Out of the Darkness: Classic Short Fiction from Sweden

A treasure chest of stories by Swedish authors from the 1880s to the 1950s, many appearing for the first time in English In the late nineteenth century, Swedish romanticism gave way to vibrant new literary styles that flourished through the 1950s. Out of the Darkness is the first anthology to bring the short fiction of this golden age of Swedish literature to English readers, celebrating the country’s rich literary tradition and several of its most renowned authors. The stories in this volume (many in entirely new translations, and most never before published in English) reflect the arc of the short story in Sweden, from realism to symbolism to modernist experimentation, and stand as lyrical exemplars of the creativity and depth of Swedish literature. Some stories explore themes of crime and refuge, others ask what makes life meaningful, and some challenge sexual and social constructs of their time. All are fueled by shadows―of evil, madness, or fate, eerie fantasy or grim reality.