[The] Swede

Written by Christer Amnéus. Illustrations: Bo Zaunders.

[The] Swede is a blueprint for being Swedish: Not too little and not too much, simply lagom.  [The] Swede was written with the intent of introducing Sweden and Swedes to English speakers. It’s personal and informal and is inspired by the author’s perspective of a country he loves dearly. Smörgåsbord, ombudsman and of course fika are words that were eventually adopted into English; and [The] Swede will introduce you to the rest—from allemansrätt to housewives, hugging, humor and husesyn—what does it mean to be un-Swedish? What about Swedish sin, is it a real thing? Are Swedes boring? Are they serious? Does a person bring bananas to a dinner party? Over 250 brief chapters, usefully organized like a dictionary, will make you a better Swede or at least better understand your Swedish friends, family or colleagues.