Scandinavia House

On October 11, see Marianne Blicher's MISS VIBORG in the series "Svart Humor: 'Comedies' From the North" at Scandinavia House! A former beauty queen, crushed dreams and an unexpected friendship with the neighbor’s rebellious daughter make up this countryside drama, set in the Danish provincial town of Viborg and reminds us that we all share the same human condition in all its complexity. Get tickets at: https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/events/miss-viborg/ #MissViborg #trailers #film

See a book talk with Norwegian author Victoria Kielland on MY MEN, a fictional account of the first known female serial killer in American history, out now from Astra Publishing House! With translator Damion Searls at Scandinavia House on July 12, Kielland discussed her novel based on the true story of Norwegian maid turned Midwestern farmwife Belle Gunness, which explores Gunness' descent into inescapable madness. Among thousands of other Norwegian immigrants seeking freedom, Brynhild Størset emigrated to the American Upper Midwest in the late 19th century, changing her name and her life. As Bella, later Belle Gunness, she came in search of not only fortune and true faith but, most of all, love. In this literary reimagining of her harrowing true story, Kielland’s Belle grows increasingly alienated, ruthless, and perversely compelling in her pursuit of the American Dream. Raw, visceral, and altogether hypnotic, MY MEN is a brutal yet radically empathetic glimpse into the world of a woman consumed by desire. Purchase the book here: https://astrapublishinghouse.com/product/my-men-9781662601927/ Learn more about programming at Scandinavia House: https://www.scandinaviahouse.org “This fascinating, off-kilter novel about a female serial killer is an unexpectedly thrilling read.” —Karl Ove Knausgård, author of My Struggle and The Morning Star “Kielland’s dense, lyrical novel offers both insight and opacity . . . Despite the subject matter, this novel is not your typical thriller. The language, in Searls’ translation, is dense, poetic, and deeply figurative.” —Kirkus Reviews #booktalk #literaryfiction #historicalfiction

See a book talk with authors Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman and M.J. Rose on their new book "The Friday Night Club: A Novel of Artist Hilma af Klint and Her Creative Circle," out May 16 from Penguin Random House! In this event at Scandinavia House on June 13, 2023, they discussed their illuminating historical novel about the groundbreaking Swedish artist af Klint, considered now to be the true creator of abstractionism, and four of her contemporaries, with moderator Lori Fredrickson. It’s the early 1900s, and the world belongs to men. The art world in Stockholm, Sweden, is no different, until Hilma af Klint brings together a mysterious group of female painters and writers—Anna, Cornelia, Sigrid, and Mathilda—to form their own emotional and artistic support system. The members of the Friday Night Club find themselves thrust into uncharted territory when Hilma and her best friend, Anna, begin dabbling in the occult, believing that through séances they can channel unseen spirits to help them achieve their potential as artists. “The Five,” as Hilma referred to them, was a group of immensely talented, fascinating women whose lives and work were cast into obscurity… until now. Over a century later, an associate curator at the Guggenheim Museum, Eben Elliot, brings the Hilma af Klint show to New York where he uncovers questions about the Five and how the modern day art world is funded, which puts him in a precarious position both emotionally and professionally, as he witnesses how history can be manipulated. With rich characterizations, evocative language, and a seamless narrative, Lundberg, Richman, and Rose bring to life Hilma af Klint and her creative circle, who influenced the course of modern art but whose stories have never been told before. New York Times bestselling coauthor of "The Personal Librarian," Marie Benedict, says, “Co-authors Sofia Lundberg, Alyson Richman, and M.J. Rose have unearthed the captivating story of the ground-breaking Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, arguably the world’s first abstract artist who may well have inspired male painters like Wassily Kandinksy who typically receive credit for pioneering abstraction. This spell-binding exploration of the life and legacy of a long-forgotten woman and the circle of gifted friends who worked alongside her is a must-read.” Learn more about programming at Scandinavia House at https://www.scandinaviahouse.org #booktalk #hilmaafklint #paintings

See the discussion “How Do Pandemics End?” by ASF Visiting Lecturer Tony Sandset (Research Fellow, the Center for Sustainable Healthcare Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo), as he looks at the impact of pandemics on our ideas about healthcare and how it is provided. In this event held at Scandinavia House on June 6, 2023, Sandset discussed why we need to expand on our definition of pandemic preparedness to include a broader perspective — one which incorporates social vulnerability as a key risk factor in providing healthcare — and why it’s important to ensure that the population has ‘surplus health’ to avoid excess deaths during a pandemic. He will also explore why COVID-19 has shown that taking a narrow biomedical approach to pandemics limits the ability to provide healthcare, and why it is important to build a pandemic approach based on equity, trust in government institutions, and reduction of social determinants of health. Learn more about programs at Scandinavia House at www.scandinaviahouse.org #pandemic #healthcare #health

On June 21, 2023 see the powerful documentary HISTORJÁ – STITCHES FOR SÁPMI (dir. Thomas Jackson, Sweden, 2022), depicting world-renowned artist and activist Britta Marakatt-Labba's battle for her culture against the threats of climate change, presented in coordination with our ongoing exhibition "Arctic Highways!" Get tix: https://bit.ly/45allMT #sami #climatechange #documentary

See a book talk with Swedish Sámi author Ann-Helén Laestadius on her new novel "Stolen," out now in translation by Rachel Willson-Broyles from Simon & Schuster! Held virtually from Scandinavia House Online on May 16, 2023, Laestadius discussed the novel with moderator Mathilde Magga. Louise Erdrich meets Jo Nesbø in this spellbinding Swedish novel that follows a young indigenous woman as she struggles to defend her family’s reindeer herd and culture amidst xenophobia, climate change, and a devious hunter whose targeted kills are considered mere theft in the eyes of the law. On a winter day north of the Arctic Circle, nine-year-old Elsa—daughter of Sámi reindeer herders—sees a man brutally kill her beloved reindeer calf and threaten her into silence. When her father takes her to report the crime, local police tell them that there is nothing they can do about these “stolen” animals. Killings like these are classified as theft in the reports that continue to pile up, uninvestigated. But reindeer are not just the Sámi’s livelihood, they also hold spiritual significance; attacking a reindeer is an attack on the culture itself. Ten years later, hatred and threats against the Sámi keep escalating, and more reindeer are tortured and killed in Elsa’s community. Finally, she’s had enough and decides to push back on the apathetic police force—but the hunter comes after her this time, leading to a catastrophic final confrontation. Based on real events, Ann-Helén Laestadius’s award-winning novel is part coming-of-age story, part love song to a disappearing natural world, and part electrifying countdown to a dramatic resolution—a searing depiction of a forgotten part of Sweden. This event was presented alongside the exhibition "Arctic Highways," on view at Scandinavia House from April 15 through July 22, 2023. Learn more here: https://go.amscan.org/ArcticHighways “Nuanced . . . an affecting portrait of the Sámi’s disenfranchisement . . . [and] a family torn apart by cultural tensions” —Publishers Weekly Learn more about programming at Scandinavia House at https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/ #sami #booktalk #norlit