Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

I have said it before: I do not believe those who claim that they never read reviews. There is an element of masochism in exposing oneself to them, and inevitably, only the bad ones linger. I am not sure how many good reviews Sonata for Miriam received around the world and I can’t quote any, but I certainly remember the blog that called it a ‘five star turkey’.

Slowly, the reviews for The Memory of Love  are beginning to appear. So far, so good. Here is one from BookBrowse

Doing what you should never do – googling myself – I came upon this interesting blog:

Swedish Book Review

I thought the review of my own novel, ‘The Kindness of Your Nature’/'The Memory of Love’, was interesting and thoughtful, and I continued to read several others. I recommend it for anybody with an interest in Swedish literature.

Time to start making plans for summer! The southern summer and January. I so look forward to teaching this one week course:

Back in Stockholm with mixed feelings. Perhaps my expectations were unrealistic, but I had such high hopes for New Zealand’s participation as the 2012 Guest of Honour. It was lavish, perhaps even extravagant, chosing to fill the more than 2,000 square metres of the New Zealand Pavilion with water and darkness. Stunning, perhaps, but not very practical. It was easy to forget that this was part of a BOOK fair. But I suppose time will tell if this will make an impact on how the world takes to New Zealand literature. Neither my German nor my Swedish publisher was approached by anybody New Zealand, while last year Iceland’s focus was entirely on building relationships and selling literary rights.

A comment from German magazine Stern titled ‘Storytellers with no written language’!, but mentioning ‘Die Fremde am Meer’ as having ‘Bestsellerpotenzial’, bestseller potential:

http://www.stern.de/kultur/buecher/neuseeland-auf-der-frankfurter-buchmesse-geschichtenerzaehler-ohne-schriftsprache-1906944.html

So, here I am. A (nearly) blank screen. Lots of music. The characters have appeared, though their world is still largely unknown to me. But I have taken small steps to join them. Take their journey.

Here, in my little studio in Auckland, I have planted a lucky shoot. And I keep the rose that unexpectedly sprouted roots. I take it as an auspicious sign.

Click here to listen to Death Waltz with Adam Hurst . Sublime.

I was just alerted that ‘Let me sing you gentle songs’ has now been released in Iceland:

Click here to visit my Icelandic publisher, Forlagid

Back in Wellington. I don’t come often, but each time I am reminded of how much I once loved this city. Now, I see it through the layers of history that has passed since then. With nostalgia and a little sadness.

But there is no sadness in the city itself. Quite the contrary, with the the buzz of the Festival. My two events take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. I am a little daunted by the task of chairing the session with Kate Grenville and Alan Hollinghurst on Tuesday. Firstly, because of the stature of both with such impressive literary records. Secondly, because these two authors have been on the Festival and media cirquit around the world and it will be a challenge to give something fresh to the audience. And to the objects. I know how tedious it can be to answer the same questions again and again. But there is a limit to new angles, of course. Perhaps it is a little like how it is with a novel: there are no truly unique stories, but there are unique ways of telling them. I am hoping we will be able to offer a uniquely Wellington session on Tuesday.

Click here to see the Festival program.

Just received the cover design for the Swedish pocket edition. Another variation on a theme – very nice!

Straight to No. 1 one the national booksellers’ chart!

And some very good reviews:

Otago Times

NZ Herald

The Listener

And here I am, on the other side of the earth…

Another week and the new book will hit the stores here in Sweden. One early review so far, with the headline ‘Grief and Hope’:

In ‘Det goda inom dig’ Linda Olsson uses her freedom as an author to paint a sad yet hopeful story about a woman who, when she befriends an abused little Maori boy, is forced to confront her own memories from a childhood characterized by fear and abandonment. It is an exquisitely written and captivating story about the vulnerability of children and the responsibility of adults. Another theme is the courage to love and the courage to dare to ask why we love. The wonderful descriptions of of the New Zealand landscape, constantly with the sea as a backdrop, colour the the reading experience. Read this book in one sitting!

Carin Khakee, Femina