Only 30% into our February selection, the month of l-O-v-e is not endearing me to O-v-e. Fredrik Backman's Ove is grumpy and I can see what's going to happen in "A Man Called Ove". Doomed to an empathetic shift, this swiftly moving novel warms the cynic and shifts the mood. Hope it is an enjoyment to you!
Fredrik Backman: Swedish, blogger, journalist, novelist, debuting with our read, an ex-truck driver, father, successful writer - the most successful writer in Sweden in 2013. Which made me wonder - Sweden......what does it mean to be the most successful writer in Sweden?
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) monitors both the number and type of books published per country per year as an important index of standard of living and education, and of a country's self-awareness. Below is their latest information available:
 China | In 2013 | 440,000 | New titles and re-editions |
 United States |
In 2013 | 304,912 | New titles and re-editions |
 Sweden | In 2010 | 4,074 |
Just to be fair, let's check out the population of these three countries:
China 1.357 billion United States 318.9 million Sweden 9.593 millionOK - not bad... but....
Hard to get past that 1.357 billion thing; I think I will just lift my spirit with a little more Ove.
Happy reading!
LK
PS Want to try out your Swedish reading skills? Check out Fredrik's blog....er.. blogg:
http://www.fredrikbackman.com/
PPS Don't forget to RSVP to Sue for our February 18th meeting.
No comments:
Post a Comment