What we’re about
Do you like reading classic novels or poetry? Each month we will select a classic work and have an in-person discussion around it. Anything from Austen to Zola is fair game.
Naturally, the definition of "classic" is subjective. A good collection of free, public domain ebooks can be found here. Classic of course doesn't necessarily need to be public domain, or even "old", but it would be best to have some convenient way to read it without requiring a purchase. Luckily the Stockholm public library has a very good collection of novels in English.
The discussion will be in English; being classics however, most (if not all) of the works we'll read will have a Swedish translation, and they will typically be available at the public library.
The works will be chosen by committee, so if there's a particular book you'd like to read, that can probably be accommodated.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- The City Novels series by Per Anders FogelströmKällarbyn, Stockholm
The City Novels series is a series of five books covering different periods in the history of Stockholm written between 1960 and 1968 Per Anders Fogelström. The English titles are:
- City of My Dreams, covering 1860-1880
- Children of Their City, covering 1880-1900
- Remember the City, covering 1900-1925
- In a City Transformed, covering 1925-1945
- City in the World, covering 1945-1968
For this meetup we'll do something a bit different. Pick any one of the books in the series to read (of course you can read more if you're ambitious or have time). Since the novels are mostly independent, there is no need to read them in order. The discussion will focus on the evolution of Stockholm and Swedish society, and how the books reflect the city and society today.
All the books are available in English and Swedish at the Stockholm Public Library.
- The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley JacksonKällarbyn, Stockholm
The Haunting of Hill House (1958, approximately 182 pages) is a horror novel by Shirley Jackson. It is regarded as one of the best horror novels of the 20th century, and has been adapted into a film and TV series.
From Goodreads:
"It is the story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a 'haunting'; Theodora, the lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its own."There are multiple copies available at the Stockholm Public Library, as well as a free ebook here.
