If you are looking for Swedish Literature recommendations, then you are in the right place! Snow, Ikea and blond-haired giants with blue eyes may be Sweden at first glance, but there is so much more beneath the surface. Sweden has an array of amazing literature and culture just waiting for you to dive into, read on for our recommendations.

Sweden´s most popular genre: crime

The first of our Swedish Literature recommendations has to be from the crime genre- Sweden’s most popular genre!

The Ice Princess is a story about truth. When Erica Falck returns to her hometown after the funeral of her parents, she finds the town on the brink of tragedy. The death of Erica´s childhood friend Alex is only the beginning. Alex´s death looks for all intents and purposes to be a suicide.

In her grief, Erica writes a book about her best friend, one that can answer questions about their shared past. But Erica isn´t the only one looking closer at Alex. Whilst her own interest grows into obsession, detective Patrick Hedstrom is following his own suspicions about Alex´s case. When the writer and the detective start working together, the truth about their town starts to appear and its past is more disturbing than either of them had expected.

Crime is a genre Sweden does well and Camilla Lackberg is its queen.

A safe bet – the romcom

With Ali Hazelwood´s Deep End the romance girls fell in love with Lukas, a Swedish swimmer. Following this, Helene Holmstrom now brings us Time to Rise, and Henrik, a celebrity pastry chef and the rude host of a reality TV show. Henrik´s popularity is slipping, and he needs to bring it up again. In steps his crew with an idea for a blockbuster fake flirt.

Nora is in crisis. Her parents’ bakery is failing, and she will do anything to save it from bankruptcy. That includes inviting a TV crew into both her kitchen and her life. With that TV crew, comes Henrik, a celebrity pastry chef who is all too happy to point out her baking missteps. And it is bringing out a side of Nora that is spicier than her cakes. To spice up the show and save Nora´s bakery, the pair will let the sparks fly. Somewhere along the way, their lives intertwine and not just on the screen. The age old question of fake dating starts to swirl around them; what is fake and what is real?

Award-winning adventurous comedy

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is on its way to become a Swedish classic. Allan Karlsson, a man who has lived a long and adventurous life, is in a nursing home. A place he believes to be his very last stop, except Allan is in very good health. Nearing his one hundredth birthday, a big party is in the works but Allan couldn´t be less interested. Wanting to avoid the party, where he won’t even be allowed to control his own alcoholic intake, Allan escapes.

Still in his slippers, Allan climbs out the nursing home window and, much like Bilbo Baggins, he embarks on a very unexpected, but hilarious, journey. For anyone else, this would be the adventure of a lifetime, but Allan has already lived a lifetime and had a multitude of adventures, where he played a key role in some of the most important events of the twentieth century.

Quirky and unique, this story encompasses the Swedish countryside, its dry humour and historical events.

Mysteries for cold days

Set in a small rundown village, The Murders in Great Diddling follows author Berit Gardner. Berit can feel the stories that swirl around this small town. The villagers don´t like outsiders. The furtive glances and whispers in the presence of newcomers make that clear. But Berit can sense that there is a story here, just waiting to be unravelled and she wants to be the one to do it. With a deadline looming over her and no ideas for a manuscript, Berit doesn´t simply want this story. She needs it.

A British village, a murder investigation, an author hunting for a story and tea parties that explode are the perfect recipe for a cozy mystery that will have you laughing and gasping. The residents of Great Diddling are odd characters, each more eccentric than the last and the death of one of their own sends them all reeling. It sends Berit on an adventure through the town that no one could predict.

A fantasy classic you must read

The Brothers Lionheart may be a children´s fantasy novel but it is written by Sweden´s most famous and talented author: Astrid Lindgren.

The story is centered around two brothers, Jonatan and the younger Karl. With the surname Lion, the two boys are more known as Lionheart. Karl is sick and can´t ever get well. Close to death and scared of dying, Karl takes heart in Jonatan´s stories about Nangijala, a paradise you travel to after death. Jonatan tells his brother that they´ll meet again in paradise, but Karl will simply have to wait for him. It is however the other way around. A massive fire takes their house and Jonatan sacrifices himself to save his sick brother. Shortly thereafter, Karl begins his journey to Nangijala where he meets his brother.

But it is not the paradise they believed it to be. Half of Nangijala is occupied by the evil Tengil and his dark riders terrorize Nangijala´s inhabitants. Anyone who stands against Tengil are thrown to his dragon Katla. In Katla´s cave sits Orvar captured. He is the resistance leader and without him the fight for good is lost. Jonatan is sent to rescue Orvar, but it´s not as easy as it sounds as there is a traitor amongst the resistance fighters. When Karl hears his brother cry out for help in a dream, he decides to go after his older brother. Karl is half of the Brothers Lionheart and it is time for him to prove it. This is a tale about courage, death, tyranny, resistance and most importantly of all love.

Swedish literature offers real and raw fiction, romantic comedies, tales about adventure and death. Whatever your book tastes may be, there is a Swedish story out there for you and
hopefully this helped you find it.

About the Author

You can find Lily on Instagram and TikTok at @lilythebibliophile. More often than not Lily can be found with a book in her hands on the couch, fingers flying over a keyboard working on her novel or in the kitchen with a paint brush. No matter what she’s doing, you´ll find headphones over her ears with either an audiobook or music (most likely Taylor Swift or Florence + the machine) playing.

Lily recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English. On the side, she works on her own socials, mainly TikTok. In the future, she hopes to continue helping other authors promote their books but also stand alongside them promoting her own. If you want to connect, you can reach her at lilymagnfalt@gmail.com.