Swedish Press Mar 2019 Vol 90:02

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March 2019 Vol 90:02 $5.95

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Riddarhuset Lars Kepler Interview with Olle Wästberg Icehotel 2019

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4 Letters to the Editor

5 From the Editor’s Desk Swedish Headlines 6 Headline News: A New Government in Sweden 7 Swedes in the News 8 Landskapsnyheterna Business 9 Business News 10 Company File: BONESUPPORT Heritage 11 Riddarhuset – Sweden’s House of Nobility

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Icehotel 2019 ‘Living Ocean’ by Marnie Green & John Paul Green. Photo: Asaf Kliger

Heritage 18 Palmesläkting ritade slott i USA Lifestyle 20 Top Sju 21 Books: Sweden Noir

Hemma Hos 22 Design: Nature Inspires the Spirit of the 29th Icehotel 23 Treats à la Eva Svensson

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Läckö Castle on the shores of Lake Vänern.

Photo: Per Pixel Petersson/imagebank.sweden.se

Feature 12 Castles of Sweden Interview 14 Meet the Ahndorils, the Couple Behind the Author Lars Kepler Global Swedes 16 Olle Wästberg, Swedish journalist, politician and diplomat.

Road to Community 24 Immigration: Looking to Canada for Inspiration Road to 2045 25 Sweden: Finally a Government – With a Green Declaration Swedish Press Connects 26 SCA – Chicago Celebrations In the Loop 27 Canada, US & Beyond 28 Calendar and Events 29 Ads and Info 30 Sista Ordet World War II Memories: A Glimpse of War from Sweden Cover image: Kalmar Slott. Photo: Dagmar Richardt

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Letters to the Editor Enjoy reading Swedish Press? Email us your pictures along with your name and comments to info@swedishpress.com and we’ll be happy to publish them.

Swans, poem by Carl Nilsson: On their second pass Over partly frozen pond The pair touch down In a straight slide to Open water and settle in.

By late February, Expecting parents In turn, ease their White plumaged selves Over fragile embryos Soon to yield a clutch Of gray-brown cygnets, Stumped wings and all.

Springtime excursions Aboard mother swan Evolve to a flotilla Of fearless siblings Paddling alongside And yanked down One after another By hook yawed Snappers.

Carl Nilsson, a broker and general contractor in real estate for many years, lives in Chester, Connecticut.

Hej Peter, Jag är en pensionerad journalist.

Började på lokaltidningen här i Västerås, senare på Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå i Stockholm, vartefter jag kom över i lantbrukspressen. Min släkt är bondesläkt, så det var roligt besöka gårdar landet runt.

Kom in på amerikaforskning då jag släktforskade om min farfars bror som våren 1914 emigrerade till USA. Han var senare tvungen gå ut i första världskriget, men en granat slog bort hans tumme och då blev han oduglig som skytt. Blev hemsänd till USA igen, men ändå glad han klarade sig med livet i behåll från kriget. Han fick så småningom jobb på ett sågverk i norra Kalifornien i Westwood utanför staden Susanville. Men omkom i olycka 1942.

I släkten sas ofta att han misslyckats som utvandrare. Detta omdöme drabbade många utvandrade om de slutade skriva hem. Men jag lyckades fått kontakt med lokalhistoriker i Susanville. Denne kunde visa att min farfars bror efterlämnade pengar motsvarande två arbetares årslöner – så jag tycker inte han hade misslyckats.

Ha det bra! Hälsar Lars Sönnergren Västerås, Västmanland

Redaktörens kommentar: En artikel om Vikingsholm av Lars Sönnergren återfinnes på sidan 18.

Dear Peter, I thought the attached article might be of interest to you. I enjoy Swedish Press very much.

Karin Hayes Grand Junction, Colorado Editor’s comments: Dear Karin, Many thanks for your article, which is reproduced in Sista Ordet (page 30).

Those of us who grew up in Sweden during the 1940s will certainly recognize the facts as well as the mood captured so poignantly in your article. Anyone interested in Sweden’s role during WWII might enjoy reading “Mein Lieber Reichskanzler” (in Swedish) by Staffan Thorsell.

Joan and Claes: We in Chicago are ecstatic over coverage in your February issue. The artwork for our exhibit is excellent, and the Sami article well done, too.

Many thanks for the special focus on our Museum. Collegially, Stephen Anderson Chicago, Illinois

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from the Editor’s Desk

Magnificent Castles and Hair-Raising Mysteries We need your support!

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M

arch is the month of awakening. Crocuses pop up through the snow, tree trunks fill up with sap, and the tips of branches are laden with buds. Even Homo sapiens is feeling invigorated as the days get longer.

At Swedish Press we are busy gearing up for the magazine’s 90th anniversary by planning the main themes for 2019, scheduling articles from our contributors, and doing some writing of our own.

The main theme for the March issue is Sweden’s Enchanted Castles. One spring many years ago I was driving with my little granddaughter through the countryside north of Uppsala. As we passed a yellow castle basking in the sunshine, she said: “Rich people live there.” Then, after a brief silence, she added: “I wonder if they are happy.”

Now, that’s pretty deep, coming from a 5-year-old!

Indeed, owning a castle in Sweden has not always guaranteed eternal happiness, what with huge maintenance costs and exorbitant inheritance taxes. As in many other European countries, some proprietors have had to relinquish their ownership, passing it on to the government or to cultural heritage foundations. In Sweden the foundation known as Riddarhuset – the House of Nobles – is now the custodian of many castles, stately homes, country estates and vast tracts of land. In this issue of Swedish Press we feature an article about Riddarhuset’s main activities which include genealogical research and cataloguing of the Swedish aristocracy (page 11).

Another theme in this issue is “Sweden Noir”, the crime fiction genre within contemporary Swedish literature which has taken the world by storm. Almost every reader of crime fiction is familiar with Sjöwall/Wahlöö’s detective Martin Beck, Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander and Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander, to name a few (page 21). One of the most successful authors these days is Lars Kepler and his audacious crime-solver Joona Linna. Lars Kepler is actually the pseudonym of a couple, Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril. Through our exclusive interview with the Ahndorils you will get an inside look into the process of writing crime fiction (page 14).

We are also offering you another exclusive interview in our Global Swedes series, this time with Olle Wästberg, the prominent Swedish former journalist, politician and diplomat who is currently the Director General of the Sweden-America Foundation (page 16). And there is much more in this issue to keep you informed and entertained as the days get longer, including an article about the famous Icehotel before it melts yet again (page 22).

Don’t hesitate to write to us with comments, photos and ideas for future content. If you are running a business, you are always welcome to advertise in Swedish Press, so as to spread the word about your goods and services throughout the extensive SwedishNorth American communities.

Peter Berlin Editor Peter@Swedishpress.com March 2019

The exterior of Drott ningholm Palace. Ph oto: Raphael Stecksén/Kungliga Ho vstaterna

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Political Stability Returns to Sweden A New Government in Sweden

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By Peter Berlin our months after the parliamentary elections, and only after lengthy negotiations among the party leaders, the centre-left bloc is finally in the position to form a new government.

The alliance has collected 144 seats (Social Democrats, Greens, Left), as against the centre-right bloc’s 143 seats (Moderates, Liberals, Centre, Christian Democrats), and the shunned far-right Sweden Democrats with 62 seats.

Parliament has voted to re-elect former Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Löven to lead the new centre-left government. However, his re-election was never a foregone conclusion. He was obliged to negotiate with the centre-right opposition. The Brexit and Swexit in Free-fall The far-right Sweden Democrats have long advocated Sweden leaving the European Union, following the example set by Great Britain in its “Brexit” gamble. However, the current political chaos surrounding Brexit seems to have dissuaded the party from pursuing a similar “Swexit”.

Jimmie Åkesson, party leader of the Sweden Democrats, is now suggesting that Sweden should remain in the EU in order to help change the Union from within and force it to implement more rigorously the anti-immigration policies of both the party and certain European governments.

Heroic Intervention by Swedish Skiers During a recent practice run at Garmisch-Patenkirchen, Bavaria for the 2019 downhill world cup race,

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Sweden’s new Government. Photo: Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden

net result is that Löfven has had to include some right-wing demands in his essentially left-wing set of policies.

The emerging policy package includes extending Sweden’s temporary migration law for another two years, reintroducing a flight tax which was scrapped in the autumn budget, abolishing rent controls on newly built

apartments, and introducing language and civics tests as a requirement for Swedish citizenship.

Löfven has appointed 22 ministers in his new government, six of whom represent the Green Party. Some of the ministers are new, while others remain in their old posts or have been switched to other departments.

three Swedish skiers saved the life of a German world cup official who suffered a heart attack in a gondola.

On their way up in a ski lift to test the Garmisch course, skiers Lisa Hörnblad, Lin Ivarsson and Helena Rapaport watched a 60-year-old race marshal collapse in their cable car cabin. Hörnblad and Rapaport promptly gave the man cardiac massage while Ivarsson called for help on her mobile phone. Once the cabin reached the top, the Austrian team’s doctor took over until a rescue helicopter arrived to rush the man to hospital. The hospital later reported that the man had survived.

daughter were caught without tickets.

When the security staff asked them to leave the train, the woman refused, insisting that she did have a valid season ticket but was unable to find it right there and then. She was forcibly evicted while another passenger led the crying daughter off the train by the hand.

Out on the platform the mother continued objecting to her treatment and was consequently manhandled onto a bench. Several fellow passengers filmed the incident on their cell phones. The videos were put on social media where they went viral, giving rise to widespread accusations that the action of the security guards was prompted by racism. The woman later found her ticket. In the meantime, the guards have been suspended pending further investigation.

A Less Than Heroic Eviction During a routine ticket check onboard a Stockholm subway train, a very pregnant black woman and her

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Swedes in the News

Swedish Politics, Sport and Celebration Dahlgren’s New Post

Hans Dahlgren. Photo: Kristian Pohl/Regeringskansliet

Swedish politician and former diplomat Hans Dahlgren, 70, has taken on the role of EU Minister in Prime Minister Stefan Löfven’s new government.

The Uppsala-born Social Democrat has a distinguished career behind him, including working as Sweden’s UN Ambassador in New York 1997–2000, and as Cabinet Secretary at The Ministry for Foreign Affairs between 2000-2006. Dahlgren has also served as advisor to former Swedish Prime Ministers Göran Persson, Ingvar Carlsson and Olof Palme.

Feminist to America Swedish documentary Gudrun – konsten att vara människa (“The Feminist”) about Gudrun Schyman, the Swedish politician and founder of Swedish radical feminist party Feminist Initiative, is going to be shown in the U.S. online film streaming service HerFlix.

The service has bought the rights to the Swedish docu-

mentary, shot by Hampus Linder during a four-year period (2014 to 2018), and will broadcast it on selected streaming services and movie theaters in the U.S. “This is a time when womenfocused issues are front and center of our political conversations. We are excited to be introducing Gudrun Schyman, the subject of The Feminist, to American and Canadian audiences at this historic moment,” said Adriana Shaw, founder of HerFlix.

Gullan Bornemark. Photo: Carolina Byrmo

two grandchildren and son Dan Bornemark, who produced the album.Bornemark received H.M. the King’s Medal in 2009 and was inducted into the Swedish Music Hall of Fame in 2015.

She participated in Swedish radio show “Sommar i P1” in 2017. Bornemark said she was happy and lucky to accept her prestigious music award.

Duplantis Top Jump

Gudrun Schyman. Photo: Oscar Wettersten

Grandma’s Grammis Swedish music director, teacher and composer Gullan Bornemark, 91, was awarded her first “Grammis” music award for children’s album Mina favoriter at the prestigious “Grammisgalan” in Stockholm on February 7.

Bornemark, born in Härnösand, Västernorrland County, has written over 400 children’s songs and is well-known for classics, such as “Sudda sudda,” “Min ponny” and “Herr Gårman.”

Bornemark created Mina favoriter with the help of her

Armand Duplantis. Photo: Vegard Wivestad Grøtt/BILDBYRÅN

Swedish-American pole vaulter Armand Duplantis, 19, became world best in pole vault 2019 by jumping over 5.87 meters (19’ 3”) during a college competition at Baton Rouge, Louisiana on February 1. Duplantis beat Polish competitor Piotr

Lisek at 5.85 meters and American Sam Kendricks at 5.86 meters. The 19-yearold’s jump also marked the second best in U.S college indoor track and field history (NCAA). Duplantis said that he was focused on his technique and happy with the new record.

Thörnqvist turns 90

Photo © Owe Thörnqvist

Sweden’s beloved singer/ songwriter Owe Thörnqvist is turning 90 years old and celebrating his 70-year long career with a concert called “Fest & Final” at Cirkus in Stockholm starting on March 12. Thörnqvist, an Uppsala native, has contributed to the Swedish music scene through thousands of music shows incorporating his own rock, boogie, hymns and blues lyrics. Thörnqvist has participated in Swedish music competition “Melodifestivalen” on numerous occasions, and has written music for several Swedish revues. “Fest & Final” is bound to be a fun, fastpaced music event. For more information see www. cirkus.se.

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[Landskapsnyheterna] BLEKINGE Blekinge arbetsförmedling söker arbetskraft i Nederländerna – framför allt, människor med kunskap och erfarenhet av de yrken där det råder brist på arbetskraft, som exempelvis lärare, läkare och kockar. ”Vårt mål är att kompetensförsörja våra arbetsgivare i Blekinge så de kan växa,” sa Tania Sarmiento, företagsrådgivare på Arbetsförmedlingen i Blekinge.

Arbetsförmedlingen tog nyligen del av en mässa med hela 11 000 besökare i Utrecht, Nederländerna där de spred information till personer som kunde tänka sig att bosätta sig i Sverige. Enligt Sarmiento lockar iden av arbete i Sverige många. ”Många lär sig det svenska språket innan de emigrerar till Sverige. Det passar oss perfekt eftersom många arbetsgivare letar efter deras kompetens,” sa hon.

GOTLAND Gotländskan Petra Mårtensson blev ordentligt förvånad när hon var ute och promenerade på stranden med sin sambo för ett tag sedan och fick syn på en flaskpost. Konstigt nog hade paret pratat om flaskposter under promenaden innan fyndet gjordes. ”Flaskposten låg som i en plasttunna, med andra flaskor, precis som att någon städat. Min sambo hittade den, gav till mig och sa: ”Här har du din flaskpost”. Brevet låg upp mot korken, torrt och fint. Men när jag vände flaskan blev det lite blött,” sa Petra. ”När det var torrt pillade jag ut det försiktigt, jag blir så exalterad. Wow, så spännande.”

Det visade sig att brevet skrivits vintern 1997 av fiskaren och egenföretagaren Magnus Sandin, 45, på Öland. ”Den var en jäkla vinter, milt och blåsigt. Så blev det fint väder och jag körde mot Kalmarsund för att fiska. Så satt jag där och kuckilurade. Sen hittade jag en flaska, skrev ett brev och kastade

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i vattnet. För skojs skull,” sa Magnus. ”Sen tänkte jag inte mer på det.”

Petra hittade så småningom Magnus på sociala medier, ringde upp och berättade att hon hittat hans flaskpost. Hon skickade sedan brevet på posten till Magnus som nu ramat in det. Petra och Magnus har blivit vänner och planerar att ses. ”Vi fick en inbjudan till honom, så vi får se hur det ser ut framöver. Till sommaren går det inte, som egenföretagare på Öland eller Gotland har man jättemycket då.

Annars får han komma hit,” sa Petra.

SÖDERMANLAND Det regalier som stals från Strängnäs Domkyrka i Södermanland förra sommaren har återfunnits, rapporterar Åklagarmyndigheten. ”De anträffades i en soptunna ovanpå en bil i Åkersberga klockan ett i natt av en väktare som larmade polis,” sa Christer Nilsson på polisens nationella operativa avdelning. En man i 22-årsåldern har åtalats och misstänks ansvarig för stölden av de värdefulla regalierna som inkluderade drottning Kristina den äldres och Karl IX:s begravningsregalier.

NORRBOTTEN På Västra skolan i Jokkmokk satsar man på återvinning. Efter att eleverna lärt sig vikten av återbruk fick de i uppgift att sy tygpåsar som kan användas i stället för plastkassar.

LAPPLAND NORRBOTTEN

VÄSTERBOTTEN

JÄMTLAND

HÄRJEDALEN

ÅNGERMANLAND

MEDELPAD HÄLSINGLAND

DALARNA GÄSTRIKLAND VÄSTMANLAND VÄRMLAND

NÄRKE

UPPLAND

SÖDERMANLAND

DALSLAND ÖSTERGÖTLAND BOHUSLAND VÄSTERGöteborg GÖTLAND SMÅLAND HALLAND SKÅNE

Stockholm

GOTLAND ÖLAND

BLEKINGE

Malmö

”Målsättningen bland eleverna är att skapa en medvetenhet för miljön, att jag kan göra skillnad, jag kan påverka och jag kan göra något för ett barn som inte har det lika bra som jag,” sa Maria Lindström, fritidspedagog.

Efter mycket jobb har eleverna nu sytt cirka 100 tygkassar som kommer att finnas till salu på Jokkmokks marknad.

Inkomsterna går till organisationen Världens barn.

[Business] News Promoting War as well as Peace Lagom at Work

Saab on a Steep Climb

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By Peter Berlin t the time of writing, the Swedish dockworkers and their employer, Swedish Ports, are locked in a bruising strike and lockout action. If the conflict continues much longer, it will have a detrimental effect on Swedish exports.

Labour strikes are in fact relatively rare in Sweden. Swedish workers strike less than in most free-market societies in the world. So why is that?

There is no evidence to suggest that workers in Sweden are happier than those in other countries. Instead, the answer is found in the way Swedish labour is organized, and also in the deeply felt sense of lagom, or “with moderation.”

For starters, three-quarters of the Swedish workforce is unionized, which is far more than in most other countries.

This gives the trade unions a great deal of muscle during collective bargaining with employers. Once a union and the employer(s) have concluded an agreement, its members feel bound by it for the duration of its validity. “Wildcat” strikes, i.e. strike action taken by workers without the endorsement of their union, are therefore rare.

In contrast, France has many more labour unions than Sweden, but far fewer workers are affiliated. This state of affairs encourages unions to compete with each other by calling frequent strikes, so as to attract disgruntled non-union workers in an attempt to boost membership. Hence strikes are commonplace. Similar situations exist in many other countries around the world.

Another contributing factor to the relative labour peace in Sweden is that

APM Terminals, Gothenburg. Photo: Port of Gothenburg.

a union that is contemplating strike action must by law not only notify the employer well ahead of time, but must also advise the Medlingsinstitutet (National Mediation Institute). This allows mediation to commence before rather than during a conflict. Experience has shown that most conflicts are resolved through mediation before any strike action is taken.

These measures by themselves are not uniquely Swedish, but the early initiation of conflict resolution has proved beneficial for all parties concerned. Some statistics: According to the International Labour Organization, there were only six strikes and lockouts in Sweden in 2017, compared to 79 in the UK and 426 in Denmark. Each year in the last decade saw an average of 21,000 working days being lost due to strikes in Sweden, compared to 84,000 days in Finland, 128,000 days in Norway and 300,000 days in Denmark.

No doubt the lagom and conflictaverse instincts among Swedes also play a role in maintaining peace on the labour market. Lagom may seem boring to some, but it certainly helps to keep the show on the road.

Back in 2014, Swedish plane maker Saab made a bid to supply the Swiss Air Force with Gripen fighter jets in competition with various other military aircraft manufacturers. Saab seemed close to clinching the billion-dollar deal when it was rejected in a national referendum, as the Swiss decided the money would be better spent on schools and hospitals.

Now that the Swiss fleet of combat aircraft is becoming ever more outdated, ArmaSuisse, the Swiss federal office for defence procurement, has once again called for bids. This time Saab is offering its latest version called Gripen E, arguably the technologically most advanced fighter jet in the world.

The contract for 30 planes is worth nearly $1bn.

Gripen E. Photo © Saab

Layoffs at the Employment Agency It may seem like a contradiction in terms that the Swedish national employment agency, the Arbetsförmedlingen, is about to lay off up to 4,500 out of its 13,000 staff, and to close a significant number of its 240 offices nationwide. But this is one of the consequences of the new government’s budget recently approved by the Parliament. The intention is to outsource recruitment services to the private sector, and to reduce the mandate of the Arbetsförmedlingen to an oversight role.

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Company File

Of Bones and Cartilage

By Peter Berlin

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n the February issue of Swedish Press we featured Ideon, Sweden’s first science park which hosts some 400 companies with 10,000 employees.

One of the park residents is BONESUPPPORT AB (www.bonesupport. com), a Swedish orthobiologics company that develops and markets CERAMENT®, an innovative range of radiopaque injectable osteoconductive and drug-eluting bioceramic products that have a proven ability to heal defects by remodeling-to-host bone in six to twelve months.

If that sounds like a mouthful, another way of describing CERAMENT is to say that it fills gaps and voids in bone, for example those caused by trauma and benign bone tumors. It is the only injectable and moldable synthetic bone graft substitute on the market. It is visible on X-rays, making it ideal for minimally invasive surgery and open procedures. CERAMENT can be used to augment hardware during surgery, and the unique combination of materials resists crack formation and propagation when drilled. The bone graft substitute is effective in

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treating patients with fractures and bone voids caused by trauma, infection, disease or related surgery.

In a nutshell, CERAMENT is a synthetic, injectable, osteoconductive biomaterial which actively promotes bone healing and is utilized as a bone substitute when bone grafting is needed. Full remodeling to healthy bone occurs after 6 – 12 months. The Company’s products are targeting a large addressable market opportunity across trauma, osteomyelitis (bone infection), revision arthroplasty (replacement of a joint prosthesis), ortho-oncology, as well as foot and ankle issues.

BONESUPPORT AB was founded in 1999 by Lars Lidgren, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Academic Head of Department at Lund University Hospital in Sweden. It is one of the largest ventures in the Swedish medical technologies industry. The Company’s total sales increased from SEK 62 million in 2015 to SEK 129 million in 2017, representing a compound annual growth rate of 45 percent. Its shares were admitted to trading on Nasdaq Stockholm’s main market in 2017.

The Company is preparing to expand its product offering in the US and has entered into strategic agreements with Collagen Matrix Inc. and MTF Biologics to gain access to products that are complementary to CERAMENT. Independently of BONESUPPORT AB, it is worth mentioning

in this context that Sweden also pioneered skeletal cartilage repair.

As early as in 1987, surgeons at Gothenburg University Hospital began performing cartilage repair procedures called autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI).

The procedure is undertaken in two separate steps. First, the surgeon removes harvested cartilage cells from an area of the knee that does not bear weight. The cells are taken to a lab where they are multiplied until there is enough to fill in and cover over the defect. A second surgery is performed to implant the new healthy cells. If there are any alignment problems or other soft tissue injuries, surgery is done before implantation to correct them. The corrective surgery is a necessary step in order to protect the implanted area. If there are uneven forces within the joint, the load imbalance can reinjure the same spot all over again.

Of the several hundred patients who have undergone the procedure, the vast majority report being able to return to their old lifestyle – regaining mobility, returning to work and even practicing sports again. So there is hope for creaky old bones.

All photos: BONESUPPORT AB

H E RI TAG E

‘In the Footsteps of the Forefathers...’

Riddarhuset – Sweden’s House of Nobility

By Peter Berlin

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n the 17th century, the Swedish aristocracy helped the King to run the country and supplied him with horses and footsoldiers for his war efforts. In return they were given castles, forests, arable land and tax-free status.

After 1866, when the old Parliament of the Estates was replaced by the new Parliament of Sweden, the Swedish House of Nobility served as a quasi-official representative body for the Swedish nobility. The aristorcracy retreated from the public limelight and adopted many of the characteristics of a private guild. Nowadays the Nobility sees its primary role as preserving important aspects of Swedish history and culture, of which genealogical research forms an essential element. The Swedish Peerage Book (Adelskalendern) traces the lineage of noble families still in existence. The 2016 edition catalogues 47 family names at the rank of count, 131 baronial family names, and 485 untitled but noble family names. It includes a brief introduction into the historical

background of each family as well as their coats of arms. The 108th edition of the Swedish Peerage Book was published in 2018.

The “guildhall” of the aristocracy is the magnificent Riddarhuset Palace in Stockholm’s Old Town.

The building was erected between 1641 and 1672. The French-born architect Simon de la Vallée started the planning of the building but was killed by a Swedish nobleman in 1642. Other prominent European architects took over, notably Heinrich Wilhelm (1645-1652), Joost Vingboons (1653-1656) and Jean de la Vallée (1656-1672). For two centuries after its completion, the Great Hall served as the venue for the Swedish Parliament. Today, the noble families gather here for the Assembly of Nobles (Adelsmöte), which occurs every three years.

At the Assembly, each family can be represented by one delegate.

The Academy of Sciences and the Swedish Academy (among others) have meetings here. The Great Hall is also used for chamber concerts,

plays, lectures, art exhibitions, and private functions such as weddings.

The Riddarhuset is not only a building but also an active association dating back to 1626. In addition to its inhouse activities, it nowadays functions as a corporation whose assets consist of two castles, several estates, and vast tracts of forests and arable land. The income from these assets pays for building maintenance, scholarships, cultural initiatives, and charity. One of the castles is Löfstad slott, located near the city of Norrköping and featuring a museum and a restaurant. The other castle is Kronovall in the province of Skåne which offers hotel accommodation and specializes in wine-tasting.

A Latin inscription on the south façade of the Riddarhuset reads: CLARIS MAIORUM EXEMPLIS. In English translation: After the Clear Example of the Forefathers – an appropriate and timeless synthesis of the Riddarhuset, its members and their purpose.

The Riddarhuset is open for an hour Monday through Friday for visitors who wish to explore the building on their own. It is also possible to book guided tours.

For more details see www.riddarhuset.se.

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Swedish Press | March 2019 11

Castles of Sweden

By Michael Lindner

A tour of a few favorite castles which reflect the rich history of the Kingdom and strive for relevance in today’s society.

D

espite being unified with Norway and Denmark within the Kalmar Union (1397 – 1523), medieval Sweden had always consisted of multiple fiefdoms, each with a fortress to protect the riches and power of the estates. This all changed with Gustav Vasa (a.k.a. King Gustav I) who took Sweden out of the union in 1523. King Gustav’s reign was marked by internal political and religious reforms, including the Protestant Reformation, hereditary monarchy, and a unification of the provinces.

Gamla Slottet Tre Kronor

The castle in a painting from 1661 by Govert Dircksz Camphuysen.

Where the baroque Royal Palace (built in 1754) sits today in Stockholm, was once a fortress called Tre Kronor

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Swedish Press | March 2019 12

(Three Crowns), which King Gustav I and his sons King Eric XIV and King Johan III developed into a mighty renaissance castle. It was from here that monarchs ruled during the great Swedish Empire, until 1697 when a fire destroyed most of the structure.

Today, history enthusiasts can view remaining relics and exhibits about this internationally renowned castle in the Tre Kronor museum – housed in the cellars of the Royal Palace.

Wiks Slott

Wiks Slott

Successfully withstanding a siege

by Gustav Vasa, the Wik Castle is one of the best preserved medieval castles in Sweden. Built in the late 1400’s, the massive walls of this stronghold tower over the Mälaren Valley. It was given the present French-style appearance in the 17th century and remained a private residence until the early 1900’s.

Today it is owned by the county of Uppsala and used primarily for conference activities.

Kalmar Slott

One of the most significant political events in Scandinavia took place at Kalmar Castle in 1397, when the abovementioned Kalmar Union was formed.

The medieval fortress was improved during the 16th century under King Gustav I and his sons, who turned it into a castle fit for a renaissance king.

Kalmar Castle was instrumental in the wars against neighboring Denmark.

When the Danish province of Skåne was ceded to the Swedish Crown in 1658, the castle was no longer needed to protect the old border and lost its military importance. Royal visits became increasingly rare and the grand halls were used for other purposes such as prisons and even as an aquavit

Kalmar Slott. Photo: Roland Magnusson

distillery. In the late 1800’s, Kalmar Castle was restored as part of the national romanticism movement.

Today the castle is a popular tourist destination and features some of Sweden’s best preserved renaissance castle interiors, along with art galleries and event spaces.

Vadstena Slott

Vadstena Slott. Photo: Rolf G. Wackenberg

Started in 1545 by King Gustav I as a fortress to protect Stockholm from enemies from the south, Vadstena Castle was never actually involved in any battles. King Gustav I married his third wife here, Katarina Stenbock, and one of the castle banqueting halls is named the Wedding Hall (despite not being finished in time for the wedding).

Vadstena remained a royal palace until 1716, when the royal family lost interest in it, after which the castle became a storage facility for grain.

Today, the castle remains very well preserved and is one of Sweden’s best examples of Renaissance architecture.

Since 1899, the castle has housed the Provincial Archives. Its original ramparts (having been torn down in the 19th century) were reconstructed in 1999 and now serve as storehouses for the archives. Besides the castle museum, the courtyard plays host to many concerts. The International Vadstena Academy (Sweden’s smallest opera house) resides here, giving opera performances in the Wedding Hall.

Läckö Slott

Founded in 1298, Läckö castle served as a fortress for the Bishop of Skara until the religious reformation in 1527 when King Gustav I took possession. Field Marshal De la Gardie was granted the Läckö property in 1615 and embarked on extensive building expansion and interior construction projects. In 1681 the castle was returned to the crown as part of the restitution of dispersed crown property. Since not all of De la Gardie’s projects were completed, much of the castle’s medieval character remained. The castle was granted or rented out to private individuals up until 1815 when it was reclaimed by the crown. New interest in Läckö arose in 1964, when the castle property was restored and developed.

Läckö Slott. Photo: Per Pixel Petersson/ imagebank.sweden.se

Today, Läckö Castle is a national monument and has been managed by the National Property Board since 1993. The large castle courtyard is used by the Läckö Castle Foundation to host opera performances for three weeks in July, which add to the fairytale ambience. The castle is considered by many to be Sweden’s most beautiful.

Gripsholms Slott

In 1526, King Gustav I confiscated an original fortress on the Gripsholm peninsula, tore it down, and replaced it with a fortified pleasure castle for the royal Vasa family. From 1563 to 1567, Gustav’s son and successor King Erik

Gripsholms Slott. Photo: Roland Magnusson

XIV imprisoned his brother Johan in the castle. But after a successful revolt, King Johan III in turn imprisoned his brother Erik in the castle. Since then, Gripsholm belonged to the Swedish Royal Family and was used as their residence until 1713. After serving again as a prison until 1773, the castle underwent a grand renovation by King Gustav III on behalf of his consort Sophia Magdalena. In the late 1800’s the castle was subjected to drastic and controversial alterations by the architect Fredrik Lilljekvist; many of those alterations were reversed again in the 1950’s.

Today, Gripsholm remains a royal palace, serves as a museum and houses the National Portrait Gallery with more than 4,000 works – one of the oldest portrait collections in the world.

5

These castles are but a few of the many architectural wonders connected to King Gustav I. They have survived the trials of history by taking on new uses.

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Swedish Press | March 2019 13

E X C L U S I V E

I N T E R V I E W

Meet the Ahndorils, the Couple Behind the Author Lars Kepler

Lars Kepler: Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril.

Photo©Ewa-Marie Rundquist

Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril are among the most internationally known Swedish crime fiction writers, writing under their pseudonym Lars Kepler. In addition to being independent authors of many books and plays, they have so far jointly written eight crime novels in the Joona Linna series, most of which are available in English. One of these, the hair-raising page-turner Stalker, has just been published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf. In total, five of the existing Joona Linna novels have been published in the United States, with the 6th book (Rabbit Hunter) expected in 2020. The series has sold 13 million copies in 40 languages.

Interviewed by Peter Berlin

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Swedish Press | March 2019 14

W I T H

L A R S

K E P L E R

Please tell us about your background and what made you decide to become authors.

Alexander: I grew up in Upplands Väsby. My family has its roots in Småland, Uppland and Hälsingland. Early on I took an interest in reading as well as in art. I would spend long hours reading in libraries, and I also started painting, mostly in oil. I wanted to become some kind of Caravaggio. Then I moved to Stockholm and studied philosophy and cinematography at the university. I was 18 when I wrote my first novel which was accepted by Nordstedts, and I have been writing ever since. I had written 9 novels and some twenty plays before Alexandra and I took up writing detective stories together.

Alexandra: I grew up in Helsingborg and wanted to become an actor. I was admitted to the National Academy of Mime and Acting and met Alexander at a party. He persuaded me to become a novelist, which is not all that different from being an actor, since in both cases you endeavour to instil life into words. I had previously written three non-fiction books. We were married and began writing together. So that is the roadmap to our novels.

Now that you collaborate on writing the Joona Linna series of detective stories, please describe a typical working day.

In the morning we have breakfast before sending the children off to school. Then we take our coffee mugs to our office where we each have a computer. We take turns writing different parts of the same story. We email them to each other and make additions and changes as we see fit. We continue emailing the evolving parts to each other until finally we’ve forgotten who wrote what.

Where do you find the inspiration for the plots?

That is indeed a mystery. Once you have finished a novel, you temporarily feel that you will never become inspired again. But then it just happens – based on life, memories, and things we have heard about. Fundamentally, we write about things that frighten us. Writing means taking control over our own fears, and that applies to both the author and the readers. A detective story is a journey from chaos to order. Contrary to real life, the perpetrator in the story is always apprehended.

There are heroes and the mysteries are explained, so the journey is a positive one. As for finding inspiration in news media, it is true that reality can be stranger

E X C L U S I V E

I N T E R V I E W

than fiction, but the media usually only describe the initial event and leave the reader hanging as regards the outcome until months or years later, if ever. As authors we are interested in the answers to the question of how a person might react in extreme circumstances, or what leads to an entanglement in a bad situation.

Do you plan the plot and the characters in advance?

Yes and no. Planning is a slow process in which we discuss, conceive the plot and stick little slips of paper on the wall so that we can keep track of the milestones and turn of events. The storyline is clear to us when we sit down and start writing. That is when the magic happens, because everything springs to life, and the story might choose a different direction from what we had planned. We “listen” carefully and re-arrange the slips of paper as necessary. Inspiration is the most important thing, and the greatest challenge is to make the story hang together.

But it can also happen that the characters begin to speak and act on their own, and we the authors become stenographers who struggle to keep up. Sometimes Alexander is busy writing pure dialogue and whispers to himself, which Alexandra finds distracting!

How did you arrive at the pseudonym Lars Kepler?

It began with our desire to write together. We had written several books on our own, which is a lonely life. We talked about writing a joint novel but always ended up in an argument, because our styles are so different. Then we had the idea of inventing a third author who was neither Alexander nor Alexandra.

That solved the problem, because Lars Kepler was

W I T H

L A R S

K E P L E R

now the real writer, and the two of us were merely supporting him in his task to arrive at a meaningful story. At the same time it is great to be two persons in the background, because we keep generating new ideas and exchanging texts.

The pseudonym “Lars Kepler” was inspired by Johannes Kepler, the 16th century German astronomer who, like a real detective, took Tycho Brahe’s observations and cleverly figured out that the planets move around the sun in elliptic orbits. The “Lars” is also meant to pay homage to the late Stieg Larsson who injected new life into Swedish crime fiction through his Millennium trilogy.

The protagonist in modern Swedish crime fiction is often a down-at-heel, divorced or alcoholic police officer rather than the more traditional private detective immaculately dressed in a tailored suit. Wherein lies the attraction?

American detective stories have exerted a big influence on modern Swedish crime fiction. The traditional aristocrat who sat and solved crimes using clues was replaced by the man in the street in the shape of an ordinary police officer – a true son of the people. In Sweden it was the Sjöwall/Wahlöö couple who set the tone in the 1960s and 70s. Crime fiction is nowadays expected to reflect the torn fabric that society has failed to mend. It is not only about what has happened, but also why it happened.

Some of your Joona Linna novels have been made into movies. Can we expect more of the same?

Anonymous Content in Hollywood is currently adapting The Sandman (Joona Linna Book 4) for film, and a TV series adaptation of The Hypnotist (Joona Linna Book 1) is also in the works.

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Swedish Press | March 2019 15

[

Putting Sweden on the Map At Home

]

‘Sweden still ranks high in ...’

Global S

Olle Wästberg, Swedish journalist, politician and diplomat.

Photo courtesy: Olle Wästberg.

Olle Wästberg started his career in journalism at the tender age of 15. Since then, the Swedish publicist, politician and diplomat has worked as a writer and editorin-chief for Swedish evening newspaper “Expressen,” as well as Member of Parliament for the Liberals and State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance. Wästberg has also served as Director-General of the Swedish Institute and, between 1999 and 2004, Consul General in New York.

Swedish Press spoke to the accomplished diplomat about his role as Consul General, Swedish solidarity and his favorite “Big Apple” hotspots.

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Swedish Press | March 2019 16

Where did you grow up?

I grew up on Östermalm, close to Djurgården, in central Stockholm and attended Djurgårdsskolan, Carlssons Skola and Östra Reals gymnasium – well-known schools, where most of the students came from established families. I earned a BA in political science and economical history at the University of Stockholm in 1972. I have always kept in touch and often meet up with friends that I went to school with. As I was growing up, my family also had a big summer house in the Stockholm archipelago. It was built by my grandfather – building contractor Olof Wästberg.

Speaking of family – your father Erik Wästberg was a successful publicist and journalist for Swedish daily newspapers Nya Dagligt Allehanda and Svenska Dagbladet. How has he influenced your career?

My father died when I was nine years old so I only have vague memories of him. I did, however, grow up in an established journalist home where well-known Swedish writers, such as author/dramatist Vilhelm Moberg and writer/newspaper publisher Herbert Tingsten, would sometimes be present. My brother, Per Wästberg, member of the Swedish Academy, has also inspired me. He published his first book when he was 15 years old, which influenced me to start publishing articles at

the same age.

I’ve managed to publish about an article per week ever since.

What were some of your main responsibilities as Consul General in New York?

I worked mainly with culture and information. I brought several plays by Ingmar Bergman to the city. I also helped organize an exhibition at our official residence about Austrian-Swedish architect and designer Josef Frank, created

by Swedish interior design store “Svenskt Tenn.” The exhibition on Josef Frank turned out to be a great success with over 1000 visitors and a full page of coverage in The New York Times.

The Swedish Consulate in New York is a small office. The residence of the Swedish Consul General, where we greet our visitors, is a unique place – a big mansion in the English Renaissance Revival style, and the only remaining one-family place on Park Avenue. We could seat up to 80 people for dinner at the mansion and generally hosted up to 5000 guests per year. When members of the Swedish Royal Family or people with interesting backgrounds in business, science or culture paid us a visit, my wife and I always tried to invite our American friends as well.

l Swedes

‘.... most international reputation indexes.’

What is your most vivid experience in the Big Apple?

Many more positives, that’s for sure, but regrettably also 9/11. A young Swedish student was killed and a lot of Swedish citizens and tourists staying south of Canal Street were not able to get home. We assisted them in finding places to stay and – in a couple of cases – obtaining new passports.

What are you currently working on?

I’ve served as Chairman of The Isaak Hirsch Foundation (Stiftelsen Isaak Hirschs Minne) – an organization which aims to provide companionship and housing for the elderly since 2006. I serve on the Boards of the Raoul Wallenberg Academy, The Sweden-America Foundation and real estate company Industricentralen. I also run a small company called Wästberg Communication AB, as well as partake in various debates and writing assignments.

How do you think the image of Sweden is changing and developing internationally (particularly in North America)?

Sweden still ranks high in most international reputation indexes – “The Anholt Global Brand Index” and “The Innovation Index” are great examples. Sweden also ranks high on Freedom House’s annual

report, because of its democracy and openness. Sweden is, however, also used as a weapon by the AltRight, where the Swedish migration policy is being used against the country.

How do you think Sweden has achieved the success it has despite being such a small country, population-wise?

Historically – thanks to the fact that we could stay out of WW1 and 2.

But also because Sweden has always been a quite international country.

When I started my doctoral studies in Economic History I learned that Sweden, not only today, but also in the 15th Century, had exports amounting to about half of the GNP. What aspects of Swedish culture and life are you personally most passionate about promoting?

Openness and solidarity being part of our politics. Culturally I would say our extraordinary movies and movie directors. (Swedish writer and producer Ingmar Bergman is still very much considered an international icon.) I would also like to mention Stockholm’s newly renovated National Museum of Arts. People visiting Stockholm absolutely shouldn’t miss this gem!

What about your blog?

Yes, I publish my blog monthly.

I call it a newsletter focusing on Sweden and the U.S. (especially New York). It currently has 45,000 recipients, comes out in Swedish

once a month and is available for subscription on my website.

You have written books on New York City. On your website, wastberg.se, you list restaurants, museums, as well as the hottest jazz clubs the city has to offer. How often do you go back to New York? Which places do you not want to miss while visiting?

My wife and I usually visit New York twice per year – three weeks in April and three weeks in November (always during the election). During each visit, we make sure to tour the galleries in Chelsea, visit The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Metropolitan Museum. I also love Central Park! We lived close to the Park while I was working at the Swedish Consulate in New York and still very much like spending time there when visiting the city.

Which are your favorites?

French/Parisian restaurant “Orsay” (featuring an impressive wine-list, consisting of over 200 French and American varieties) on Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, and “Docks Oyster Bar & Seafood Grill” where they serve delicious salmon, crabs, shrimps and oysters on Third Avenue. I also enjoy “Estela,” a bistro managed by Uruguay-born chef Ignacio Mattoson on Houston Ave in downtown Manhattan. They serve mainly Mediterranean food and have been included in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Interviewed by Sofie Kinnefors

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Swedish Press | March 2019 17

H ERITAG E

‘Tvåhundra arbetare och hantverkare deltog i b Palmesläkting ritade slott i USA Av Lars Sönnergren

H

ögt upp i Kaliforniens berg finns ett litet slott som har fler svenska anknytningar. En anknytning är namnet Vikingsholm och en annan är att slottet ritades av en släkting till statsminister Olof Palme. En tredje anknytning är att platsen där slottet skulle byggas märktes ut av flygarpionjären och svenskättlingen Charles Lindbergh.

Han flög upp över bergen och släppte ner sandsäckar där slottets ägare, den rika Mrs Lora Josephine Knight, kunde bygga. Mrs Lora J Knight hade nämligen köpt egen mark vid sjön Lake Tahoe. Sjön ligger i nord-östra Kalifornien på gränsen till Nevada,

Vid dörren den alltid lika gästfria Mrs Knight.

har ett fint bergsklimat och är vintertid ett omtyckt område för skidåkare.

Hon hade vistats och bott där uppe flera år innan hon bestämde sig för att uppföra ett eget sommarresidens.

Sponsrade Lindbergh Familjen Knight var hemmahörande i St Louis. Den var en av flera rika

familjer som sponsrade Charles Lindberghs ensamflygning över Atlanten. Det var därför hans flygplan bar namnet Spirit of St. Louis.

Släkten Palme kommer in i historien genom att den till USA utvandrade arkitekten Lennart Palme hade gift sig med en släkting till Mrs Lora J Knight. Hon besökte honom i hans hem utanför New York och blev förtjust i alla nordiska detaljer.

Vikingsholm skulle uppföras vid en bukt av Lake Tahoe som kallas Emerald Bay. Knight hade med sin man gjort flera resor till Europa, och hon tyckte att bukten påminde om en norsk fjord. Lennart Palme hade varit bosatt i Stockholm. Han inköpte 1907 området Nya Enskede och uppförde den så kallade Palmeska villastaden, berättar Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon.

Han låg också bakom uppförandet ett fint kvarter radhus vid namn

Slottet Vikingsholm ritades av arkitekt Lennart Palme. Beställare var Mrs Lora Josephine Knight som använde det som sommarhus.

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Swedish Press | March 2019 18

H E RI TAG E

i bygget...’

Canada på Lidingö. Kvarteret förklarades som byggnadsminne 1981.

Lennart Palme hade en ledande ställning i Kreugers fastighetsbolag Hufvudstaden. Men efter första världskriget tvingades han utomlands efter anklagelser om tvivelaktiga spekulationer, skriver Kjell Östberg i sin bok om Olof Palme I takt med tiden.

Arkitekt Lennart Palme med familjmedlemmar.

Längst ut till höger är Mrs Knight. Foto: Okänd

Till Europa tillsammans Redan efter sekelskiftet hade Lennart Palme besökt USA och fått intryck.

Han flyttade senare från New York till Kalifornien. Under sin omtalade USA-resa i ungdomsåren besökte Olof Palme sin släkting Lennart – som var Olof Palmes fars kusin – där borta i Kalifornien, enligt ett tackbrev till Lennart Palme som Kjell Östberg hittat. Men om Lennart och Olof tog sig upp i bergen och besökte Vikingsholm framgår inte. Det lilla slottet ligger också något otillgängligt. Om en besökare ska ta sig dit och kan vara något handikappad, så varnar nuvarande innehavare för att Vikingsholm är svårtillgängligt.

Slottet restaurerades för några år sedan av en arkitektfirma.

– Vi håller nu Vikingsholm öppet bara över sommarmånaderna, men ändå kommer cirka 20 000 besökare.

Några kommer från Sverige och

känner då förstås igen alla svenska och nordiska rustika detaljer, berättar Heidi Doyle, vd för Sierra State Parks Foundation.

Efter köpet av området vid Emerald Bay for Mrs Lora J Knight tillsammans med arkitekten Lennart Palme till Europa 1928. De reste under sommaren runt i Skandinavien och besåg ett antal gamla byggnader samt äldre kyrkor, varifrån Palme hämtade inspiration till uppförandet av Vikingsholm.

Mängder av antikviteter Om något skulle köpas så hade hon ju gott om pengar. Men hade de hittat någon antikvarisk detalj som myndigheterna förbjöd utförsel av, så ritade Lennart Palme av denna detalj. Det kunde vara allt från kurbitsmålningar till drakhuvuden som de tyckte skulle passa i USA. Hon hade mycket antikviteter med sig hem på ångaren över Atlanten, berättar tidningen Sierra Sun. Byggandet av Vikingsholm påbörjades våren 1929. Tvåhundra arbetare och hantverkare deltog i bygget, även från Finland och Skandinavien. En amerikansk arkitekt, Matt Green, var också inblandad i bygget. Resultatet blev gott, då 38-rumsfastigheten nu omtalas som ett av de finaste exemplen på

Mrs. Knight med Vikingsholms gäster.

Foto: Vikingsholm.com

Mrs. Knight med Vikingsholms gäster vid Eagle Waterfalls. Foto: Vikingsholm.com

skandinavisk arkitektur i hela Nordamerika. Trots att byggnaden skulle ge intryck av att vara gammaldags så var insidan modern. Det fanns elektricitet och badrum till alla gästrum.

Generös och gästfri Mrs Lora J Knight flyttade in. Vänner och bekanta inbjöds komma på besök.

Också Charles Lindbergh kom.

Gästerna kunde stanna några nätter eller några veckor, allt efter behag. De gick ner till sjön för att simma eller tog en vandringstur i omgivningarna.

Sedan njöt man av det goda livet kring middagsborden, varefter man om källen kunde sitta framför någon av de öppna spisarna och filosofera.

I stort sett ser Vikingsholm fortfarande ut som Mrs Lora J Knight ville ha huset. När hon bodde där kom hon upp i mitten av juni och stannade till mitten av september. Annars bodde hon nere vid Stilla havet.

Man kan förstå att Mrs Lora J Knight i sitt eftermäle fick ord om sig att ha varit gästfri och generös. Hon donerade gärna pengar till olika ungdomsorganisationer i Kalifornien och Nevada. Hon gav pengar till mindre bemedlade ungdomar för att de skulle få studera vidare, och hon var också kyrkligt aktiv. Hon dog 1945.

Vikingsholm övergick efter några år i offentlig ägo och bevaras nu som ett minnesmärke till eftervärlden.

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Swedish Press | March 2019 19

[Lifestyle]

Top Sju

11

1950

Season 11 of Swedish reality show and competition Mästarnas mästare is set to be back on Swedish Television SVT in March. The show, which features some of Sweden’s finest athletes, puts each contestant’s physical and psychological strength to the test. Season 11 of Mästarnas mästare was filmed in Greece last year and includes pole vaulter Kjell Isaksson, track and field athlete Carolina Klüft, ice hockey goal tender Tommy Salo, boxer Mikaela Laurén, orienteering competitor Marita Skogum, soccer player Henrik Larsson, ice hockey goal tender Kim Martin, handball player Staffan Olsson and adventurer Annelie Pompe.

Min fantastiska vännina

by English dramatist April de Angelis premiers in Scandinavia for the first time at Årsta Folkets Hus Teater in Stockholm on March 1. The theater performance, based on Italian author Elena Ferrantes novel My brilliant friend, tells the story of childhood friends, Lila and Elena (played by Swedish actresses Maja Rung and Ruth Vega Fernandez) in 1950s Naples.

Min fantastiska vännina is staged by Stadsteatern in Stockholm, Årsta Folkets Hus Teater and Stockholms Konstnärliga Högskola.

760m Because of last year’s summer heat and drought, which had a negative impact on Swedish agriculture, 760 million SEK is going to be distributed in crisis support (krisstöd) to Swedish farmers this year. The money is being distributed in addition to the 400 million SEK that the Swedish government agreed to distribute to Swedish sheep, beef and dairy farmers in the autumn of 2018.

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Swedish Press | March 2019 20

Swedish waffles. Photo: Moa Karlberg/imagebank.sweden.se

25 Swedes celebrate “våffeldagen” (waffle day) on March 25 by indulging in – you guessed it – delicate buttery waffles topped with plenty of whipped cream and sweet berry jam. The tradition goes back to the Feast of the Annunciation (Jungfru Marie bebådelsedag, also known as “Vårfrudagen,”) when Virgin Mary was informed that she was expecting a son. Over the years, Swedes managed to mispronounce “Vårfrudagen” to the point where it came to be known as “våffeldagen.” As farmers had plenty of milk and eggs during this time of the year, the tradition of making waffles on March 25 stuck.

50 Sweden’s leading grocery retailer ICA is offering customers a wider range of green options by adding 50 new vegetarian products to their selection this year. The grocery store has seen an increasing demand for

vegetarian and vegan options and are planning to introduce new, tasty and affordable dishes under their own brand this spring. Customers are encouraged to vote for vegetarian foods they would like to see in stores on ICA’s Facebook page.

10.4m Most Swedes today rely heavily on computers, smartphones and online services, according to an October 2018 survey by Swedish Internet Foundation (IIS). The survey revealed that about 1.1 million Swedes rarely or never use the internet. To help turn the trend around, IIS and the Swedish government have invested 10.4 million SEK into opening so-called “Digitalcenters” for residents looking to learn more about computers and the internet.

Municipalities receiving support include Båstad, Gällivare, Götene, Hylte, Jokkmokk, Kramfors, Krokom, Luleå, Mönsterås, Norrköping, Rättvik, Säter, Sävsjö, Torsby and Vingåker.

6 Sweden finished sixth in “Best Countries Overall” in a brand-new survey called “2019 Best Countries” by U.S. News & World Report magazine. Sweden ranked number one in the subcategory for “The Best Countries for Women,” where 9,000 women were asked questions concerning gender equality, human rights, safety and income.

Sweden also ranked number one in the ranking of ”Best Countries for Raising Kids” and “Best Countries for Green Living.” Go Sweden!

[Lifestyle] Books Sweden Noir

By Peter Berlin

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weden is not known as a particularly crime-ridden country by international standards, so it may seem paradoxical that Swedish crime fiction has taken the world by storm.

Enthusiasts of the genre are familiar with Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander, or Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander, or Sjöwall/Wahlöö’s Martin Beck, or Lars Kepler’s Joona Linna, just to name a few. So where do these authors find their inspiration?

The answers to that question vary, but the authors seem to agree that writing crime fiction is a powerful medium for highlighting the flaws below Sweden’s seemingly bland social surface. The portrayal of murder, rape, misogyny, drug abuse, and racism in Sweden comes as a bigger shock to book readers and TV viewers than might be the case if the crimes were set in more violent societies. This kind of shock is known to trigger a rush of adrenaline and various pleasure-inducing juices in the human body, akin to a child’s

marvel at fairy-tale monsters and an adult’s guilty fascination with traffic accidents (“rubber-necking”).

Crime fascinates us because it breaks every rule in civilized society.

Nowadays, suppliers of burglar alarms do booming business, the network of CCTV security cameras keeps growing, women are afraid to walk outside after dark, and parents are reluctant to let their children walk home alone from school. So who are these rule-breakers? What makes them tick? Do they usually have a rational reason for committing their crimes, or are some of them driven by mental illness? Does mental illness exonerate the perpetrator?

When reading crime fiction we are invited to place ourselves in the criminal’s position – but always from a safe distance. Luckily for us, the mystery is always solved in the end, and the criminal is either killed or incarcerated.

Of course, Swedish authors did not invent crime fiction, which can be traced back as far as when Cain slew Abel in the Old Testament.

What makes Swedish contemporary crime fiction stand apart from the same genre in other countries is that

the setting is nearly always bleak, and the mood is dark and morally complex. Rather than being clever private detectives, the mystery solvers are often ordinary police officers.

At a personal level they may be flawed, scruffy, divorced, alcoholic, mildly autistic, or alienated from their offspring. They eat poorly and sleep even worse. Some of them are women. By coming across as somewhat defective ordinary citizens, they have easier access to the underworld than if they looked like some pipe-smoking Sherlock Holmes or gun-toting James Bond.

Compared to literary fiction, the prose is sparse and the sentences are short, as are the chapters. Each chapter invariably ends with a cliffhanger situation that forces the reader to immediately move on to the next chapter. One can criticize the authors of Swedish crime novels for being too explicit in their description of sex and violence, and also for using tried-and-tested literary devices to keep our attention. But this is precisely why modern Swedish crime novels are almost impossible to put down, and what could be a greater tribute?

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Hemma hos

Nature Inspires the Spirit of the 29th Icehotel

By Kristi Robinson

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rne Berg, partner and sculptor at the Icehotel, remarked that “every winter I say that ‘this is the best Icehotel so far’ – but this year it definitely is.”

For twenty-nine winters the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, has been a site of wonder and awe. Harvested from the Torne River, water frozen into ice inspires sculptors to create rooms based on ideas from the natural world. Some artists address environmental issues, while others find

‘Dancing Auroras’ by Sebastian Dell’Uva & Emilie Steele. Photo: Asaf Kliger

a certain playfulness when working with nature’s ‘snice’ – the perfect combination of snow and ice needed to sculpt the rooms. The artists who are chosen to create the 15 suites aren’t required to have worked with ice before. Selection is based on how original the idea is, and how challenging it will be to create it.

Artists can work solo or in pairs, and many of the artist pairs this year were family.

After designing a suite at the Icehotel last winter, Swedish couple Sebastian Dell’Uva and Emilie

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[Design]

Steele are back again this year with beautifully poetic ‘Dancing Auroras’.

The art of their suite captures the movement and colors of the northern lights while Dell’Uva and Steele tell the tale of “enchanting ballet dancers guiding the newborn atmospheric spirits to rest among the stars before sunrise”.

‘Spruce Woods’ by Jennie O’Keefe & Chris Pancoe. Photo: Asaf Kliger

Another husband-and-wife team, first time Icehotel sculptors Jennie O’Keefe and Chris Pancoe wanted to show the beauty of the Canadian wilderness and give guests an authentic camping experience with their suite ‘Spruce Woods’. In their nostalgic and whimsical interpretation, the artists create a connection to nature with dreams at night of fishing and canoeing by day. The moon softly glows over the clearing of the camp-site where the warm fire flame and the headlights of the campervan break through the misty air.

‘Living Ocean’ by Marnie Green & John Paul Green. Photo: Asaf Kliger

“It’s a nice feeling that you’re borrowing something and it will return at the end”, explains John Paul Green of his first experience sculpting with ice from the Torne River. Alongside his 18-year-old daughter and soonto-be art student Marnie Green, the British duo wanted to highlight the importance of protecting our oceans with their suite ‘Living Ocean.’ This underwater cavern gives the feeling that you are immersed deep in the ocean amongst the sea life of waving foliage, illuminated fish, an ice shark, and a giant whale swimming overhead, all while you sleep in your bed of ice.

The room is meant to celebrate the natural wonder of the ocean and leave you feeling inspired to keep it clean and safe for generations to come.

‘Differential Expansion’ by Antonio Camara & Juan Carlos Camara. Photo: Asaf Kliger

Mexican-Canadian brothers Antonio and Juan Carlos Camara created a striking visual metaphor for the issue of global warming and melting of the North and South Poles with their suite ‘Differential Expansion’. Large jagged ice blocks occupy the room, and chiselled crevices flash across the walls. An angled beam of light reflects on the floor, depicting how cracks in the ice manifest themselves when you move about and warm up the surface of the frozen lake. The stress of temperature change causes cracks to appear.

Hemma hos

Different Dreams of Passage to America

By Eva Svensson

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pon arriving in New York in 1861, the two-year-old Johan was left with his mother to make the long journey to Minnesota, while his father was promptly carted off from the boat to fight in the Civil War. Many years later, Johan’s dream of an education came true, as he went on to receive four honorary degrees and was knighted by King Gustav V of Sweden.

A century later my uncle, a descendant of Johan, greeted me on my arrival to the New World. It was my dream to continue my violin studies on a full scholarship at Boston University. My arrival could hardly have been more different from Johan’s. I was greeted with many loving extended hands. Arriving as a foreign student to America was indeed a treat to behold.

After an inspiring six years and a Master’s Degree, I was ready to pursue a career. Although the Stockholm Philharmonic was my first choice, it was a successful audition with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra which led me to establish my roots in Canada. On the same day as that audition I met the other successful violin candidate, Thomas Williams, who would become my future husband.

It was an interesting and adventurous 39 years for me with the symphony. Tom performed with the MSO for 18 years, eventually taking on a professorship at McGill University. The orchestra did a lot of inter-

[Treats]

à la Eva Svensson

national touring, and Tom would later at times TOTALLY surprise me by showing up in the middle of a tour and accompany me on some of those musical adventures!

The orchestra was among the first in the field to record digitally, and I took part in over 80 discs.

It was always a thrill to move to the approved “recording studio” in St. Eustache. It was in an old church, battle scarred from the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837. To enhance and improve the acoustics, all the pews would be moved to the sides, and wood panels of flooring would be laid.

During this time we raised two boys, Erik and Karl, both of them orchestral musicians. Erik plays cello with the Swedish Radio Orchestra, and Karl is a violinist and percussionist and has played with the Montreal Symphony and the Victoria Symphony. At Christmas time we would for many years take out the Beethoven Op.18 string quartets, place a bottle of sherry close by, and

Drömmar

Ingredients: (makes about 50 cookies) • 1 cup sugar • 1/3 cup veg. oil • 1/2 cup butter • 1 1/3 cup flour • 2 tsp vanilla sugar • 1/2 tsp hjorthorns salt (deer salt)

Photo credits: Tom Williams and Eva Svensson.

play through all of them for our own pleasure.

Tom and I have recorded a CD entitled “Encore Miniatures”. In this recording, Tom arranged some solo pieces, historically well-known for their crowd-pleasing encore status, now to be played on two violins.

My music-making continues to this day together with the man I met at that fortuitous audition in Montreal many moons ago.

Dreams do come true. Mine did in 1963, and so did Johan’s 100 years earlier. And speaking of dreams, no one has yet been disappointed in my Swedish ‘dream cookies’, presented at countless parties and as complimentary gifts. Today it is my pleasure to share this ‘dream’ with you.

Preparation: Mix sugar, oil and butter until smooth, using an electric mixer. Mix the rest in another bowl and stir it gradually into the sugar mix.

Pay attention to the consistency for making little balls. Add more flour if needed. Bake at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes.

The hjorthornssalt is what you pick up on your next trip to Sweden! It is very special and can sometimes also be found elsewhere in Europe. If necessary, you can use baking soda as a substitute (use 1 tsp instead of ½ tsp), but the end result is not quite as good.

Either way, enjoy!

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[

]

Road to 2045

Road to

Community

Immigration: Looking to Canada for Inspiration

By Oskar Adenfelt, Fores

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iven the last couple of years’ immigration to Sweden, there is no doubt that the social and labor market inclusion of refugees into Swedish society will be a considerable challenge in years to come. The services provided by the Swedish government to immigrants are among the most generous in the world, yet a lack of success in integrating refugees into the labor market is a major concern for Sweden.

With one of the highest employment rates in the OECD, Sweden’s gap in labor market participation between the native and foreign-born populations was in 2017 a staggering 13.6 percent, the second highest among OECD countries. This is a worrisome development considering that the foreign-born population constitutes around 19 percent of the Swedish population.

These individuals possess an enormous potential. Facilitating their entry into the Swedish labor market would not only benefit the immigrants themselves, but Swedish society as a whole. With integration of refugees as one of the biggest challenges in the coming years, it is time for Sweden to look elsewhere for inspiration.

Turning our attention to Canada, a country with a proud tradition of refugee resettlement and a unique way of working with the reception and integration of refugees, we might find the inspiration Sweden is looking for.

Whereas refugees in Sweden are mainly reliant on government programs carried out by different government institutions and municipalities, the Canadian system relies on a highly functional

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coordination between governmental and non-governmental stakeholders.

A system of well-established civil society organizations is an integral part of the services offered to refugees.

A study has shown that both countries experience similar labor market outcomes for refugees receiving government assistance, despite their different approaches. However, the Canadian system offers additional pathways for refugees outside the government assisted program through a private-sponsorship program. The program works as a complement to the government-assisted program, whereby communities, civil society organizations and groups of private individuals voluntarily assist refugees with their integration into the Canadian society. Privately sponsored refugees have in general stronger labor market attachment than governmentassisted refugees.

Privately sponsored refugees are more likely to enter the labor market faster, to have earnings from employment and to have higher earnings than government-assisted refugees in Canada, according to a report by the Migration Policy Institute from 2017.

The personalized assistance provided by the sponsors, such as finding a job, sharing their network and contacts, etc. make sponsors better suited to tend to the refugee’s individual needs and is seen by many as the reason to this difference.

Besides the success in labor market integration, the program offers additional benefits for refugees, policymakers and sponsoring communities.

These benefits include additional legal pathways to protection, along with opportunities to build meaningful relationships between refugees and receiving communities.

Sweden and Canada share many similarities. Both countries are relatively cold countries located in the northern hemisphere, with vast, sparsely populated regions, and are known for their openness, welfare states, and strong export-oriented economies together with a high demand for labor. But when it comes to migration it is important to highlight that Canada’s geographical location allows fewer refugees to enter Canada directly compared to Sweden.

This fact allows the Canadian government to focus more efficiently on resettled refugees.

Despite this difference, the benefits of the private-sponsorship program could work as inspiration to how Sweden can improve the lives of refugees, and at the same time access their unused potential. The program can also give members of the public a greater sense of participation in, and control of, how refugee immigration affects their communities, as well as offering civil society a chance to provide direct support to refugees.

Photo: Hans Christiansson

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]

Road to 2045

Road to 2045 Sweden: Finally a Government – With a Green Declaration!

they emit. The system shall now be strengthened and simplified, probably with A-G symbols like lightbulbs and fridges already have. To help facilitate the change to low emission transports, the government promises to invest more in the railroad infrastructure, demands night trains to continental Europe, and envisions a highspeed train between the major cities in Southern Sweden.

By Alexandra Olsson and Mattias Goldmann, Fores with the 2030-secretariat

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weden finally has a government, formed by the Social Democrats and the Green Party, the same as the previous four years – but this time in a 73-point agreement with the Liberals and the Center Party.

With different ideological starting points, they have agreed on a strong green agenda, including that Sweden is to be The World’s First Fossil Free Welfare State – a global race with several competitors!

High ambitions in climate actions The government declaration states that Sweden is to become the world’s first fossil-free welfare nation and that the global one-and-a-half-degree target from the Paris Agreement is to be reached. Sweden asserts that the climate goals will be achieved, which is an important signal to those who have toned down the importance of climate policy framework on the basis that it is not legally binding.

Energy Sweden will prohibit all exploration for coal, oil and fossil gas – a largely symbolic decision since no such exploration is happening, but also a signal that Sweden wants to be very different from the western neighbour Norway which has built much of its wealth on exploring fossil energy resources. The government declaration also states that it should be simple and profitable to invest in individual production of renewable energy, for example in solar power, or in wind power at sea or land.

Sweden’s backyard. Photo: Piotr Wawrzyniuk

Transport The most ambitious climate target is reducing climate impact from the transport sector by 70 percent in 2030 compared to 2010, and this is where the government proposes the most concrete measures, including a ban on fossil fueled cars. From the year 2030 it will no longer be permitted to sell new gasoline and diesel-powered cars in Sweden. This legislation will be difficult to hammer out since several of the parties behind the agreement ensure us that this shall not close the door on biogas, biodiesel, bio-gasoline or ethanol – all using the same combustion engine as fossil fuel-powered cars. In addition, the stop date must be accepted by the EU which normally insists on the free movement of goods within the Union.

Fossil fuels Fossil fuels are to be fully phased out, with 2040-2045 as a likely end date.

The bonus-malus taxation of new vehicles means that vehicles with low CO2 emissions, such as electric cars, will receive a bonus which is paid by an extra tax – a malus – on highemitting vehicles, based on the CO2

Green tax reform Through a green tax reform, taxes on environmentally destructive activities will be raised, with an equivalent reduction on taxes on work and entrepreneurship. SEK 15 billion will be switched during the coming four years, aiming to both create new jobs and reduce emissions. As a first step, subsidies for fossil fuels in the mining industry are taken away and taxes on electronic goods are raised, while the payroll tax is set to zero for the first employee in small companies.

Is the future green?

In a context of rapidly shifting political realities around Europe, Sweden used to be a haven of tranquility and predictability. After the 134 days without government, this is no longer the case.

While the four parties behind the agreement do not have a united opposition against their proposals, this reality may very well shift in the future, for instance when the Liberal party elects its new leader this autumn. Even so, the main lines will be kept; Sweden has decided to be at the forefront of combating climate change and creating green businesses.

Fores (which includes the 2030-secretariat) is a Swedish think tank devoted to questions related to climate and environment, migration and integration, entrepreneurship and economic reforms, as well as the digital society.

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Swedish Press Connects

Swedish Council of America

Chicago Celebrations

By Mary Seeger, SCA Board Member

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eventy years ago, Chicago hosted an enormous gathering of Swedish Americans. Chicago Stadium was the site of a kalas to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Swedes of the mid-century “pioneer” migration. Some 18,000 people filled the stadium one June evening and waited hours to hear noted speakers including President Harry S. Truman, Prince Bertil, and Carl Sandburg. The Swedish American Historical Society (originally named the Swedish Pioneer Historical Society) was founded as an outgrowth of that big party and, in turn, was a founding member of Swedish Council of America (SCA) in 1972.

Photo: Swedish American Historical Society archives

The Swedish American Historical Society (SAHS) had much to celebrate at its recent 70th anniversary fête in Chicago. Its quarterly journal is in its 69th year; its publishing ventures have

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produced more than 30 books; and it continues to sponsor informative and educational symposia and trips to Swedish-American sites. The gathering featured Swedish food expert Richard Tellström who spoke on the origins and cultural export of the smörgåsbord.

In addition, Dag Blanck, Director of North American Studies at Uppsala University and Director of the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center housed at Augustana College, reviewed the stages of the history of Swedes in America, setting the stage for future work.

Another important activity of SAHS is the awarding of the Carl Sandburg medal to recognize contributions to SAHS itself, to Sweden and Swedish America, and to the community at large. (Sandburg served as the society’s honorary chair until his death in 1967.) This year’s recipient, the 25th, is Dr. Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey. She merits the Sandburg medal in all three of these areas, and SCA is pleased to add its congratulations to those of her many friends and supporters.

Dr. Harvey has contributed to SAHS in many ways: as author of articles in the quarterly; as professional performer at society events; and as faithful board member. She also serves on other Swedish-American boards, including those of the Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center and Swedish Council of America. She has been a prominent presence in SWEA and VASA affairs as well.

Dr. Harvey’s scholarly work on Swedish-American theater, both traditional and popular, merits special attention. Her Ph.D. studies at the

Dr. Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey.

Photo: Kevin Proescholdt

University of Minnesota led to her documenting Swedish popular culture through articles, stage presentation, television programs, and in four recordings. Now professor emerita of Theatre in the School of Theatre, Television, and Film at San Diego State University, she continues her involvement as scholar, playwright, and translator. Her work has been published in five languages, and she has given more than 100 concerts and cultural presentations in the United States, Canada, and Sweden.

We at Swedish Council of America add our congratulations to our fellow board member Anne-Charlotte Hanes Harvey, and wish her continued success in all her endeavors.

SCA is Swedish America’s community foundation.

Our mission is to promote knowledge and appreciation of Swedish heritage and culture in North American life and to strengthen contemporary cultural and educational ties between North America and Sweden. We achieve this by providing grants to organizations, scholarships to youth, recognition to leaders and communications to the community – all focused on furthering our mission. www.swedishcouncil.org

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Canada, US & beyond

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Swedish Events around the World

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Wisconsin

Swedish Taste on the High Seas – Launched in 1928, the same year construction of the American Swedish Historical Museum was completed, the Swedish ocean liner Kungsholm was one of the earliest vessels decorated in the Art Deco style.

The Kungsholm’s fashionable passenger spaces made her a popular ship, even during the Great Depression. As the flagship of the Swedish American Line,

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she carried Sweden’s Crown Prince and his entourage up the Delaware River to Wilmington and Philadelphia for ceremonies

marking the 300th anniversary of Swedish settlement of North America, including the dedication of this museum.

This installation explores the history of the Kungsholm and her glorious interiors, which inspired many of the museum’s own signature galleries. Featured are the museum’s large ship model, ephemera from the collection, archival photographs, and excerpts from passenger travel diaries.

This exhibit will be featured on the museum’s lower level and opens on February 2nd, 2019.

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Swedish Witches – Folklore and Trials – According to Swedish Folklore, Maundy Thursday was time for Swedish witches (häxor) to grab their broomsticks from hiding to fly off to celebrate the Witches’ Sabbath.

Holy Saturday was time to fly back home to attend Easter Sunday service with everyone else in the village, but be careful not to say your prayers backward. That would be a sure way to be identified as a witch.

The Swedish American Historical Society of WI, Inc. welcome Amber Rose, Ph.D. Candidate in Scandinavian StudiesFolklore, at UW-Madison and Asst. Acquisitions Editor with University of Wisconsin Press to present the story of Swedish witches in the period (14501700). The event will end with an exploration of today’s contemporary tradition of Swedish Witches at Easter time.

Join the Swedish American Historical Society of Wisconsin meeting on Saturday, March 9, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. at Redemption Lutheran Church, 4057 N. Mayfair Rd. (Hwy 100, just north of Capitol Dr.) in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. For further information: visit www.sahswi.org or call 414-352-7890.

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Calendar & Events

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A guide to fun and interesting Swedish events outside Sweden

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CHICAGO Swedish American Museum 5211 N. Clark St., Chicago, IL 60640 Tel: 773-728 8111 | info@samac.org www.swedishamericanmuseum.org ONGOING exhibits: “Colors of the North,” paintings and silk-screened textiles created by sisters Alison and Kirsten Aune, through Mar 15; “Textile Bonader” from the Museum collection, through Mar 24.

Mar 5 – Tue 11 am-4 pm: Fettisdag (Fat Tues) consumption of semlor (Lenten buns).

Mar 9 – Sat 9 am: Presentation of sailing stories by explorer Magnus Toren.

Mar 13 – Wed 11 am-4 pm: Mazarin Day featuring almond-filled pastry.

Mar 23 – Sat 10 am: Swedish American Genealogical Society presentation, “Seeking a Better Life,” with Sue Nordstrom.

Mar 25 – Mon 11 am-4 pm: Våffeldagen, Annunciation Day feast of Swedish waffles.

DETROIT Swedish Club of Southeast Michigan 22398 Ruth St, Farmington Hills, MI 48336 Info: 734-459 0596 www.swedishclub.net Mar 3 – Sun 1 to 2:30 pm: Buffet Mar 16 – Sat 5 pm: St. Patrick’s Day Dinner, games & singing. Hosted by Scandia chorus MINNEAPOLIS American Swedish Institute 2600 Park Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55407 Tel: 612-871 4907 | www.asimn.org Ongoing through April 28, 2019 – Imagine: Surreal Photography by Erik Johansson – Swedish visual artist digitally knits together his own photographs to create complex and clever naturescapes.

Ongoing through May 11, 2019: Family Gallery – Eurpean Market Square – an interactive exhibition in the ASI Family Gallery for the entire family.

Mar 6 – Wed 6 to 9 pm: Eggstravaganza – Solar Egg Opening Night – Join ASI and visiting Swedish artists Mats Bigert and Lars Bergström, creators of Solar Egg for Riksbyggen, to celebrate the arrival and opening of their five-meter-tall golden egg sculpture – which is also a functional sauna.

The Solar Egg will take residence in ASI’s outdoor courtyard until April 28, 2019.

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PHILADEPHIA American Swedish Historical Museum 1900 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145 | Tel: 215-389 1776 | info@americanswedish.org | www.americanswedish.org Ongoing through March 10, 2019 – From the Heart, Made by Hand: Treasures from the Women of Sweden – This exhibition includes selections of the 75 handmade textiles presented to the American Swedish Historical Museum in 1938 from every province of mainland Sweden.

PORTLAND Nordic Northwest Nordia House, 8800 SW Oleson Rd., Portland, OR 97223 | Tel: 503-977 0275 www.nordicnorthwest.org Ongoing through March 31, 2019 – Raoul Wallenberg exhibit at Nordia House Mar 2 – Sat 4 to 6 pm: Fastelavn – Celebrate the Carnival season in the Nordic fashion with this family-friendly event.

SEATTLE Swedish Cultural Center 1920 Dexter Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 Tel: 206-283 1090 | www.swedishclubnw.org info@swedishculturalcenter.org Mar 2 & 3 – Sat & Sun 9 am to 3 pm: Antiques & Great Finds Sale – Come for items that range from precious antiques to attic surplus! Delicious Swedish pea soup, meatballs and cookies by our Bite of Sweden cooks.

Mar 3 – Sun 8 am to 3 pm:Swedish Pancakes – Music and dancing, plus authentic Swedish pancakes, ham, lingonberries, coffee and orange juice. Music by Metro Gnomes, Hjarta Herring and Nordiska Folkdancers.

Nordic Museum 2655 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107 Tel: 206-789 5707 | nordic@nordicmuseum.org www.nordicmuseum.org Ongoing through Apr 14, 2019 – The Vikings Begin Exhibition – Based on the latest research conducted on both historic and recent discoveries of Viking-era artifacts

by Uppsala University in Sweden.

Mar 1-3 – Fri to Sun: Nordic Lights Film Festival 18

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OTTAWA Embassy of Sweden Ottawa 377 Dalhousie Street, Suite 305, Ottawa ON K1N 9NB Tel: 613-241 2277 www.swedishembassy.ca Mar 8-17 – Sat to Sun: FIKA(S) Festival 2019 – The Immersive Festival of Scandinavian / Nordic Kultur and Art will take place in Montreal and Quebec. Enjoy concerts by Nordic artists (Bror Gunnar Jansson from Sweden among others), a Nordic Pop dance party, design showcase, photo exhibition of Swedish dads by Johan Bävman, conferences and food workshops.

Find the full program of this festival at https://fikasfest.com/en/schedule/

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TORONTO Svenska kyrkan i Toronto 25 Old York Mills Road, Toronto ON M2P 1B5 Tel: 416-486 0466 | toronto@svenskakyrkan.se www.svenskakyrkan.se/toronto Mar 28 – Thurs 12:30 pm: Församlingslunch.

VANCOUVER Scandinavian Community Centre 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC V5B 4P9 Tel: 604-294 2777 | info@scancentre.org | www.scancentre.org Mar 10 – Sun 1 to 3 pm: Curling at Delta Thistle Curling Club, North Delta. $10 per person (includes instruction and equipment rentals). Register by e-mailing scansports@gmail.com.

WINNIPEG Swedish Cultural Assn of Manitoba 764 Erin Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 2W4 | Tel: 204-774 8047 | Reservations at: svenskclub17@gmail.com Mar 1 – Fri 11:30 am: Svensk Lunch, $8.00 for homemade soup, 2 open-faced sandwiches, coleslaw, pickles, dessert, juice, coffee and tea. Smaskigt! (Yummy) Mar 17 – Sun 10:30 am to 1 pm: Brunch Buffet – inviting Lodge Strinberg, and violinist Linnae Anderson, $15.00 for adults, children 8-12: $7.50, children 7 and under Free Mar 21 – Thurs: Fika Evening featuring Semla Buns – Dot Mandala painting on rocks. Cost:$10.00 for instruction and all materials.

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[Ads] and Info Swedish Press Classified Alberta Organizations Svenska Skolan i Calgary bedriver undervisning för barn 3-15 år gamla på lördagar kl 9:30-12. Alla barn är välkomna. Undervisningen sker på svenska. Kontakta Svenska Skolan genom Scandinavian center 403-284-2610 eller skicka epost till contact@swedishschool.com.

Läs mer om vår skola på www.swedishschool.com BC Organizations Scandinavian Business Club Monthly meetings feature business speakers. Guests and new members welcome. Call SBC: 604-484-8238.

Visit us at www.sbc-bc.ca Scandinavian Community Centre Scandinavian Community Centre Beautiful setting for weddings, parties, birthdays, meetings and seminars. 6540 Thomas Street, Burnaby, BC info@scancentre.org 604-294-2777 www.scancentre.org Svenska Kulturföreningen Ordförande Ellen Petersson 604-970-8708. Kassör är Linda

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Olofsson, 604-418-7703 www. swedishculturalsociety.ca.

Email: swedishculturalsociety.ca @gmail.com Sweden House Society President Carina Spencer Email: swedenhousechair@gmail.com, Vice president Rebecca Keckman, Treasurer Ron Spence Swedish Canadian Village Beautiful Assisted Living Residence & Senior Subsidized Apartment Buildings Located in Burnaby, British Columbia. Ph# 604-420-1124 Fax# 604-420-1175 www.swedishcanadian.ca Swedish Club of Victoria Dinners, Events and Meetings, for information contact Annabelle Beresford @ 250-656-9586 or Swedish Club of Victoria Facebook.

Swedish Club 1920 Dexter Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109; Tel: 206-283-1090. Open Wednesday evenings for supper and games, Friday for lunch and dinner. Pancake breakfasts on first Sundays of the month. Rental venue for meeting, parties, etc. www.swedishclubnw.org

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Sista ordet

'Sweden stayed neutral during the war ...'

World War II Memories: A Glimpse of War from Sweden

by Karin M. Hayes

W

orld War II in Europe lasted from September 1, 1939, to May 7, 1945.

I lived in a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, and remember those years as being very cold. Since we couldn’t get enough anthracite coal from Germany, we had to burn newspapers to heat our apartments.

Winter temperatures in our homes hovered around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so we wore two or three sweaters.

Occasionally, schools closed for two to three weeks at a time due to lack of heat. Those closings were called “coal vacations.” We were kept busy with visits to castles, museums and other interesting places.

There were blackouts in Stockholm and in the suburbs. One summer, perhaps in 1941 or 1942, we had to return a week early from our summer vacation to learn to set up camp in case we needed to be evacuated from the city. We also had to go through a tent filled with tear gas and had to practice fixing litters.

Rationing supplies Most everything was rationed, including leather shoes. Nylon stockings were not available, only silk ones which were fairly easy to mend. When nylon stockings arrived in Stockholm after the war ended, they were available in only two stores, and people would line up around the block.

We were allowed two days of hot running water per month. The rest of the time we had to heat the water we needed in pots on the stove.

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Swedish Press | March 2019 30

The Finnish war children were sent from Finland to Sweden during the Second World War. During the winter war of 1939–1940 and the continuation war of 1941–1944, about 70,000 children traveled from Finland to Sweden.

Few automobiles were seen on our streets. Our family doctor was one of the few people allowed to use a car.

There was a shortage of gasoline, so many cars were converted to run on “generator gas” (wood gas) made with wood from our forests. The cars had a contraption on top of the hood or in a little wagon behind the car to hold the byproduct, which was smoky and smelly.

A limited diet My mother had friends who owned a farm in the country outside Stockholm, so we had access to a ham once in a while. If we had roast beef, it had to last for several meals. One tasty Swedish summer dish was lamb stew with lots of fresh dill.

We ate a lot of potatoes, which were grown in parks everywhere and were a mainstay in the Swedish diet.

We also had fish, such as pike, smelt and trout. Milk was delivered to stores by horse and buggy.

Swedes are known for their love of coffee, and that was one of the things we missed the most. We had to use the same grounds over and over again in our coffee pot.

Sweden’s role Sweden stayed neutral during the war, but we were concerned when Hitler’s armies invaded Holland, Denmark and Norway in the spring of 1940.

Sections of our basements were made into bomb shelters. Ours looked like a dungeon.

My father, an organist who also built organs, offered to blow into extra pipes he had to warn people in our apartment complex to go down into the shelter in case of an emergency.

Sweden has been criticized for helping the Germans cross the northern part of the country into Finland. Some say that Sweden was not really neutral. We managed, however, to get nearly all the Jews out of Denmark in one fell swoop by shipping them over to our country.

The Germans never discovered these operations.

We knitted knee warmers, helmet liners and sweaters for Finnish soldiers who fought against Russia. I unraveled old sweaters, washed the yarn and knitted new sweaters for soldiers and Finnish children who came to Sweden to escape the war.

The Russians never conquered the Finns.

It would have been interesting to learn more about what really went on during the war. The so-called “White Books” – four books on Sweden’s policy during World War II – were not published until many years after the war. But many people wanted to forget about the horrible things that happened during the war and never read this publication.

To this day, I am thrifty and hate to be wasteful. The events of the war have stuck with me and have impacted the way I live today. Old habits are difficult to change.

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