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Society

Stockholm hosts world’s largest book club

Published: 22 Nov 12 10:27 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/44586/20121122/

Stockholm is hosting the world’s largest book club on Thursday - Storytellers of Sweden - where the nation's authors will be broadcast live to the world as they discuss Swedish literature.

“So you’re a Pippi fan?” book club head Keith Foster asked Minister of Trade Ewa Björling at the start of the event on Thursday morning.

”Of course I am,” she responded, and on that note the event took off.

The event rounds off a month during which the Swedish government staged a series of events to promote the country's literature on a global scale.

Swedish embassies from Tokyo to Mexico have organized readings and discussions throughout November in a lead-up to the live book club broadcast.

Björling explained that the purpose of the event was not only an attempt to push the economic aspects of literary popularity, but also an effort to highlight Swedish values.

Thursday’s programme includes panel discussions and readings of children’s literature, Swedish noir, and prime crime. Swedish authors will be on hand, including crime novelist Camilla Läckberg.

Fans will have ample opportunity to ask questions via Twitter using the #storytellers hashtag, with the Swedish Embassy in the UK and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt already joining the discussion.

Björling hopes the event will increase the worldwide popularity of Swedish literature.

"We want to call attention to the current power of Swedish literature, to reach out and speak to people all over the world with issues and stories that touch and engage," she said in a statement.

Storytellers of Sweden runs until 6pm at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in central Stockholm. See below for a link to the live broadcast.

Sanne Schim van der Loeff

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13:36 November 22, 2012 by Rishonim
How lovely. Hopefully this will encourage people to read more intellectual books rather than the nonsense I see people reading. I was beginning to wonder why people only read those rubbish novels like the ones from Camilla Läckberg, Lisa Marklund or the idiotic Mankell. I took my child to a bookstore as I wanted to get her some proper books and the only thing available were Lasse-Maja. Just recently I was at a Svenzzon dinner with about 20 people and can you believe not one of them have read Flaubert, Melville Ludwig Wittgenstein or Tolstoy?
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