Singaporeans are exploring Nordic literature

Swedish author Jonas Jonasson signing books. Photo: A. Savin
Swedish author Jonas Jonasson signing books. Photo: A. Savin

From Pippi Longstocking to dark humored comic novels. It seems like Singaporeans have figured out that Nordic literature has more to offer than gloomy crime novels. Even though Nordic Noir is still the most popular Scandinavian literature in Singapore, the Strait Times reports that book distributers expect a new wave of Nordic literature to sell well.

The Swedish writer Jonas Jonasson Is getting credit for paving the way for more Scandinavian litterature with his successful comic novel The-Hundred-Year-Old-Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared. Other Scandinavian comedies like Frederik Backman’s A Man Called Ove, released in Juli, are now getting a chance in Singapore.

While writers like Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesby are among the most popular authors Scandinavian authors with 800-2000 copies sold annually in Singapore, the success might have rubbed off on other authors. According to the Strait Times classics as old as Astrid Lindgrens Pippi Longstocking are available and Jostein Gaarder’s Sophies World from 1991 sells at least 400 copies a year.

Not your standard fiction
Strait Times interviewed photo editor and book blogger Jie Ye See. She first stumbled upon Nordic in 2009 and read Stieg Larsons Girl With A Dragon Tattoo. She read Jonassons, The-Hundred-Year-Old-Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared, too and enjoyed the deadpan humor.

“It gave me insights into how they take old age – they take it lightly, it’s okay to be old. It’s very different from Singapore,” she says.

You can read Strait Times’ article at: http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/books/story/nordic-books-are-not-all-grim-thrillers-humour-drama-and-young-adults-titles-a

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