksvärd fears that Trump policies have already affected the Swedish debate on climate change, reports SVT.
Röhsska Museum to Close
The Cultural Committee of Gothenburg has made the decision to close Röhsska Design Museum due to long term problems with personnel infighting, work environment, high manager turnover, high sickness rates, and shortcomings in organization and management. Mary Voyvodova (S) chairman of the Culture Committee, said the museum must close temporarily in order to “get a fresh start.” It
Ancient Rock Carvings in Tanum
is not clear when the design, fashion and applied arts museum will close. (The Röhsska Museum opened in Gothenburg in 1916 as a museum of design, fashion and applied arts. Its collection consists of over 50,000 objects.) For more info, see www.rohsska.se
Digital Currency May Soon be a Reality
Sweden is often touted as a cashless society, and it may soon become one of the first countries in the world with electronic currency. Debit cards and apps such as Swish are well established but now Riksbank is embarking on a new system to give Sweden a leading edge when it comes to electronic payment solutions. It is still unclear which type of technology might be used but there may be a decision within two years.
A Sloth is Born
There is a new baby at Skansen as a new two-toed sloth entered the world. The birth is unique as it is difficult to nurture these species in captivity. Skansen presently has three males and two female sloths, but the gender of the new baby is still unclear. Happy birthday little one!
Worth its Weight?
Print blooper: Each week the Ica Maxi Supermarket chain in Sweden mails a flyer with special offers. Recently a customer outside Stockholm found a seriously fun typo: Amid discounts on taco sauce and paper plates the super market chain offered a cell phone. The phone, the model Microsoft Lumia 550, normally sells for 999 Swedish crowns ($115) at the chain but had that week been reduced to 799 crowns - per kilogram! The phone, with a weight of just over 142 grams, would therefore cost only 113 SEK ($12.00). We have not been able to confirm whether anyone took advantage of the offer.
The rock carvings at Vitlycke on Sweden’s west coast are among the best known archeological findings in Sweden. One can now study the 3000-year-old rock carvings and drawings, enhanced with 3D technology, online. These petroglyphs — one of the two basic types of rock art — have attracted visitors from all over the world. The images display ships, animals and wedding ceremonies, and were probably begun around 1800 B.C. with additional drawings added by priests and priestesses every May 1. You can learn more about these drawings and the project to document all 5000 images by visiting the Vitlycke Museum or downloading the Empire of the Sun app. www.vastsverige.com/en/tanum/b/49993/Vitlycke-museum-Tanum-World-heritage 24 NORDSTJERNAN
Furniture Trends
Stockholm is preparing to show the latest Scandinavian furniture trends at the Stockholm Furniture Show in early February. For many of us in the U.S. Scandinavian furniture is synonymous with furniture giant IKEA, which alone releases about 2,500 new products every year. And yet, the company founded in 1943 has a variety of staple products that just continue to sell. Among those are the Poäng chair, which recently turned 40, and the Klippan sofa, pictured here with company founder Ingvar Kamprad. Another is the Billy bookshelf — according to the New York Times, a new Billy is sold somewhere in the world every 10 seconds. Then again, if you’re looking for the newest trends, Stockholm Furniture Fair is the place to go to. It’s the largest exhibition of Scandinavian Modern with over 700 exhibitors and runs between Feb. 6-12. For more info, see www.stockholmfurniturelightfair.se
Shoe Trends
Trendy magazines and bloggers in Sweden say if there’s one thing you should update your wardrobe with right now it’s a pair of overknees. Sweden’s trendiest shoe (shoe?) this winter works for both everyday and special occasions and is available in both high and low heels. The thigh-high boots are everywhere in Stockholm and do come with a pointed toe and stiletto heel for the little black dress for the New Year’s party or post-holiday cocktail.
news in brief
The Latest Swedish Shooting Star The international jury of the European Film Promotion has selected Swedish actress Karin Franz Körlof as a Shooting Star.
Karin Franz Körlof with fellow actor Sverrir Gudnason in a scene from The Serious Game (Den allvarsamma leken), Pernilla August’s 2016 film based on the novel by Hjalmar Söderberg.
Brothers Bring Gingerbread Houses to a Whole New Level André and Sverker Högbom bake and decorate a variety of incredibly detailed gingerbread houses each year. The tradition has seen the brothers create scenes from Donkey Kong, a house next to an erupting volcano and a houseboat. This year’s scene captures something new: Living in Östersund, they have created a house which is quite simple but stands on a branch of a tree. In incredible detail, a ladder leads to the house, windows are candlelit, lights twinkle in the branches, and a dusting a snow covers the scene. The brothers estimate they have constructed about 30 houses in total. You can see more at their website here: http://www.redcrab.se
Every year since 1997, eligible actors are presented in different contexts at the Berlin Film Festival to highlight European acting and to make new international contacts. This year the international jury of the European Film Promotion (EFP) has selected Swedish actress Karin Franz Körlof as one of 10 Shooting Stars. Karin Franz Körlof is a 2015 graduate of Stockholm’s Academy of Dramatic Arts. Prior to graduation she had already appeared in various films, television productions and plays, such as Blue Eyes, Juice Bar and Wallander: Betrayal. She has also directed three short films and wrote and recorded the monologue show Barbie Nazi. Karin got her big break in portraying Lydia in Pernilla August’s The Serious Game (Den Allvarsamma Leken) which premiered in Berlin earlier this year. She currently has the lead role in Olof Spaak’s new movie Trädgårdsgatan. She is also filming Björn Runge’s upcoming film The Wife in Scotland. The jury’s reason for the choice of Karin Franz Körlof as 2017 European Shooting Star reads: “Significant tension of the good, even sensuous kind, is clearly felt in her aura and her firm gaze. Karin demonstrates versatility, drive, composition and courage, also when taking the darker emotional paths of the story at hand.” “I’m really happy,” said Karin. “Berlin is a fantastic film festival and it is a privilege to visit the festival for the third year in a row, now as a Shooting Star. In addition to exciting encounters with the international industry I hope to get the opportunity to see lots of great movies. I eagerly await the program, I’m hopefully joined by some Swedish filmmakers as well,” she added. Previous Swedish Shooting Stars include names such as Alicia Vikander, Bill Skarsgård, Edda Magnason, Nermina Lukac, Gustaf Skarsgård and Tuva Novotny. The Berlin Film Festival takes place from February 9 to 19, 2017. See the trailer for Pernilla August’s The Serious Game (Den Allvarsamma Leken) here: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFMQYI8R-JI
ht solution for every trip! g i r e Th The brothers discovered how to bake incredibly thin parts with a new dough. Here, the smallest branches are as thin as a matchstick; there are about 300 of them. Still from www.redcrab.se/ galleri/frame_pk.html
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American Leads the Way
Former Californian Casey Wellman leading the way for Swedish team Frölunda in the Champions Hockey League.
It was Swede against Swede in the 2016-2017 Champions Hockey League as Swedish Hockey League rivals Frölunda and Linköping locked horns in a highly anticipated quarterfinal series. When the on-ice smoke machines allowed the players to take the ice, however, it was the Indians who provided the real fireworks, skating to a comfortable 9-2 aggregate win, thanks to 4-0 and 5-2 wins in the home-and-home series. Leading the way for Frölunda was a 28-year-old, well-traveled American right wing who very nearly chose a different career path. Casey Wellman collected his tournament leading ninth point in the Champions League when he scored the final goal in Frölunda’s 5-2 victory over Linköping December 13 in the second leg of the quarterfinals. Wellman grew up in Brentwood, California and it was the diamond, not the rink, that first attracted the former University of Massachusetts All-American. Wellman’s father Brad spent eight seasons in Major League Baseball, playing for the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Kansas City Royals before hanging up his spikes in 1989. Growing in the warm, sunny clime, it seemed only natural that Wellman would follow his father into baseball. He did, at least at first. By the time he was 12, the future Minnesota Wild/Washington Capitals winger had had enough. “Baseball is too boring for me, you just stand
out there waiting for something to happen,” Wellman said. His uncle, who played for the now defunct Fresno Falcons of the East Coast Hockey League, had bought Wellman and his older brother, Logan, their first sticks and skates and Wellman immediately took to the ice as a little boy. “By the time he was 4, he was already on a team,” said his mother, Jodi Wellman. Frölunda head coach Roger Rönnberg is more than a little happy that Wellman chose hockey over baseball. Rönnberg was instrumental in snapping up Wellman, who spent one year with Spartak Moscow in the Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League, where he had 16 points in 40 games. “We have kept a good eye on him,” Rönnberg said. “He is an aggressive player with a good nose for the goal.” After missing the first five games with his new team as he arrived in Sweden after the start of the regular season, Wellman has turned heads in Göteborg and around the league. He has 14 points in 21 SHL games and is third on the team in assists with 10. Yet it is in the Champions League where he seems to shine. After failing to register a point in the first leg of the quarterfinals, Wellman exploded as Frölunda used a strong power play to overwhelm Linköping. The American set up a pair of powergoals in the second period as the Indians scored
California native Casey Wellman led Frölunda into the semifinals of the Hockey Champions League. three times to take a 4-2 lead. The two assists gave him seven in the Champions League, tops on the team. Wellman sealed the win with a thirdperiod goal, his sixth of the tournament. “This was a big win for us,” he said. “They have beaten us twice already in the league so this was good. We are one step closer to our goal of winning the Champions League a second time.” Frölunda faces Swiss champion Fribourg-Gotteron, which features Roman Cervanka, who has 12 points in seven Champions League games and Yannick Rathgeb, who has 11. The semifinals open on January 10. The Indians are not alone in the semifinals as the Växjö Lakers advanced after overcoming a two-goal deficit to claim a 3-2 aggregate win over Swiss side ZSC Lions Zurich. The teams went into the return leg December 12 in Växjö dead even following a scoreless tie in Zurich, The Swiss jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead, with Swede and former NHL star Robert Nilsson netting one goal and notching an assist. Växjö, behind Robert Rosen, rallied, tying the game in the second period before Rosen scored the game winner at 5:30 of the third period. The Lakers take on Czech champions Sparta Prague in the semifinals. chipp reid
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DECEMBER 30, 2016 27
Tjugondag Knut, Twentieth Day Knut has everything to do with a medieval Danish saint and not with knot in Swedish, which is a direct translation of the word knut.
Practice Your Swedish
Plunder of the tree with Knut
Julgransplundring med Knut
Most countries end the celebration of Christmas with Epiphany, marking the date the wise men met Jesus. Epiphany is a Greek word meaning “to show,” referring to Jesus being revealed to the world. Epiphany, which is 12 days after Christmas on January 6, marks the end of the Christian calendar season called Christmas. But Scandinavia don’t just put away all their decorations, they actually celebrate even more. Swedes in particular stretch out the festivities for another week until January 13, which is the Swedish name day of Knut.
De flesta länder avslutar firandet av jul med Epiphany, som markerar datum de vise män mötte Jesus. Epiphany är ett grekiskt ord som betyder “att visa,” med hänvisning till att Jesus uppenbaras för världen. Epiphany, vilket är 12 dagar efter jul den 6 januari, markerar slutet på den kristna kalendertiden kallad jul. Men Skandinavien lägger inte bara undan alla sina dekorationer, de firar faktiskt ännu en tid. Svenskar i synnerhet sträcker ut festligheterna ännu en vecka fram till den 13 januari som är den svenska namnsdagen Knut.
Named for Knut Lavard, a Danish prince and later king who was canonized in 1170, St. Knut’s Day fell on January 7, but it coincided with Epiphany in the Swedish calendar until the 1600s. Knut’s Day was then postponed a week to its present date on January 13 (20 days after Christmas).
Uppkallad efter Knut Lavard, en dansk prins och senare kung som helgonförklarades 1170, föll Knutsdagen den 7 januari, men det sammanföll med Epiphany i den svenska kalendern fram till 1600-talet. Knutsdagen skjöts därför upp en vecka till sitt nuvarande datum den 13 januari (20 dagar efter jul).
The day is known in Sweden as “Tjugondag Jul” or “Tjugondag Knut” (Twentieth day Knut) and is also known for “julgransplundring” (plunder the Christmas tree), the day everyone throws out their tree and strips their homes of Christmas decorations in anticipation of a fresh start to the new year. But throwing the tree out the window (there is little data to confirm how many people actually do this) can’t happen before friends and family gather together to eat, dance and sing around the tree on January 13. It tends to be a child-focused tradition, putting away the baby Jesus and the crèche, dancing around the tree which may or may not be decorated with special candy just for the celebration, then probably hot dogs and saft (or soda), followed by more dancing. This tradition found its way to America, and many groups find julgransplundring a good excuse for enjoying the last of the Christmas cookies and the karameller that had been on the tree – with or without glögg, depending on whether any children are present.
Photo: Peter Segemark/Nordiska museet
Dancing around the Christmas tree during Julgrans-plundring at Nordiska Museet, Stockholm.
Dagen är känd i Sverige som “Tjugondag Jul“ eller “Tjugondag Knut“ (tjugonde dagen Knut) och är även känd för ”julgransplundring “(att plundra julgranen), den dag alla kastar ut sina julgranar och tar ner juldekorationer i väntan på en ny start på det nya året. Men att kasta julgranen ut genom fönstret (det finns för lite data för att bekräfta hur många som faktiskt gör detta) låter sig inte göras innan vänner och familj samlats för att äta, dansa och sjunga runt granen den 13 januari. Det är en tradition som handlar mycket om barnen, Jesusbarnet och krubban tas undan, man dansar runt granen som kan vara dekoreratd med speciellt godis bara för festen, sedan serveras förmodligen varm korv och saft (eller läsk), följt av mera dans. Traditionen har tagit sig till Amerika och många grupper tycker julgransplundring är en bra ursäkt för att njuta av det sista av de julkakor och karameller som varit på granen - med eller utan glögg, beroende på om barn är med.
God Jul from the Royal Family On the same day Crown Princess Victoria and her young family posted their charming annual Christmas greeting — a video (www.kungahuset. se) from a walk through the woods — King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Sylvia also posted a message, one of solidarity with Germany: “With sadness and dismay, we have received notice of yet another atrocity in Europe. Germany is a country with which Sweden has close ties, where the Queen and I recently visited. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
Their late December greetings come at the end of a memorable year for the entire Swedish royal family, not the least because two princes were born and baptized. But there was a lot of work to do abroad, among the various efforts different family members are involved in, and in their steadfast support of the Swedish people during national concerns such as immigration and parliamentary surprises. Along with them, we hope 2017 will be a wonderful new year.
28 NORDSTJERNAN
Photo: kungahuset.se