Status: 15.01.2024, 14:39 PM
By: Sven Trautwein
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Jonasson, the master of the humorous novel, surprises again – this time with an insight into Swedish culture. It makes us laugh and think. Discover our book of the week.
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As an author, Jonas Jonasson became known to a wide audience with "The Centenarian Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared". The novel shows that Swedish authors can write more than just crime novels and thrillers, topping the list of Nordic noir authors. In his new book, former journalist Jonas Jonasson writes humorously about the cultural differences between Sweden and Germany. A book that puts a smile on the reader's face. "How the Swedes Invented Dreaming" is the book of the week.
Jonas Jonasson "How the Swedes Invented Dreaming": That's what the book is about
Jonas Jonasson puts a smile on the reader's face with "How the Swedes Invented Dreaming". © imagebroker/Imago/C. Bertelsmann (Editing)
The whole world knows the beds of the brand Traumbett from Hamburg. The whole world? No, it was not possible to gain a foothold in Sweden. What sounds a bit like the prelude to an Asterix comic is the start of the extremely amusing novel "How the Swedes Invented Dreaming". For the owner of the dream bed brand, Sweden is the country to conquer. Despite IKEA, Electrolux, Volvo and Wasa, it had not yet been possible to produce and sell the beds in the Scandinavian country. This should change as soon as possible.
All over the world, you can slumber blissfully in the cuddliest beds of the brand Traumbett, made in Hamburg, Germany. Everywhere? No, it is only in Sweden that the company has not yet been able to establish itself. The new owner of the company, Konrad Kaltenbacher Jr., wants to change that as soon as possible. And if it were up to Julia, the mayor of Halstaholm in the Swedish province, then Traumbett, along with its 800 new jobs, would have settled with them long ago anyway.
Blurb/C. Bertelsmann
Julia Bäck, the new mayor of Halstaholm, a small town southwest of Stockholm, also needs something positive for her still young career. Recently, she had taken over her predecessor's desk and with it all the problems. The former tyre factory has been closed for ten years, the indoor swimming pool is closed and more residents are leaving Halstaholm than moving in. This needs to change as soon as possible. When Julia Bäck finds the news about the dream bed on the Internet, she hatches a plan to rent the still well-preserved factory building to the German entrepreneur for one euro a month.
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With a few tricks, Julia manages to get the young entrepreneur Kaltenbacher on the phone to make him the lucrative offer to take over the factory hall. Whether Kaltenbacher Junior makes it to Halstaholm after a visit to Stockholm and what happens next, the inclined reader may find out for himself.
Jonas Jonasson "How the Swedes Invented Dreaming": Conclusion
"How the Swedes Invented Dreaming" is an entertaining and typical Jonasson book. Charming characters and the cultural clash between the big city and the countryside, which also run through his other books, are skilfully realized. Perfect entertainment for in between.
Jonas Jonasson "How the Swedes Invented Dreaming"
Translated from Swedish by Astrid Arz
2023, C. Bertelsmann, ISBN-13 978-3-570-10541-2
Price: Hardcover 23 €
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Jonas Jonasson: About The Author
The Swedish author Jonas Jonasson, born in 1961 and born in Växjö, worked as a journalist after completing his studies in Gothenburg. Among other things, he worked for the newspapers "Smålandsposten" and "Expressen". He is known for his works "The Centenarian Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared". Later, he founded his own media consulting company. But after 20 years in the media world, he sold his company and wrote the novel he had been thinking about for years: "The Maasai Who Still Had a Score to Settle in Sweden". The book became a bestseller, first in Sweden and later worldwide. The film adaptation was also highly successful internationally.
Further feel-good entertainment is promised by "Summer Happiness in Sweden". If you're interested in Swedish crime novels, here are five crime novels set in Stockholm.