I have been working at the United Nations for quite some time now, but about a month ago, I visited the Scandinavia House for the first time. It isn't connected to the United Nations at all, but I was surprised that I hadn't noticed it before, given the amount of time that I spend in the neighborhood.
I was introduced to it because I started knitting recently, and every two weeks, there is a knitting club that meets at the Scandinavia House. Wine and snacks are provided, and a very nice group of people gather there with their projects. I even saw one woman who was spinning her own yarn, which inspired me to try to learn that too. Apparently, in the old days, single women would spin yarn for a living, hence the term "spinster". I bought a drop spindle, and it has been pretty difficult so far, but I'm hoping that I will get the hang of it soon.
After attending the knitting club, I was placed on their mailing list, and found out that an author I really like, Fredrik Backman, was going to do an interview and a book signing there. His most famous book is "A Man Called Ove", which was recently made into a film and might be up for an Oscar. I have not read it yet, but I did read "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry," and liked it very much. That book is about a young girl named Elsa, who has trouble fitting in at school and making friends. She is very close to her grandma, who is her hero in many ways, but her grandmother passes away from cancer. After the grandma's death, she leaves Elsa a bunch of letters, with a mission to deliver them to people that she wants to apologize to. In the process of delivering the letters, Elsa encounters new friends, and comes to understand other loved ones in her life in a new way.
Someone asked Backman how he was able to write the character of a 7 year old girl so well. He replied that he did not write the character with a particular gender in mind, rather he just wrote as a 7 year old child, since 7 year old boys and girls are not so different. He said that as a child, he was very lonely and often bullied, and identified with Elsa in many ways.
The characters in his books are usually quite complex. Ove apparently, is a grouchy man. Backman said that when he began writing that book, he started by collecting articles of ridiculous things that people did, such as an old man who sued a zoo because they advertised that you could "play with the monkeys", and in reality, you cannot actually play with the monkeys because they are in a cage. He said, "think about the biggest jerks that you might meet. At then end of the day, these jerks go home, and there is someone who loves them. There is someone who thinks they are great." For the zoo example, he mentioned that the old man who sued was in his 60s, so he must have gone to the zoo with his grandchildren, and one of the grandchildren must have gotten upset about not actually being able to play with the monkeys. Backman further adds that, "if someone is a jerk, but they make you laugh, you are still going to like them." His books introduce a character that seems like a jerk, but then throughout the book, you realize that you like them anyway. You start to understand their motives and emotions, and then they don't seem so awful after all.
His books have an interesting way of dealing with very heavy topics, such as the death of a grandmother, in a light hearted way that can make you laugh.
Backman's new book, which is due to be translated into English soon, is called Beartown. It is a small town in Sweden that is obsessed with their hockey team, and this boy who is a great hockey star grew up with everyone telling him he would save the town. Then, he commits a horrible crime (either rape or sexual assault), and the entire town is divided over what to do about it, with most of the town siding with the boy. According to Backman, this book is meant to explore what we, as people, are willing to forgive some people for, just because they are really good at one particular thing. We see this in the news all the time, with light sentences, or no sentences, being given to male athletes because the judges don't want to "ruin their lives".
The interview with Backman was funny and very insightful. He said that he thinks of himself as a good storyteller, not necessarily a good writer. Using music as an example, he said, some people are great songwriters, but not very good at playing instruments. Others are great at playing instruments, but cannot write songs. In some artists, these two skills overlap, just as it does for some writers. But he maintains that he does not consider himself a good writer, and is working on improving his writing. Apparently, he wanted to be a writer since he was a child. He was awkward and had trouble communicating, so he liked writing because you can erase and edit. If he fought with his dad, he would leave a letter for his dad on the counter, and in the next morning, he would find his dad's written reply. He claims that today, they still communicate mostly this way.
Backman's wife is Iranian, which was part of the inspiration for the neighbors in a Man Called Ove. Someone in the audience asked if Ove was against immigrants, and whether he changes this view at the end of the book. Backman explained that some critics described Ove as a racist, which he was not happy with, because he did not think Ove was a racist at the end of the book, or at the beginning of the book, rather Ove just hates everyone, regardless of race.
At the end of the interview, there were books available for purchase, which Backman then signed. I bought two books, including the one about Elsa and her Grandmother. When signing it, he drew a picture of what I thought was a big shaggy dog. "The wurse is not a dog," he said. In the book, the "wurse", which looks like a large shaggy dog, eats chocolate. "I got so many angry letters about how I was irresponsible in telling children to feed dogs chocolate, and I had to say to them that the wurse is not a dog! That's why he can eat chocolate."
I plan to read a Man Called Ove in the coming weeks.
I was introduced to it because I started knitting recently, and every two weeks, there is a knitting club that meets at the Scandinavia House. Wine and snacks are provided, and a very nice group of people gather there with their projects. I even saw one woman who was spinning her own yarn, which inspired me to try to learn that too. Apparently, in the old days, single women would spin yarn for a living, hence the term "spinster". I bought a drop spindle, and it has been pretty difficult so far, but I'm hoping that I will get the hang of it soon.
After attending the knitting club, I was placed on their mailing list, and found out that an author I really like, Fredrik Backman, was going to do an interview and a book signing there. His most famous book is "A Man Called Ove", which was recently made into a film and might be up for an Oscar. I have not read it yet, but I did read "My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry," and liked it very much. That book is about a young girl named Elsa, who has trouble fitting in at school and making friends. She is very close to her grandma, who is her hero in many ways, but her grandmother passes away from cancer. After the grandma's death, she leaves Elsa a bunch of letters, with a mission to deliver them to people that she wants to apologize to. In the process of delivering the letters, Elsa encounters new friends, and comes to understand other loved ones in her life in a new way.
Someone asked Backman how he was able to write the character of a 7 year old girl so well. He replied that he did not write the character with a particular gender in mind, rather he just wrote as a 7 year old child, since 7 year old boys and girls are not so different. He said that as a child, he was very lonely and often bullied, and identified with Elsa in many ways.
The characters in his books are usually quite complex. Ove apparently, is a grouchy man. Backman said that when he began writing that book, he started by collecting articles of ridiculous things that people did, such as an old man who sued a zoo because they advertised that you could "play with the monkeys", and in reality, you cannot actually play with the monkeys because they are in a cage. He said, "think about the biggest jerks that you might meet. At then end of the day, these jerks go home, and there is someone who loves them. There is someone who thinks they are great." For the zoo example, he mentioned that the old man who sued was in his 60s, so he must have gone to the zoo with his grandchildren, and one of the grandchildren must have gotten upset about not actually being able to play with the monkeys. Backman further adds that, "if someone is a jerk, but they make you laugh, you are still going to like them." His books introduce a character that seems like a jerk, but then throughout the book, you realize that you like them anyway. You start to understand their motives and emotions, and then they don't seem so awful after all.
His books have an interesting way of dealing with very heavy topics, such as the death of a grandmother, in a light hearted way that can make you laugh.
Backman's new book, which is due to be translated into English soon, is called Beartown. It is a small town in Sweden that is obsessed with their hockey team, and this boy who is a great hockey star grew up with everyone telling him he would save the town. Then, he commits a horrible crime (either rape or sexual assault), and the entire town is divided over what to do about it, with most of the town siding with the boy. According to Backman, this book is meant to explore what we, as people, are willing to forgive some people for, just because they are really good at one particular thing. We see this in the news all the time, with light sentences, or no sentences, being given to male athletes because the judges don't want to "ruin their lives".
The interview with Backman was funny and very insightful. He said that he thinks of himself as a good storyteller, not necessarily a good writer. Using music as an example, he said, some people are great songwriters, but not very good at playing instruments. Others are great at playing instruments, but cannot write songs. In some artists, these two skills overlap, just as it does for some writers. But he maintains that he does not consider himself a good writer, and is working on improving his writing. Apparently, he wanted to be a writer since he was a child. He was awkward and had trouble communicating, so he liked writing because you can erase and edit. If he fought with his dad, he would leave a letter for his dad on the counter, and in the next morning, he would find his dad's written reply. He claims that today, they still communicate mostly this way.
Backman's wife is Iranian, which was part of the inspiration for the neighbors in a Man Called Ove. Someone in the audience asked if Ove was against immigrants, and whether he changes this view at the end of the book. Backman explained that some critics described Ove as a racist, which he was not happy with, because he did not think Ove was a racist at the end of the book, or at the beginning of the book, rather Ove just hates everyone, regardless of race.
At the end of the interview, there were books available for purchase, which Backman then signed. I bought two books, including the one about Elsa and her Grandmother. When signing it, he drew a picture of what I thought was a big shaggy dog. "The wurse is not a dog," he said. In the book, the "wurse", which looks like a large shaggy dog, eats chocolate. "I got so many angry letters about how I was irresponsible in telling children to feed dogs chocolate, and I had to say to them that the wurse is not a dog! That's why he can eat chocolate."
I plan to read a Man Called Ove in the coming weeks.
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