The Swedish North Star, continuously published since 1872. Volume 146 No. 7, May 01, 2018. Price per copy $3.50.
Multitalented artist and designer Gudrun Sjödén at work in her Stockholm studio.
With color as trademark
Gudrun Sjödén, known as the godmother of Swedish fashion, is a renowned textile designer and entrepreneurial force whose boldly feminine collections are inspired by nature and Swedish folk motifs. As a watercolor painter, Sjödén’s ideas for the colorful, bold prints and florals she is known for begin with her paintings and textile designs. These paintings are unique in their own right, and now, after 40 years of successfully inspiring clothing and textile designs, her creativity is being recognized in a special exhibit that’s coming to the U.S. / P12
Year of Bergman continues
Ingmar Bergman intended Fanny and Alexander to be his swan song, intentionally making it far different from anything he had ever written. A friend had asked him why he always made such gloomy films when in fact he was a lover of life; and now, with Fanny and Alexander, he was ready to display his lighter side – but it came at a time when he was actually finding life rather difficult to bear. “Fanny and Alexander is like a summing up of my entire life as a filmmaker,” Bergman said of the semi-autobiographical script. / P12
Ascension’s secular significance is better known in Sweden. / p5
w/ord encounters (and recipe) with the venerable, vulnerable jordgubbe / p11&15
Beloved Swedish singers leave their mark on hearts and history /p22
Page 15
Finding Sweden in Scotland
How Swedish can you get in Scotland? Our traveling contributor found a cozy bar in Edinburgh that proves you can get very Swedish there. He met with the owner of Akva, one of six sites run by the Boda Swedish Bar and Restaurants company, which found instant success with their Swedish theme when they opened the first site in 2004. Akva, advertised as a Swedish bar, cafe and party venue, really is Swedish in its welcoming way, making people feel comfortable - and well fed. / P19
dashboard | may 01, 2018 SCANDINAVIAN QUIZ
landskap (province) is home of 1 What the linnea flower, probably the most recognized Swedish flower outside
Sweden? A)Småland B) Västmanland c) Värmland D) Dalarna
2 Which of these languages is not one of the five in the Nordic branch of the Germanic languages? A) Finnish B) Swedish C) Faroese D) Icelandic
Name’s Days of the Swedish Calendar Namnsdagar i april
May 01 May 02 May 03 May 04 May 05 May 06 May 07 May 08 May 09 May 10 May 11 May 12 May 13 May 14 May 1
Valborg Filip/Filippa John/Jane Monika/Mona Gotthard/Erhard Marit/Rita Carina/Carita Åke Reidar/Reidun Esbjörn/Styrbjörn Märta/Märit Charlotta/Lotta Linnea/Linn Halvard/Halvar |
New York Chicago Stockholm Kiruna Lund Los Angeles 2 NORDSTJERNAN
7 Which Nordic country promoted the celebration
of name days over birthdays, thus making them even more popular today (than in other countries)? A) Sweden B) Denmark C) Norway D) Finland
3 What is the oldest, continually published ethnic 8 What was Ingmar Bergman’s name at birth? A) immigrant newspaper in the U.S.? A) The Danish Pioneer B) Nordstjernan C) Finnish American Reporter D) The Scottish Herald
4 What city is the kubb capital of North America? A)
Chicago, IL B) Lindsborg, KS C) Kingsburg, CA D) Eau Claire, WI
5 What province is socially and politically special to both Norway and Sweden, and has traditional summer houses called “buvåll” as well as major ski resorts and Sami people? A) Norrbotten B) Lappland C) Jämtland D) Hälsingland
CULTURE
Namnsdagar
May 10 - Esbjörn Esbjörn or Asbjörn is a Nordic male name composed of the words meaning “god” and “bear.” The name has never been very common, and since the latter half of the 20th century, only about 5-10 people a year have received it as a first name, though it is quite common as a second name. Swedish musican Esbjörn Svensson, who became one of Europe’s most successful jazz musicians in the early 21st century, made the name popular before he died at age 44 in 2008.
Esbjörn Ingmar B) Buntel Ingmar C) Erik Ingmar, Jr D) Ernst Ingmar
9 What Swede became “the ideal of American wom-
anhood?” A)Greta Garbo B) Princess Madeleine C) Ingrid Bergman D) Pippi Longstocking
10 What should you do with the bundle of leafy birch
twigs (“vihta”) you may find in a Finnish sauna? A) imagine you are in the north woods B) whisk your skin to enhance cleansing C) add a couple to keep the fire hot D) decorate them with feathers
Maj
May 11 - Märta Märta or Märtha is a variation of the name Margaretha, and was initially spelled Märeta when it was first used in Sweden during the 14th century. Margareta means “pearl” and is of Persian origin. Märta was added to the Swedish Almanac 1901 to honor the new Norwegian Crown Princess. Märta was a very popular name for new baby girls in the early 1900s; in 2010 there were 26,337 females with the name Märta in Sweden.
founded in new york city in september 1872
Sunrise & Sunset
5.54 am 5.46 am 4.49 am 3.38 am 5.24 am 6.03 am
(cheese slicer) in 1925? A) Mora, Sweden B) Lillehammer, Norway C) Jokkmokk, Lapland D) Rovaniemi, Finland
Answers: 1:A, 2:A, 3:B, 4:D, 5:C, 6:B, 7:A, 8:D, 9:C, 10:B
Linnaea borealis is a species of flower in the honeysuckle family. The name is of Swedish origin, named for the father of taxonomy, Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). It was a favorite of his. The flower is also known as the twinflower—a small, pink bell-like flower that grows in pairs in the forest and blooms in early summer. It has a faint vanilla fragrance. The linnea is the provincial flower of Småland in southern Sweden, where Linnaeus was born, though more than any other flower the linnea is recognized as a symbol of the whole country. The Linnea Borealis has become the unofficial national flower of Sweden and is the namesake of many organizations affiliated in one way or another with Sweden. Carl Linnaeus grew up in the little village of Råshult in Småland, Sweden. He became a professor of medicine and botany in Uppsala and spent the 1750s-60s finding and classifying plants and animals in Sweden. He was one of the most acclaimed scientists in Europe and was ennobled as Carl von Linné later in life. He is buried in Uppsala Cathedral. Nowadays parents name their sons Linnaeus and Linné, and much more commonly they name they daughters Linnea; it is very popular in Sweden and Norway, and even ranks high in the U.S., especially among Scandinavian Americans.
6 In what city did a carpenter invent the osthyvel
7.52 pm 7.49 pm 8.41 pm 9.36 pm 8.45 pm 7.36 pm
Nordstjernan (ISSN 1059-7670), founded in New York City in September 1872, is published by Swedish News, Inc., 570 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10022 • Readers services and editorial submissions: P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 Periodicals Postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. www.nordstjernan.com, Nordstjernan is published semimonthly, except for the months of January, February, July when it is monthly and Augustwith no issue. POST MASTER: Please send address changes to Nordstjernan, P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan, CT 06840 Subscription rates: 1 yr. = $55, Two yr. = $99, outside US 1 yr. = $167.
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this week…
May TO DO 5.1 MARCH FOR A CAUSE: “Första Maj” / May First has become a day of engagement in demonstrations in support of better working conditions – and anything else on people’s minds. 5.5 LISTEN TO YOUR FAVORITE METALLICA SONGS: The winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Music, American band Metallica, plays for Swedish audiences at Stockholm’s Globe with guest Kvelertak from Norway. 5.10 SLEEP IN (if you’re in Sweden): And don’t try calling an office in the old country. It’s “Kristi Himmelsfärds Dag” / Ascension Day*, which observes the 40th day after the resurrection of Christ, a holiday in Sweden, followed by a “klämdag” (pinched in between day). 5.11 MAKE AND EAT CHOCOLATE BALLS: “Chokladbollens dag” / Chocolate balls are such a popular Swedish snack that they got their own festive day. That’s definitely something to celebrate! 5.22 START YOUR MIDSUMMER PREP: Offically, Midsummer is a month away - it’s celebrated in Sweden on June 22 - but it’s likely to be earlier in the month in the U.S., so double check your local organization’s plans. *Holidays and “klämdagar” - May 1 and June 6 (Sweden’s National Day) are the only non-religious holidays in the Swedish calendar. Pentecost (Whitsunday), the tenth day after Ascension Day, used to be celebrated in a similar fashion to Easter in Sweden. The day after Pentecost was a day off until June 6 was made a national holiday in 2005. More on Ascension /p5
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Color is a trademark for Sweden’s award winning clothing designers / pages 7 & 12
Dashboard, p4-5
Swedish Clean Motion to India/ Used By celebrities / H&M designs for brides with budgets / Known for watches and cheese ... not! / Kristi Himmelsfärds Dag - Ascension Day / Mr. Nils design in Stockholm / IKEA might be back in town
Events calendar, p6-9
What’s going on in Swedish America.
Art and Culture, p6-9
Exhibits honor the Year of Bergman / Nordic Journeys opens the new Nordic Museum / The Singing Evangelist is in Rock Island / The Vikings Begin on the East Coast.
Readers Forum, p10
The Swede of Swedes in Portland, Oregon Ross Fogelquist, turns 80.
Ulf Nilson (1933-2018), p20 En vass penna har tystnat.
Swedish News, p23
Swedish soprano soars / Eco-friendly aviation tax / First Catholic mass in Lund / New gambling licenses / Safer child safety seats / New acquisition by Spotify / Academy members step down
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Put these fresh, sweet strawberries to good use on May 6, AKA Hembakatdagen, with this favorite Swedish recipe / p15 The Exchange Rate:
$1.00 = SEK 8.38w (04.18.2018)
MAY 01, 2018 3
dashboard | may 01, 2018
Swedish Clean Motion to India
Svenska Clean Motion will deliver electric tuk tuks to India’s largest taxi app. The electric vehicle manufacturer, who previously delivered its Zbee tricycles to the taxi service Bzzt (article in Issue 2/2018), starts a pilot project with the Indian Uber competitor Ola Cabs. Ola Cabs has over half a million vehicles in its taxi fleet and is valued at more than $5 billion. Now the company will take steps toward a cleaner means of transportation including a pilot cooperation with the Swedish electric vehicle company Clean Motion. Through the cooperation, the company’s electric tricycle will be rolled out on a large scale. “We think this is a very exciting cooperation. This project is an important step for a potentially large-scale deployment of electric vehicles and of course we see it as a unique opportunity to sell our vehicle to a network established in over 100 cities in India with more than 600,000 vehicles,” says Clean Motion CEO Göran Folkesson in a press release. (Note: A tuk tuk is a motorized development of the traditional pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw on three wheels.) For more info, see www. cleanmotion.se and for the pod taxis in Stockholm we wrote about see www.bzzt.se
The stories, the traditions, the people behind the news. founded in new york city in september 1872 executive editor & publisher:
Ulf Barslund Mårtensson (editor@nordstjernan.com) editor:
Amanda Olson Robison (editor@nordstjernan.com) managing editor & production: Everett Martin graphic design: Nadia Wojcik (design@nordstjernan.com) contributors:
Chipp Reid - Ted Olsson - Leif Rosqvist - Kitty Hughes Ulf Kirchdorfer - Valorie Arrowsmith - Olle Wijkström Bo Zaunders - Göran Rygert - James Kaplan - Gunilla Blixt publications director:
Mette Barslund Mårtensson (mette@nordstjernan.com; 800.827.9333, ext 12)
nordstjernan p.o. box 1710 new canaan ct 06840 contact us at 1.800.827.9333 ext 10 for reader services, email: subs@nordstjernan.com; ext 12 for advertising, email: ads@nordstjernan.com www.nordstjernan.com Covering three worlds: Sweden, America and Swedish America. Order your own copy, $55.00 for a year (18 issues) Choose ‘subscribe’ at www.nordstjernan.com or call 1.800.827.9333, ext 10 4 NORDSTJERNAN
Swedish crime writer Camilla Läckberg has her own profile at Owned By, gives all proceeds from the sale of her second-hand items to charities. (Part of screen grab from Owned By)
Would you buy John Grisham’s jacket or some of Jay-Z’s old jewelry? In Sweden the startup Used By has positioned itself to let you do that – it is a site for the sale of finer second-hand clothes, often worn by celebrities. Among other things, you can buy the author Camilla Läckberg’s used jackets, blouses and brand name shoes or blogger and TV host Calle Schulman’s old duffle jacket on the site. Used By did not spend any money on marketing but worked with celebrities as ambassadors. The business model? Used By does not charge for the ads but takes 20 percent of the selling price. “We pick up their stuff, shoot and make ads. Then they can advertise their sale on their own social media and show that they sell to benefit charities and also care about the environment,” one of the founders told Swedish media. “It’s not environmentally sustainable to consume as much textiles as we do today. It makes perfect sense to both buy and sell clothes.” Depending on which celebrity sells a garment, traffic to the site can increase 200 percent, according to the company. And no, buyers and sellers are not expected to meet each other. For more info, see www.usedby.com
H&M designs for brides with budgets Swedish mega retailer H&M has launched a line of wedding dresses that range in price from $200-300. According to most fashion connoisseurs, the dress at left looks very similar to the dress that the Duchess of Cambridge, formerly Kate Middleton, wore down the aisle at her 2011 nuptials. Price? $250. (The Knot Real Weddings Study in 2014 found that most American brides spend an average $1,357.00 on their wedding dress alone. …) You find a whole line of designs for brides, bridesmaids and wedding guests at the Wedding Shop at www.HM.com
Known for watches and cheese ... not! Spotify celebrated its debut on the New York Stock Exchange on April 3. It was a great day for the Stockholm-based start-up, which was welcomed by a Wall Street prepared for Spotify’s unusual direct listing. They were happy to mark the occasion by raising Spotify’s national flag alongside the U.S. flags – except there was a minor snag, the wrong flag was blue and yellow, but the news spread (with good picked. The error was quickly corrected and the humor) just as quickly about the (inexplicably red and white Swiss flag was exchanged for the common) mix-up. Image source: Twitter
dashboard | may 01, 2018
Kristi Himmelsfärds Dag - Ascension Day
Many days off, usually followed by ‘klämdagar’ (in-between days) when most people are off work and school, signify springtime in Sweden. Ascension, this year falling on May 10, is a Christian holiday, originally observing the ascent of Christ into heaven on the 40th day after the Resurrection. The Christian holiday is in Sweden celebrated as a so-called red, free day. Known in official Swedish Lutheran Church language as “Christ’s Journey to Heaven Day,” (Kristi Himmelfärds Dag) the holiday is better known in irreverent vernacular as “Christ the Aviator Day” (Kristi Flygare Dag). When holidays occur on Tuesdays or Thursdays, they create what is called a klämdag “pinched in between” day that calls for another day between it and the weekend to be taken off work — although it counts as one of Swedes’ five weeks of paid holiday time. The day before Ascension Day is also de facto considered a half-day holiday. Long ago, Ascension Day was also the first day of the fishing season. A big catch on this day signified the coming of a good year. In the 18th century, the days leading up to Ascension were used by the local parish and priest to walk the fields to pray for a good harvest. This Catholic tradition was prohibited in 1772. In general, the religious significance is today unknown by most people, and little if any significance in church attendance is obvious. However, prior to the four-day weekend, attendance is always heavy at the state-run liquor stores and grocery stores, where holiday-bound travelers stock up to survive the long holiday weekend during which some of the shops are closed. Nowadays, many liquor stores are open half or three-quarter days on Saturdays, and unlike times past, fairly strong beer can be purchased at any time in groceries, which remain open until late every evening, holiday or not.
Image from the exhibition Capri, displaying Lars Nilsson’s textile collection for Swedish interior design firm Svenskt Tenn (including a signature Josef Frank item, the cushion Teheran). Inset, right: Designer Lars Nilsson
Mr. Nils design in Stockholm
Interior design company Svenskt Tenn with its well known store on Strandvägen in Stockholm is presently showing a textile collection by fashion designer Lars Nilsson. Nilsson, whose resumé includes Dior, Ralph Lauren and many others, created the collection of textiles, prints and weave patterns exclusively for Svenskt Tenn. The patterns were drawn using watercolor, chalk and felt tip during Nilsson’s stay as an artist-in-residence at Villa San Michele on the Italian island of Capri. “I have always had a liking for stripes – and most of all for striped men’s shirts,” he says. “But this time
inspiration also came from the virtually graphic patterns formed by the Gulf of Naples and the dramatic Capri cliffs. Colors were adapted from Capri’s nature and flowers.” The Capri exhibition is open at the store at Strandvägen 5 in Stockholm through May 27. For more info, see www. svenskttenn.se
IKEA might be back in town
and we mean in town. We recently reported that Ikea cooperates with Apple to develop an augmented reality experience for online shoppers. The furniture giant which has grown on a business model with large department stores on the outskirts of towns might also be venturing into our inner cities with smaller stores. A first “pop-up” Ikea store specializing in kitchens opened in central Stockholm in the summer of 2017 and was clearly so successful that it will remain open at least until 2019. Company officials have confirmed the plan is to continue experiments with stores in metropolitan areas like Tokyo, London and New York. Ikea has also experimented with VR shopping booths in pop-ups that occupy small store spaces within large shopping malls, for instance in Kuwait. According to a recent report in Financial Times the company will also develop digital solutions including home delivery in all countries. Ikea
The Ikea Kitchen pop-up store in Stockholm invites you to a kitchen consultation on your way home from work.
may also be evaluating the option of allowing customers to rent furniture instead of buying. We’re going to have to wait for the first pop up store in the U.S. In the mean time, if you’re visiting Stockholm, the store is at Regeringsgatan 65. MAY 01, 2018 5
local events
The Nordic Museum in Seattle officially opens the doors for its Grand Opening weekend The new Nordic Museum, to open with a Grand Opening on May 5, has worked on setting up everything for the grand day. The new museum location in the heart of Ballard at NW Market Street offers 57,000 sq.ft. of exhibitions, Nordic resources, a café and meeting halls, and promises to be an experience out of the ordinary. The new design is organized around a linear “fjord” that weaves together old and new with the Nordic American experience. Items have been installed for its core exhibition Nordic Journeys, which expands the museum’s classic immigration story to offer a broader understanding of Nordic life as it evolved over the last 11,000 years. … Five galleries will introduce you to the environment and lives that formed the region and its inhabitants, ending with challenges and ingenious solutions or inventions of the 21st century. Curators and conservators from all over the Nordic region have visited the museum with more than 100 loaned items to complement the museum’s own permanent collection. All in all, the stage is set for an amazing celebration in the first week of May and onward. The opening weekend is but a start of a citywide celebration of Nordic arts, culture, and innovation that will take place all across Seattle, called Nordic Seattle. Lycka till / Onnea ja hyvää tulevaisuutta varten / Held og lykke og alt godt for fremtiden / Best wishes from Nordstjernan for continued success! The new Nordic Museum 2655 NW Market St., Ballard 206.789.5707 / www.nordicmuseum.org
www.nordicmuseum.org/exhibitions/nordicjourneys www.nordicmuseum.org/nordic-seattle www.nordicmuseum.org/grand-opening The Nordic Handshake door handles at the museum entrance by artist Steve Jensen.
Local Events California
Costa Mesa 05.01, 7:10 PM Newport Beach Film Festival - Swedish Spotlight: Ravens, a 2017 Swedish thriller film directed by Jens Assur, based on the novel Korparna by Tomas Bannerhed. Triangle Cinemas, 1870 Harbor Blvd. www. newportbeachfilmfest.com San Francisco 05.04 & 05.11, 10:30 AM-Noon Barngruppen: Play, sing and share a snack together every Friday at the Norwegian Seaman’s Church, 425.632.8504 / www. svenskakyrkan.se/sanfrancisco
6 NORDSTJERNAN
Photographs by Barbie Hull Photography / The Nordic Museum
Connecticut
Mystic 05.19 The Vikings Begin - Treasures from Uppsala: This exhibit, one of the world’s finest early Viking-age collections, includes priceless treasures such as helmets, shields, weapons, glass, and other artifacts. Thematic sections on Viking warfare, trade, the Baltic Sea, a ship burial, Norse gods, and relations to other cultures employ rare archaeological finds in the discovery of how this maritime society lived more than a millennium ago. On view through September 20 at Mystic Seaport, 860.572.0711/ info@mysticseaport.org / www.mysticseaport.org
Florida
Daytona 05.06, 12:30-5:30 PM Swedish Hockey Camp with Swedish coaches. For age 8-13. Daytona Ice Arena, 352.409.8599 / soren224@hotmail.com
Georgia
Atlanta 06.06, 6-9 PM Sweden Day: Celebrate the Swedish National Day, the biggest Swedish event in Atlanta and the Southeast, with an evening of networking, hors d’oeuvres, refreshments and entertainment by Swedish pop artist Ulrika. $30-$45 at the historical Magnolia Hall in Piedmont Park, 470.378.1180 / info@sacc-georgia.org
Illinois
Chicago 05.06, 3-5 PM Swedish Chorus 80th Anniversary Concert: The Chicago Swedish Mixed Chorus, established 80 years ago as the Chicago Swedish Male Chorus, presents a spring concert with old favorites and new works in both Swedish and English. $10, refreshments included. Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / www. swedishamericanmuseum.org
(Top) Final touches are added to the exterior and landscaping. // (Middle) Nordic Region Gallery in progress. // (Bottom) Conservator Karin Björling-Olausson from Nordiska Museet in Stockholm is showing a coin on loan from the Vasa Museum - one of five coins (of an estimated 4,000 total) recovered from the 1628 Royal Ship Vasa shipwreck that will be on display at the Seattle Museum.
05.08-05.10 Mobile passport station: The Embassy in Washington, DC’s special mobile photo station that enables Swedish citizens to apply for regular passports and renew passports. Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / www. swedishamericanmuseum.org 05.18, 11 AM Hejsan Story and Crafts: Come explore the rich music culture of Sweden. All ages are welcome to attend with a caregiver for this free (with admission) program. Brunk Children’s Museum of Immigration at
Do you know about an upcoming event in Swedish America? Submit it any time to our online calendar at www.nordstjernan.com/ calendar
local events
Exhibits honor the Year of Bergman Washinton, DC’s House of Sweden hosts a Public Diplomacy Program each year, with this year’s program including “Swedish Footprints: Shaping the Future,” an exhibit that celebrates Sweden’s contributions to the strong economic, cultural, political and interpersonal ties between Sweden and the U.S. The exhibit includes four collections that express the story of our shared past as well as the most vibrant areas of cooperation for the future. “Still Life” by renowned Swedish artist Karin Broos and the world premier of The Creative Nation: Swedish Music and Innovation join two exhibits highlighting the centennial celebration of film director Ingmar Bergman. A Never-Ending Whispering Conversation – The Fanny and Alexander Process, and Bergman Moods – Costumes & Images both explore the creation of a Bergman atmosphere through costumes and imagery and displays historic and contemporary garments, including original costumes used in Bergman productions and new designs created for films in which classic Bergman scenes are reimagined and reinterpreted by contemporary Swedish actors. Swedish Footprints: Shaping the Future is open every weekend at the House of Sweden in Washington, DC. For more information, see movie review on page 16, go to www.facebook.com/swedeninusa or call 202.467.2644.
Swedish American Museum, 773.728.8111 / www.swedishamericanmuseum.org
Iowa
Sioux City 06.09, 11 AM - 1 PM Midsummer: Celebrate an early Midsummer with the Vasa Lodge in Sioux City. For more info contact 605.253. 2575/ ron@ dalesburg.org
Louisiana
New Orleans Ongoing Why Is Everything A Rag: Stockholm-based artist Jockum Nordström exhibits in the U.S. for the first time. Children’s books, jazz and blues vinyl covers, collages, drawings, paintings and paper sculptures collected from the start of his career through today, figure in a practice animated by and built of a visual vernacular. Through June 17. Contemporary Arts Center, 504.528.3805 / www.cacno.org
Maryland
Greenbelt 05.19, 7-10 PM Scandia DC Saturday Dance: Review or learn popular Scandic dances, no partners necessary. This month’s live music features Andrea Hoag leading the Spelmannslag and Loretta Kelley. Teaching 7-8 p.m., open dancing 8-10 p.m. $10. Greenbelt Community Center Dance Studio, 202.333.2826 / linda@scandiadc. org / www.scandiadc.org.
Costumes from Fanny & Alexander made by award winning Swedish costume designer Nina Sandström are shown in the House of Sweden’s Bergman Moods - Costumes & Images exhibition in collaboration with The Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. Photo by Magnus Länje
Massachusetts
Boston 05.13 & 20 Sweet Breads with Chef Cleo: Get your hands in some dough and learn to bake two different loaves while mastering the science of bread - start with a sweet cinnamon raisin loaf and end with a fragrant Swedish cardamom braid for you to take home. $48/$60. The Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover St. www. bostonpublicmarket.org/kitchen Newton 05.02, 6-9 PM The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc: Three fiddlers from Norway, Sweden and the Shetland Islands have found themselves in great demand throughout the world performing the rich traditional fiddle music from their Nordic countries. They have developed a sound described as unique, meaningful, intense and invigorating with a clever use of harmony, rhythm, riffs and bass lines. $20. Scandinavian Cultural Center, 617.795.1914 / kerry@scandicenter.org / www.scandicenter.org
Minnesota
Minneapolis 05.16, 6:30-8:30 PM Nordic Table: Smörgås - the open-faced sandwich is important to Scandinavian culture and each country has its own spin - the sometimes elegant, always delicious smörgås is Sweden’s version. We’ll make our own Swedish rye bread and top it with a variety of ingredients (and we will also create our own chocolate sandwiches).
LOS ANGELES Söndag 6 maj kl 11.00
SVENSK GUDSTJÄNST Kyrkoherde Hans Bratt Hernberg predikar, kören medverkar och lunch serveras i trädgården.
Fredag 11 maj
SVENSKA KYRKANS FUNDRAISER till förmån för kyrkans diakonala arbete. Läs mer och anmäl dig på kyrkans webbsida. Begränsat antal platser.
Tisdagar kl 18.30
SVENSKAFTON med film, bibelstudier, sång och gemenskap.
Onsdagar kl 19.00 Kyrkans kör övar. Välkommen du också!
Fredagar kl 9.30
MORGONANDAKT I maj börjar vi med gudstjänster i Angelica Lutheran Church i DTLA. Håll utkik efter dag och tid på webben och facebook. För aktuell information om våra evenemang, inklusive kommande fundraiser, se vår facebook- och hemsida.
SVENSKA KYRKAN LOS ANGELES 1035 South Beacon Street, San Pedro, CA 90731 Tel. (310) 292-7080 • Epost: losangeles@svenskakyrkan.se Hemsida: www.svenskakyrkan.se/losangeles
MAY 01, 2018 7
local events
The Singing Evangelist in Rock Island The exhibit “Elsie Ahlwén Sundeen: The Singing Evangelist” takes a look at the life and work of Swedish evangelist, musician and composer Elsie Ahlwén Sundeen. Elsie Rebecca Ahlwén was born in Sweden in 1905, she received training at Örebro Mission College and immigrated to the U.S. around 1925. In Chicago she studied at the Moody Bible Institute and North Park University, and was active with the Salvation Army. She was an evangelist and traveled widely preaching and singing to various churches and groups. Elsie married Daniel A. Sundeen in 1935 in Manchester, New Hampshire, and had two sons. There Elsie and Daniel founded Raymond Community Bible Club (now Raymond Baptist Church), which first met in the showroom of his lumber and building supply company. Daniel died in 1962, and Elsie continued her ministry with renewed efforts until her death in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1986. See advertising cards and pamphlets, correspondence and music in this special exhibit through June 15 at the Swenson Immigration Center in Denkmann Memorial Building at Augustana College. Hours are 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4:30 p.m. weekdays. www.augustana.edu/swenson
Augusta’s Daughter Ever wonder what made so many emigrate from Sweden in the nineteenth century? Judit Martin’s novel, “Augusta’s Daughter,” about 19th century Swedish peasant life made such an impression on us, we decided to offer it to the Nordstjernan readership. call 1.800.827.9333 for your own copy ($24.90 incl. S&H to continental U.S.).
www.augustana.edu/ swenson 8 NORDSTJERNAN
05.23, 6-8 PM Svensk musik och dans: Celebrating Swedish classical and folk music with the East Metro Symphony Orchestra and featuring the Twin Cities Nyckelharpalag and the Twin Cities Swedish Folk Dancers. The Nyckelharpalag’s repertoire is drawn mostly from folk tunes in Uppland, Sweden, where the nyckelharpa tradition has its roots. In performance members of the group wear folk costumes modeled after clothing worn on special occasions in the 19th century. American Swedish Institute, info@asimn.org / www.asimn.org Ongoing First Look Art Opening: Sculptor Kim Simonsson of Finland crafts life-sized figures of child and animals in “mosscovered” ceramics, often found in natural settings that lead the viewer into an imaginative, fairytale-like world inspired by the forests of Finland. On exhibit through July 15 at American Swedish Institute / info@asimn.org /www.asimn.org
National archives and library for Swedish-American historical research Publishers of Swedish American Genealogist 639 38th Street Rock Island, IL | 61201-2296 309-794-7204
$45/members , $55/non-members. American Swedish Institute , 612.871.4907 / info@asimn.org /www.asimn.org
Through
NORDSTJERNAN 1.800.827.9333 Ext 10
Ongoing Ulla the Baker: Anders Suneson’s cheerful, illustrated children’s books come to life and families are transported to winter in Östersund, Sweden, with Ulla, who has her own bakery. Step into Ulla’s world through wooden sculptures that Suneson carved onsite, see Ulla and her cinnamon buns, meet the dog, see the chicken and climb onboard a snowmobile by Suneson - all
in ASI’s Family Gallery’s intergenerational, imaginative play environment. American Swedish Institute / info@asimn.org / www.asimn.org Scandia 05.10 & 17, 10 AM Annie’s Coffee Party: Gammelgården’s oldest resident is the inspiration behind our traditional Swedish 3-course Coffee Party, a perfect way to celebrate just about any occasion. $15. Reservations are required by the previous Wednesday via 651.433.5054. Gammelgården Museum / www.gammelgardenmuseum.org 05.27, 1-4 PM Immigrant for a Day: Experience a free day as an immigrant making a new life on a small farm in the late 1800s. As part of annual Minnesota Museums Month, visit each of the five historic and fully furnished buildings to work and play as residents of this small farm - hauling water, packing your trunk for America, making butter, doing laundry and playing games at recess in the new school yard. Dress in period costume to add to your experience. Gammelgården Museum, 651.433.5053 / www.gammelgardenmuseum.org New York New York 05.10, 8 PM Keyboard Conversations: Pianist Jeffrey Siegel celebrates his 10th season of his popular series with an informal commentary on the music and its composers, a full performance of each work, and a short Q & A session. Tonight he performs Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue and Gigue and Chopin’s Polonaise Fantasie and mazurkas. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / www.scandinaviahouse.org 05.08, 7 PM Nordic Lecture: Nicholas R. Bell, senior vice president for curatorial affairs at Mystic Seaport Museum presents on two exhibitions opening at there this spring: The Vikings Begin: Treasures from Uppsala University, Sweden and Science, Myth, and Mystery: The Vinland Map Saga. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / www. scandinaviahouse.org 05.12, 11 AM – 12 PM Nordic Storytelling: This popular ongoing children’s series with some of New York’s most famous storytellers from the Hans Christian Andersen Storytelling Center, present exciting fairy and folk tales and fantastic adventures from Scandinavia and the far north. Ages 5+. Scandinavia House, , 212.779.3587 / www.scandinaviahouse.org 05.29, 6-7 PM Nordic Book Club: Discuss The Endless Summer by Madame Nielsen, a novel that focuses on the love story of a Danish woman and a much younger Portuguese artist. Scandinavia House, 212.779.3587 / www.scandinaviahouse.org
Oregon
Portland 05.11, 7:30 PM Syttende Mai with Roberta Swedien: An evening of sheer cool with words and music from the elegance of 19th-century Nordic drawing rooms to the earthy peasant, folk expressions of the countryside to ancient Norse sagas to the ultra-modern, inkbarely-dry musings for solo piano. Five
local events
The Vikings Begin on the East Coast Together with The Vikings Begin Treasures from Uppsala is an exhibition of The Vinland Map, on display in the U.S. for the first time in more than 50 years. When it was first unveiled by Yale University in 1965, the Vinland Map immediately became one of the most valuable and controversial documents in the world. This parchment map was dated by Yale to the 15th century – an incendiary claim as it depicts Vinland at its far western edge, the mysterious land discovered by explorer Leif Ericsson in about 1000, what we now know to be Newfoundland. Did Norse knowledge of the New World exist within mainland Europe before Columbus sailed? This
exhibition allows followers of this saga to see primary evidence for the first time. It is on view through collaboration with the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University from May 19 through September 20 at Mystic Seaport, 860.572.0711 / info@mysticseaport. org / www.mysticseaport.org/event/ the-vinland-map/ Nicholas R. Bell, senior vice president for curatorial affairs at Mystic Seaport Museum, will be at Scandinavia House in New York on May 8 at 7 p.m. to discuss the history and significance of the Vinland Map and Viking Treasures exhibits. 212.779.3587 / www.scandinaviahouse.org
world-premieres for piano with renowned international pianist Roberta Swedien. Nordia House, 503.977.0275 / www. nordicnorthwest.org 05.12, 4 PM Portland Scandinavian Chorus: Spring concert of music sung in the Nordic languages is prececed by a raffle at 3:30 PM. Nordia House, 503.977.0275 / www. portlandscandinavianchorus.com
05.15, 10:30am-11:30am Toddler Time: In conjunction with the Sami exhibit, toddlers learn about this special culture. ASHM will introduce the important role reindeer play in the lives of the Sami people in Scandinavia. Join us while we read Inger’s Promise by Jamie Parkison, play reindeer games, create a reindeer craft to take home, and enjoy a snack.American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www.americanswedish.org
Pennsylvania
Texas
Philadelphia Ongoing Walking with Reindeer: Erika Larsen introduces us to the day-to-day lives of modern Sami families through her acclaimed photography exhibition: Sami Walking with Reindeer. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www. americanswedish.org Ongoing Enchanting Transparency: Explore 300 years of glass production and the companies who launched their products into households around the world. See photographs and sketches from the 20th century artists and artisans who brought Swedish glass to global fame and find the magic within the everyday objects. American Swedish Historical Museum, 215.389.1776 / www.americanswedish. org 05.06, 2:30-4 PM Swedish Travel Language Class: If you are planning a trip to Sweden, interested in learning about culture or getting local travel tips, Join this 5-week language class for an overview of Sweden with general facts, geography, weather and places worth visiting. We can help you consider accommodations, transit options, sightseeing, etc. The class covers the basics of shopping and eating in Sweden, tipping, reading signs, and the etiquette of visiting with Swedes. Sundays through May 13. Register at 215.389.1776 x106 or lburnham@americanswedish.org / www. americanswedish.org
Detail of the Vinland Map, on exhibit at Mystic Seaport Museum. Is it authentic? Scholars, historians and scientists still argue its meaning.
05.18, 6-10 PM Ballard Jazz Festival: The Mainstage Concert at the new Nordic Museum features the Oskar Stenmark Quartet with traditional melodies from Sweden, inherited from Stenmark’s ancestors lyrical melodies with a Nordic flavor, but with the rhythm, harmony and feel found in New York City. Nordic Museum, www. ballardjazzfestival.com
Wisconsin
Milwaukee 05.12, 1:30 PM Early Swedish Settlement: History tells us it was 1841 when the first Swedes settled in the area of Chenequa, Wisconsin. John Elliott takes us back and shares history on who the settlers were, why they chose this area and what became of the settlement. Redemption Lutheran Church, Wauwatosa, 414.352.7890 / www.sahswi.org
Austin 05.12, 3-6 PM Eurovision Watch Party: See the song contest LIVE on a big screen with your family, friends and millions around the world watching the 63rd edition of this mega event. This is a fun and familyfriendly event featuring: a pre-show mingle with your favorite Eurovision tunes, a guess-the-winner competition, a quiz walk, mimosas, beer and snacks at Scandinavian Spaces, 1000 E 6th St B. Follow this link to register online www.sacctx.com / austin@sacctx.com
Washington
Seattle 05.03, 10:30 AM Nordic Stories: Children’s stories from the Nordic countries, along with fun craft projects, centers this month around: Boo and Baa Have Company by Lena and Olof Landström. This is the last Nordic Stories at Secret Garden Books in downtown Ballard before they begin again at the Nordic Museum. Free. 2214 NW Market St. / www.nordicmuseum.org Ballard 05.05, 3 PM Nordic Miniatures: Now and Then. Roberta Swedien is at the Grand Opening of the new Nordic Heritage Museum with her musical celebration of Sweden. Nordic Heritage Museum, 206.789.5707 / robertaswedien@gmail.com / www. nordicmuseum.org
MAY 01, 2018 9
readers forum
Grattis, Sir Ross Fogelquist! The Swede of Swedes in Portland, Oregon, turns 80 years old!
Many Swedish cultural events over a period of more than 40 years were led by Portland’s own Ross Fogelquist. He is a great man with an uncompromised vision to honor and maintain Swedish culture and heritage, and has been the leading spokesperson for and organizer of events inspired by America’s 1988 celebration of the 350th anniversary of the establishment of the first Swedish colony in North America. And so much more. Ross Fogelquist has been actively involved in establishing many different groups with Swedish and Scandinavian interests. Of great importance was the creation of SHF (Scandinavian Heritage Foundation), which resulted in the building of Nordia House in Portland—the center for many different Nordic events. SHF is now renamed Nordic Northwest and is the legal umbrella for Midsummer celebrations in Oaks Park, ScanFeast and ScanFair events. The Fogelquist family has its roots in the town of Mora, in Dalarna, Sweden. In the 1800s the Fogelquists were wealthy land proprietors. “Bruks-
disponent” Magnus Christian Fogelquist bought the beautiful Christinaberg estate in 1850 after having owned estates in southern Sweden. Magnus married Ann Greta Lyckholm, whose family owned and operated the largest breweries in Sweden in the 1800s. Their grandson Fredrik Christian Fogelquist immigrated to the United States in 1891. He was a highly skilled craftsman who constructed numerous pieces of furniture and decorative items. A number of these items are now at Fogelbo, the family’s estate near Nordia House. Fredrik was an active educator at Selah High School in Washington for 28 years and later taught at the Perry Institute in Yakima, The Fogelbo log home was built in 1938-1940 by Henry Steiner, one of the chief carpenters of Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood, Oregon (1936-1938). Washington. Fredrik’s son Charles Fogelquist was a forester For his achievement in the Swedish community who became the chief road engineer for the Bureau Ross was knighted by the King of Sweden, HM of Land Management in Oregon. His wife, Jessie Carl XVI Gustaf, awarding Sir Ross Fogelquist Taylor, was a piano teacher for 25 years. Their son, the title “Knight of the Royal Order of the Polar born in May 1938, is Ross Fogelquist, who taught Star” in 1985. He served as the Acting Swedish German for many years in the Evergreen School Consul for Oregon in 1993, and again in 1999 and District in Vancouver, Washington and started the 2001. Sir Ross Fogelquist served as Honorary Vice Scandinavian Student Exchange Program in 1976; Consul for the Swedish Consulate from 2001 until he managed it for more than 10 years. the Portland office closed in 2008. The Fogelquists’ historic log home Fogelbo Our friend and patron, the man who created a (built 1938-1940) is the site of many Scandinavian desire to celebrate everything Swedish, deserves artifacts. The house has been featured often in news- to be celebrated greatly on his 80th birthday. The papers, magazines and on local television. Many desire to celebrate the Swedish culture and heriguests pass through the house and grounds each tage will never fade away, and Ross will continue year, and cultural events are held on the property to be very active in supporting the Swedish and for the New Sweden Cultural Heritage Society led Nordic communities. by Fogelquist, to generate funds for and interest in Leif Rosqvist the Swedish organization.
Christinaberg estate in Mora, Dalarna, Sweden. Left: The former consul by the entrance to Fogelbo. 10 NORDSTJERNAN
The Fogelquist family at Fogelbo ca 1955.
language
w/ord encounters
Taking things literally: the venerable, vulnerable jordgubbe Once again the word of the month came to me as both a sound and an image. Part of the enjoyment of receiving words this way no doubt comes from my interest in language but also because I have been absent so long from life in Sweden and for years have made my home in the Deep South of the United States. Thus, I might think about the sound more and enjoy it more than the average citizen who goes to the grocery store to grab a pack of strawberries in a hurry. My visuals for the word, the imagery, stands more vivid also. When the president of the United States recently used profanity to describe certain countries, many Americans feigned shock or truly experienced it, but they likely did not visualize the word. It was one they heard before, in such a way that it does not present imagery. A Swede, on the other hand, would visualize the compound word, separating the two parts and visualizing them so the term becomes a whole lot less sanitary than it is in the United States. Which brings us to our word: jordgubbe (strawberry) and the plural, jordgubbar. As an expatriate, I envision the word jordgubbe as a kind of mascot, along the lines of a craft project made to decorate a table, as if someone had taken an acorn and glued a little green felt hat on top of it. Of course our jordgubbe is red with green on top, but there is no denying the word means “earth” + “old man” or a man who is not exciting. Had I stayed in Sweden, the word might not have made its presence so intensely felt here, but it is difficult, no matter where you live, not to marvel at a fruit that evokes in Swedish a little old man of the soil. Leave it to the French to add confusion to the idyll of such a pleasant fruit. According to bärfrämjandet, a Swedish organization which advocates for growers and sellers of berries, the jordgubbe, as we know it, is a hybrid, Fragaria x ananassa, from France, first appearing some time between 1730 and 1740; www.barframjandet.se/jordgubbshistoria tells us that a French military engineer brought five “giant raspberry” plants with him from Chile. There was one big problem, however, even for the French, in The jordgubbe was introduced in Sweden in the 18th century under the name “ananassmultron,” a name likely derived from its Latin name, Fragaria Ananassa. Like raspberries, strawberries are not scientifically berries but an aggregate fruit where the actual fruit would be the yellow “seeds” on each strawberry. The “gubbe” part of its name, however, was not originally a reference to an old man but it is an old Germanic word meaning a small lump. Jordgubbe would in other words be an abbreviation for a lump in the earth, which, well, makes sense since strawberries do indeed grow close to the earth. Come to think of it, the word’s quite similar to jordnöt (peanut) or jordärtskocka (Jerusalem artichoke) in Swedish.
the area of sex: The five plants were female and a male was needed to produce plants that could yield the big berries the engineer had seen on his travels. To make a long story short, someone figured out that by pairing up a female raspberry plant from Chile with another raspberry plant present on French soil, the fruit of this labor would yield what we know today as a strawberry (though for some period of time it was still called a giant raspberry). The Svenska Akademiens Ordbok confirms this lore about the word jordgubbe with evidence of hybridization and even Chilean origin in one of the berries named Fragaria chiloensis. We also find the connection between raspberries and strawberries in writing as early as 1872 in this entry: d) om (”bär” av) numera odlade arter av växtsläktet Fragaria Lin.; särsk. om (”bär” av) korsningar mellan de under a, b o. c nämnda arterna o. de amerikanska arterna Fragaria virginiana Ehrh. o. Fragaria chiloënsis Duch.; i pl., med koll. bet., äv. om bären ss. (beståndsdel av) maträtt. Lundström Trädg. 238 (1841). Trädgårdssmultronen (jordgubbarna) härstamma från åtskilliga vilda arter. HbTrädg. 3: 130 (1872). I would be remiss if I did not also touch on the sound of jordgubbe. The y-sound of jord, followed by the g-sound of gubbe, again leads me to believe that somehow the spoken language of Swedish has been designed for a people that can handle tongue twisters—of course different from the way the Vikings twisted and pulled out those of their victims and then ate the tongues as delicacies (historical note: There is no exact proof Vikings did this, just as every Swedish Viking did not sit around and drink beer out of human skulls, no matter how wonderful the connection between skull, beer and the famous Swedish drinking salutation of skål). In the instance that got me thinking about jordgubbar, eating jordgubbar on a sunny day outside the sommarstuga or a child with a mouth red from indulging in Swedish strawberries wasn’t what I pictured. There is an image in Expressen that will have peaceful Swedish organic strawberry growers cry foul and have their hand cultivators up in arms. The photo in question is of a see-through plastic container, the kind we normally buy strawberries in. But instead of delicious red, the plastic container holds only three strawberries, as if in a still life of strawberries—with mold. Leave it to my beloved Expressen to turn something I love into a news story that will instill in many readers shock and anger, though I must confess their news stories always leave me smiling when I think about how ingenious their reporters are in putting together such news. www.expressen.se/gt/tanja29-varnar-efter-det-ackliga-fyndet-fran-willys At the top of the article we have a big photo of the
young attractive woman who came upon these ohso-imperfect strawberries in all of her innocence. The villain is a convenient one, the supermarket chain Willys, where we learn poor 29-year-old Tanja bought the berries that went bad after only one day at home! To make the jordgubbar piece even more delicious, Expressen has added a photo of a spokeswoman for Willys, who says about the incident: “That does not sound good, we will review our practices in that store. It is super important that the goods we sell are of good quality, especially where fruit and vegetables are concerned. Customers who have experienced [moldy strawberries] are welcome to visit our stores for a refund.” Once again, this time using our beloved jordgubbar, Expressen has managed to set up an equation of misery the common man or woman experiences at the hand of big business, leaving devoted readers fuming that big business will triumph and make small amends at best. I love it! The amazing things one finds when researching jordgubbar! So now you know—jordgubbe and jordgubbar have come a long way since winding up at your local Willys. Lest I leave you with a memory of the moldy strawberries, take a look at this wonderful cake by Anna Bringle [recipe on p. 15]
Now all that remains is baking your own from a great recipe or figuring out where such a Swedish delicacy might be obtained. Until next time, your (w)ord and jordgubbar lover, Ulf. Born in Sweden and raised in Europe and the U.S., Ulf Kirchdorfer is as Swedish American as we come. As a contributing writer for Nordstjernan he has shared eloquent and witty essays on how his Swedishness has influenced his life, reflecting on his childhood with his Swedish grandmother and experiences as an adult in America. You might just see a little of yourself in what he writes, in a collection of essays Kirchdorfer calls Swede Among the Rednecks: The Language That Just Won’t Stay Buried, available from Nordstjernan and through amazon.com. MAY 01, 2018 11
feature
12 NORDSTJERNAN
“Our clients are often intellectual, individualistic women. They work in the humanities and have an interest in culture.”
udrun Sjödén - A Colorful Universe will open at the American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis on July 26. The exhibition on artist, designer and entrepreneur Gudrun Sjödén will cover many of the ingredients that have made her brand one of Sweden’s largest fashion exports, second only to well known mega retailer H&M. It will run in Minneapolis until October 28 but is expected to tour the U.S., likely opening in the Northwest in early 2019. We’ll keep you posted on its next destination. The exhibition was developed in cooperation with long-time friend and designer Wanja Djanaieff and will include collections from various time periods but also delve into aspects of entrepreneurship, sources of inspiration, the design process and Sjöden’s manufacturing and sustainability thoughts and philosophies. It feels safe to say we’ll be both entertained and inspired. While the majority of Sjödén’s customers are still in Europe, New Yorkers and Americans have embraced her colorful world with gusto. Close to 30,000 regular customers in the U.S. shop the brand online or in the flagship store on Greene Street in New York’s SoHo district—a 40% increase over last year. Sales in the U.S. are expected to increase 30% this year, and the SoHo store has quickly become a meeting spot for Sjödén customers from all over the U.S. Gudrun herself is often there—her next visit coincides with the store’s 5-year anniversary in May.
Building business with care
Gudrun Sjödén designs for women who care —
about the environment, about the finer things in life and about who they are, how they look and the values they project to the world. “Our clients are often intellectual, individualistic women,” she says. “They work in the humanities and have an interest in culture. It really has very little to do with age, but yes, my designs seem to appeal to women who like to come across as mature and self-reliant.” Sjödén is among the most successful Swedish fashion designers to make it under their own name. Many fashion aficionados, especially in Sweden, talk about the country’s burgeoning fashion industry, referring to the successful export in recent years of Swedish brands such as Acne, Filippa K or Tiger of Sweden. But if you Google “Swedish fashion,” Sjödén’s name rarely appears; search for it on Visit Stockholm and she doesn’t come up either. The fact is that her brand has grown under the radar for many years. It could be that the brand’s back story just isn’t hip enough to be trendy in the eyes of the Swedish fashion know-it-alls. A child of the progressive 60s but never political, Sjödén graduated from Sweden’s “Konstfack” — University of Arts, Crafts and Design — in 1963. With a degree in textiles and fashion, her first job was actually as a columnist for women’s magazines. She started designing clothes for other brands in the early ’70s but tired after a few years of not being allowed to present her entire collections to the end consumer. So, she and her late husband Björn, a photographer, opened their first store in Stockholm in 1976. Around
the same time, they started creating their own mail order catalogues, more or less around the kitchen table. Björn photographed Gudrun’s collections while she wrote the descriptions for every item. Sjödén now has 22 stores, and only six of them are in Sweden; the rest are scattered around Europe, in locales such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Copenhagen and London. With the U.S. under her belt since 2013, her next market for a store could be Canada or down under in Australia, where online sales have taken off. (In fact, mail order and e-commerce remain the company’s largest sources of revenue.) “We strive to be where we can meet our customer,” says a company spokesperson. The same is true for the U.S. so don’t be surprised when you see a new store near you elsewhere in the country.
Recognizable style
Being green is certainly nothing new and was never a marketing ploy for Sjödén. The philosophy of sustainable design via nature’s own materials was always part and parcel of her conviction, though. It could just be part of her roots, the results of growing up on a farm southwest of Stockholm or the early realization that what women really want is to both look good and feel good about what they’re wearing. Sjödén’s pieces are pretty, colorful and comfortable, made from organic natural materials whenever possible, and genuinely well made. There’s always been something recognizable about her basic wardrobes. Among her core audience anywhere, the Sjödén groupies are easily identi-
MAY 01, 2018 13
feature
“I’m an artist and convinced I can offer humanity something of my own, something of value that will remain.”
Left: Drawings for the exhibition from designer Wanja Djanaieff’s sketchbook.
Below and on previous spread: From Sjödén’s 2018 s/s collection.
fied — her items are personal, unique, often artsy and worn by women with their own careers and in search of their own personal style. It’s not middle of the road, in either style or in quality.
Sjödén is sharp yet laid back and casual, but her comments, like her designs, are straightforward, thoroughly realized and prepared. The designer lives her own brand; she enjoys going to the opera, browsing indie stores wherever she is, and in New York, walking the newly renovated high line or sitting down at the corner café and bookstore on SoHo’s Crosby Street. The designer turned 70, proud of the fact that the business is still family owned. She has no plans to retire. In fact, the first time we spoke, her plans were to run the company for another 20 years. Five years later when we ask whether plans have changed, the reply is simply, “absolutely not!” “I’m an artist and convinced I can offer humanity something of my own, something of value that will remain,” she says. “This is also my vision for the company and the brand — I’d like us to make it long-term. I’d like our full line to remain available and accessible for all of the women that have found what they’ve been looking for.” “We are not a chain: You need a structure to grow as we do but we stay true to our vision: We’re a company with a soul.” Ulf Barslund Martensson For more info, see www.gudrunsjoden.com
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07.26.2018 - 10.28.2018 Gudrun Sjödén - A Colorful Universe At American Swedish Institute 2600 Park Ave., Minneapolis MN 55407 612.871.4907 www.asimn.org
art and culture
Hembakatdagen is May 6
What better thing to make on “home-baking’s day” than the super popular, mouthwatering Swedish strawberry cake. Swede-in-America and baker Anna Bringle, of Swedishdreamish, shares her favorite recipe. It’s an adult- and kid pleaser, and it’s easy to make at home, she says. We say be sure to keep this recipe handy for Midsummer.
What is a summer without a strawberry cream cake? It’s hard to find anything more Swedish and summery. The most popular Swedish summer cake (and birthday cake, Mother’s Day cake and any day cake) is strawberry cream cake (jordgubbstårta). A glorious cream cake with a base of light, airy, moist sponge cake. A cake filled with smooth and fresh strawberry cream, home made vanilla cream and covered with fluffy fresh whipped cream, and decorated with lovely sweet strawberries. Photo by Anna Bringle / www.swedishdreamish.com
Swedish Strawberry Cream Cake Sponge Cake 4 eggs 3/4 cup + 4 tsp sugar (2 dl) 6 tbsp flour (1 dl) 6 tbsp potato flour (1 dl) 1 tsp baking powder
Mix everything except vanilla sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat, whisking until the cream thickens, but do not let it boil. Let the cream cool and flavor it with vanilla sugar.
Heat your oven to 350F (175C). Grease and bread the 9 x 2 inches (2 liter) round baking pan. Beat the eggs and sugar very well. Blend together flour and baking powder and carefully stir it down in the batter. Pour into the round baking pan. Bake on the lower oven rack for approximately 40 min. Let the cake cool. Filling 1, Vanilla Cream 1/4 cup + 8 tsp whipped cream (1 dl) 1/4 cup + 8 tsp milk (1 dl) 2 egg yolks 1-1/2 tbsp potato flour 1 tbsp sugar 2 tsp vanilla sugar
Filling 2, Strawberry Cream 1/2 liter mashed strawberries (500 g) 3/4 cup + 4 tsp whipped cream (2 dl) Eventually add some extra sugar depending how sweet the strawberries are. Topping 1-1/4 cup whipped cream (3 dl) 1/2 liter strawberries (500 g) Divide the cake in three layers. Spread filling 1 between first layer, filling 2 between second layer. Cover cake with whipped cream and decorate with fresh strawberries. Save for Midsummer—this cake is sure to make your summer celebration Sweder ... much Sweder! For other Swede inspirations, see www.swedishdreamish.com or search www.nordstjernan.com
Augusta’s Daughter Ever wonder what made so many emigrate from Sweden in the nineteenth century? Judit Martin’s novel, “Augusta’s Daughter,” about 19th century Swedish peasant life made such an impression on us, we decided to offer it to the Nordstjernan readership. call 1.800.827.9333 for your own copy ($24.90 incl. S&H to cont. U.S.). The sequel,
Kajsa
was just released. The story of 15-year-old Elsa-Carolina’s illegitimate daughter Kajsa,who was cast out into the world from a foster home at the age of 8.
Please send me ____ book(s) “Augusta’s Daugheter” x $24.90 = _______ Please send me ____ book(s) “Kajsa” x $24.90 =
Incl. S&H (in continental U.S.)
_______
Total: _________
Name Address City State Zip Tel. m Check enclosed payable to Nordstjernan m Please charge my credit card: Card# Signature
Exp. Date:
/
SSC Code:
Mail to: Nordstjernan, P.O. Box 1710, New Canaan CT 06840
MAY 01, 2018 15
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Movie review:
Fanny & Alexander Ingmar Bergman’s film “Fanny and Alexander,” one of his best known and most comprehensive films, offers a charitable perspective on the human condition as viewed by an older, wiser man reflecting upon life. It is a delightful example of the master’s work during this centennial year of his birth. For us Swedish-Americans, who too often celebrate an ancestral homeland conceived by Carl Larsson and celebrate the Swedish holidays as remembered by our grandparents, the beginning and end of “Fanny and Alexander” use those cherished images to celebrate the strength of the family. This movie does not contain many of the deeply symbolic and sometimes disturbing themes of other Ingmar Bergman movies; however, it does combine reality and symbolic fantasy. The film is tightly structured, with a prologue before the first of five acts and concluding with an epilogue. Bergman begins “Fanny and Alexander” with a 10-year-old boy behind a portable toy theater — with its maxim atop the proscenium: “Not for pleasure alone.” He wanders through his grandmother’s momentarily empty house, but a female statue beckons to him and then a hooded figure with a scythe shuffles down the hall. This reveals two things: 1) We share the boy’s perspective; and 2) we realize the physical and fantastic are equally real and powerful for this boy.
The first act
We all feel right at home at the Ekdahl family’s
Christmas celebration, which introduces us to most of the characters. Many family members are at the theatre performing the nativity play for the townspeople, after which the small cast and crew are invited to the home for the traditional Julbord. Before everyone arrives we see Helene, the matriarchal widow, making last minute arrangements with the family’s half dozen maids. Then she can excuse herself to welcome “Uncle” Isak, her lover before marrying, her dearest and oldest friend. They share a moment together, as they will after everyone leaves and she stays up for Julotta. Her three sons and their families come in. Oscar and Emilie are parents to Fanny and Alexander. Oscar runs the theater, Emilie is the star. The widow’s second son, Carl, is an unsuccessful professor and married to Lydia, a German woman whom he be-
rates. The youngest son is the jovial Gustaf Adolf (a comment on the old king?) with his sexy wife, Alma, who allows Gustaf’s philandering with Alexander’s “nursemaid” Maj. That glorious night of feasting and revelry, including Oscar’s reading of the Gospel, is warm and joyous in color and activity. Each character is introduced, both their strengths and weaknesses. The next day, while the cast is rehearsing “Hamlet,” Oscar has a stroke on stage, while Alexander is watching. Oscar is rushed home and dies after trying to say farewell to each of his immediate family and asking Emilie to take care of their theater. Both children later awake in the night to see their father’s ghost tinkling the piano keys and looking sadly at them. At the funeral procession, Alexander is whispering a litany of swears that only Fanny beside him can hear; and he leaves the service when he
The Year of Bergman 2018 celebrates the rich legacy of Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday on July 14, 2018. www.ingmarbergman.se
Ingmar Bergman 100 screenings California BAMPFA, 2155 Center St., Berkeley / www.bampfa.org 05.03, 7 PM: Sawdust and Tinsel (Gycklarnas afton) 05.04, 7:30 PM: Thirst 05.06, 4:30 PM: Thirst 05.09, 7 PM: The Virgin Spring (Jungfrukällan) Michigan Detroit Film Theatre, 5200 Woodward Ave. / www.dia.org/events 05.26, 2 PM: Persona 16 NORDSTJERNAN
New York Jacob Burns Film Center, 364 Manville Rd., Pleasantville / www.burnsfilmcenter.org 05.01, 1:30 & 7:40 PM: Persona 05.08, 1:30 & 7:40 PM: The Seventh Seal 05.15, 1:30 & 7:40 PM: Wild Strawberries 05.22, 1:30 & 7:40 PM: Through a Glass Darkly 05.29, 1:30 & 7:40 PM: Autumn Sonata
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sees his father’s ghost observing them. The minister returns and officiously consoles the widow.
Mounting desperation
During the summer we learn that Emilie, seeking spiritual relief for herself and her children, has agreed to marry Bishop Vergius. When she announces this, we — and they — sense doom in his strict piety. This is reinforced when he insists she and the children are to come live in his bishop’s “palace” shorn of everything from their past. There, the children are treated as prisoners (locked doors, barred windows, poor and skimpy rations) by the bishop’s mother, aunts and maids, all of whom are sinister and adore the minister’s righteous rule. Scene by scene the desperation of mother and children mounts as the bishop becomes ever more stern and cruel. Eventually he brutally canes the boy, and Emilie discovers her battered son in the attic. Shortly after this, Maj mentions to Helene that she’s worried because she has not received replies to her letters to Alexander. Emilie herself drops in on Helene to indicate how the bishop mistreats her and the children; how they all hate him and will do anything to escape; and that she is pregnant with the bishop’s child. Worst of all, she cannot leave him, for the law would give him custody of the children.
setting aflame her bedroom and herself. Both she and the bishop die in the fire and the police cannot blame anyone. The conclusion finds the entire Ekdahl family reunited once again at a summer feast, celebrating Emilie and Maj’s two baby girls. What gives particular poignancy to this scene is the way Gustaf sees the family future in all the children at the party and the bliss of the whole family — come what may. “Carpe Diem” is his benefice, may they enjoy the blessings of each day. He pronounces a “benediction” similar to Oscar’s “introit” to the cast after their nativity play at the beginning of the film. These initial and final speeches are Bergman’s messages to us.
Behind the scenes
It must be acknowledged that the level of acting by the entire cast is extraordinary. It is remarkable that though Liv Ullmann, Max von Sydow and Ingrid Bergman had been considered for the roles of Emilie, Bishop Edvard Vergerus and Helene, they did not participate, which allowed us to savor the superb performances in those roles of Ewa Fröhlig, Jan Malmsjö and Gunn Wållgren, as well as Bertil Guve as Alexander. I am always amazed at how Bergman’s troupe took on such a variety of characters, but was astounded to discover that Harriet Andersson was the bishop’s mousy maid, Justine, along with other favorite Bergman actors: Jarl Kulle, Gunnar Björnstrand and Erland Josephson. All the characters are vital and therefore memorable; their collegial accomplishment is a master class in how the whole is greater than their collective efforts, in realizing Bergman’s creative vision. The Criterion collection for “Fanny and Alexander”
is really a collector’s item. It consists not only of this 118-minute film, but also the 5-hour, 6-episode TV series (among the longest films in history) that this shorter film was excerpted from, as well as the “Fanny and Alexander Document,” a documentary on the making of this miracle. This excellence was appreciated at the time and even more so today. With a cast of 60 speaking parts (and 120 costumes for the principal actors) and more than a thousand extras (and as many costumes), this was the most costly ($7 million) Swedish film at the time and for many years thereafter, taking half a year to film, not counting editing. “Fanny and Alexander” was one of Bergman’s most popular films in his own country and grossed $6.7 million in North America. It won four Oscars — Best Foreign Language Film (Bergman); Best Cinematography (Sven Nykvist); Best Art Direction (Anna Asp and Susanne Lingheim); and Best Costume Design (Marik Vos-Lundh) — and was nominated for an additional two — Best Director (Bergman); and Best Original Screenplay (Bergman).
Fin
Finally at the end of the film, Emilie has returned to the theater and hands Helene the script to Strindberg’s “Dream Play.” She’s teased by the opportunity to return to the stage with Emilie and begins to read. Alexander joins her on the sofa, laying his head in his farmor’s lap, and she reads aloud Strindberg’s wisdom: “Everything can happen. Everything is possible and probable. Time and space do not exist. On a flimsy framework of reality the imagination spins, weaving new patterns.” Ted Olsson
In the next act, Isak magically steals away the children. When he brings them to his home, the children feel safe, but the home, a labyrinth of used goods is also a magical mystery tour. Acts of magic and surreal mysticism fill these scenes as they do the entire movie, and Isak’s mysterious son Ismael seems to bond with Alexander. He mentors him, somehow knowing that Alexander hates someone, and teaches him to put a curse upon the bishop. Sure enough, in the next scene the pregnant Emilie is sitting with a warm cup of broth when the bishop comes in. She is not drinking the broth, and he asks if he could have a sip. In time he drinks the whole cup and begins to feel tired. When he is woozy, Emilie says she wanted to commit suicide but thought better of it, having added a double dose of sedatives to his drink. She tells him she and the children will escape him while he dozes. After she leaves we see an aunt reaching to turn down the gas lamp beside her bed, knocking it over and
Bergman instructing his actors for a scene in the Ekdahl family home (Fanny & Alexander, 1982) MAY 01, 2018 17
Photo courtesy Cinematograph AB/Sandrew Film & Teater (1982)
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a taste of sweden in edinburgh, scotland We had arrived at Akva, at 129 Fountainbridge in Edinburgh. The sign outside read “Swedish café, bar & venue,” which pretty much summed it up (except that it didn’t mention a two-tiered restaurant and a beer garden). We met with the cafe’s owner, Anna Christopherson. Her big welcoming smile was infectious. Busy as she is — she and her husband Mike own five other bars and cafés in Edinburgh — she appeared wonderfully relaxed. We sat down, chatted for an hour or more, and enjoyed some excellent food and drink. Asked about what prompted her and Mike to go to Scotland in the first place, Anna told us they had been keen on leaving Stockholm for a while. They had looked at a few places, and on a whim flew over to Edinburgh for a week. As she put it, Edinburgh won their heart: The people seemed so friendly and less stressed than in other cities. That was back in 2004. That same year they found a shabby old pub on Leith Walk and turned it into a cozy bar, featuring comfortable sofas, old-fashioned lamps, and the kind of floral wallpaper typical of Swedish homes back in the 1950s. Called Boda Bar, it became an instant success and was followed by several others, a couple of which served food with a Swedish twist. And now there’s Akva, supposedly named for the nearby Union Canal, but more likely because of its obvious connection to the word “aquavit.” “So which are your favored aquavits?” I asked. “Skåne, Linie, O.P. Andersson and Jubileum.” Her answer came without hesitation and sounded good to me. I wondered aloud about how Scots react to things Swedish, and Anna smiled and said, “Oh, they love everything Scandinavian. You can almost convince them to do anything as long as you say it’s Swedish.” As an example, she cited a Viking Pub Crawl, where participants had to create a beard from wool and paint a shield on old cardboard. And in celebrating Swedish holidays, there’s hardly any length to which Akva won’t go. At Midsummer, the beer garden would have its own Maypole. Much attention is given to “krans” (wreath)–making. And all the usual songs are sung, including “Räven raskar over isen” and “Små grodorna.” Other events include special crayfish nights, a gingerbread house competition, Lucia of course, and even a Kladdkaka day. We asked about the Swedish food served in the restaurant, and Anna immediately rattled off a list of things, such as meatballs, herring (specifically “citronsill” (lemon herring)), cinnamon buns and kladdkaka. At this point, our “starter” was served. Consisting of crisp bread loaded with smoked salmon and hardboiled eggs, and accompanied by a light salad,
it proved quite delicious. While waiting for the main meal, a Smorgåsbord Sharing Platter, I did a little tour of the restaurant. Since this was right between lunch and dinnertime, there was just a sprinkling of guests, all of whom seemed to be enjoying themselves. The place struck me as utterly friendly and very relaxed. Then I discovered a kid’s corner with a selection of toys and a small library. Bringing it to Anna’s attention, she told that when she and Mike announced that Akva would welcome children, their liquor license was rejected. (Edinburgh has strict liquor laws against children under 18). Fortunately, they invited the committee to inspect the place, and the ruling was reversed. The sharing platter turned out to be a sumptuous array of, among other things, smoked trout and mackerel, gravlax, pastrami, cream cheese and plenty of crusty bread. Satisfied and quite satiated after our meal, we indulged in yet another treat: a platter of the sticky Swedish chocolate cake known as kladdkaka. How Swedish can you get? And in Scotland of all places. Text & Photos: Bo Zaunders For more info, see www.bodabar.com/akva MAY 01, 2018 19
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En vass penna har tystnat
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Ulf Nilson photographed for Nordstjernan in New York in 2007 by Henrik Olund.
ännen, journalisten, kolumnisten Ulf Nilson somnade in i Stockholm den 10 mars efter en längre tids sjukdom. Det kändes overkligt när jag hörde det på morgonen därpå. Under min tid – i en eller annan form över 30 år nu i sommar – har få betytt så mycket som vår alltid orädde tidigare kolumnist Ulf Nilson. Som inspiration, ögonöppnare och, då och då, nagel i ögat. Världsmedborgare, konservativ i frågor som gäller samhälle och stat men liberalare än de flesta i sin människosyn. Samtidigt, ja, som Juttan, Christina Jutterström, kortvarig chefredaktör på Expressen (som gav Ulf sparken från tidningen) kanske skulle sagt, han kan vara en “svår jävel” men ack så professionell. Hon glömde kanske det senare, hennes tid blev kortvarig medan Ulf återanställdes omedelbart 20 NORDSTJERNAN
efter att hon lämnat efter ett år på sin post. En av Sveriges och Nordstjernans mest lästa skribenter var inte svår, han var sin egen. Ulf var enormt påläst, kunnig, berest och ett vandrande uppslagsverk över nutids-historia. Och, en vänfast “grabb” som ställde upp för dig, dem och det han trodde på i alla väder. Det här senare kom kanske från bakgrunden—uppvuxen i Slöinge, några mil utanför Falkenberg där pappa var stenhuggare, sedermera ombudsman för facket. Han bestämde sig tidigt för journalistbanan och blev volontär på Falkenbergs Tidning. Året var 1949 och efter bara några månader blev han avlönad och började skriva ..för två öre raden. Har man bestämt sig så har man. Efter några år på landsortstidningar landade han jobb på Åhlén & Åkerlunds förlag och tidningen Se i
Stockholm varifrån han skickades ut för att rapportera om Ungernrevolten 1956. “Jag var yngst och ingen annan vågade väl,” sa han alltid själv om det stora uppdraget. Han var orädd världsreportern och han skrev alltid vad han tyckte utan omsvep. Det är nog vad som krävs när man skriver om allt från Ungernrevolten, avrättningen av Lumumba i dåvarande republiken Congo, jordbävningar, krig och katastrofer, till undre världen i Stockholm, undren i Asien, med mera, med mera… listan över världshändelser Ulf rapporterade om är längre än för någon annan nu eller sannolikt någonsin levande svensk journalist. Nordstjernan skrev om hans ankomst till New York. T Edvard Karlsson, Värmlandsfödd make till Alvalene P. Karlsson, fångade den unge nye korrespondenten från Expressen efter hans ankomst 1963 för femtiofem år sedan. Själv fick jag kontakt med Ulf genom en av våra läsare, Bengt Fast, som tyckte vi behövde en stark, oberoende röst. Visst gjorde vi det. Minns att de fullständigt objektiva sanningarna är få i nyhetsströmmen. Genom att ge röst åt flera åsiktriktningar vill Nordstjernan låta läsaren själv bestämma sin sanning. Det är ju själva grunden för beteckningen oberoende och självständig. Tidningen Expressen har f.ö. (åtminstone mestadels) varit både liberal och oberoende—liksom Ulf, som hade en alldeles unik förmåga att få oss att tänka om, tänka till eller tycka till, vare sig vi alltid höll med eller ej. Han började skriva för oss ganska snart efter att jag blivit fast bosatt i landet men innan jag börjat dagligen engagera mig i tidningens framtid, form och innehåll. Ulf var alltid orädd på det mest osvenska vis; han sa vad han tyckte. Han var politiskt inkorrekt nu i närmare 70 år med en osedvanligt vass penna. Att spendera en kväll med Ulf var som att resa i tid och rum. Du joggar med Olof Palme i Kyoto under statsbesök i Japan, går sida vid sida med Martin Luther King Jr., droppar ner i stridszoner i Vietnam eller besöker någon av de fyra presidenter Ulf själv hade besökt i Vita Huset. Når det gäller media låg han alltid före sin tid. När vi började prata Nordstjernan, innehåll och tyngdpunkter för framtiden var vi överens—utgå alltid ifrån att läsaren redan känner till alla världsnyheter du kan skriva om, håll nyheterna kort men erbjud historiska sammanhang, i den mån det går analyser och öppna sidorna för allas åsikter. Den enda gången vi blev riktiga ovänner för en dag, kanske två var på den tiden ulf skrev varje vecka och jag missat ringa för att diskutera innehållet i krönikan och den därför uteblev. Det hade han svårt att smälta, “hur f-n kan du missa ringa mig, jag måste väl för #@$! vara med som vanligt …” Det hände inte igen. Vi jobbade ihop, bråkade ibland i mer än 20 år. Det var härliga år. Tack reportern, news junkien, vännen, du är saknad. Ulf blev 84 år. Han var en man med mycket känsla som alltid haft förmågan att väcka mycket känslor. Ulf Barslund Mårtensson
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Kungen bör ta plats i Akademien Det råder full lekstuga i den kungliga svenska akademien. Några ledamöter av den vittra akademin ville nyligen att en av deras kollegor skulle avsättas. När de inte vann gehör för sitt yrkande beslutade de sig Olle Wijkström för att själva lämna institutionen som bl.a. står för den ärevördiga årliga utnämningen av Nobelpristagaren i litteratur. De blev helt enkelt sura. Kalabalik och oförskämda påhopp kollegor emellan råder sedan dess. Den kungliga akademin står som bekant för valspråket: Snille och Smak. I detta läge ringer min vän Rolf till mig. Rolf är en god vän som alltid gillat och fortfarande uppskattar ordning och reda. Rolf är en handlingens man. Han vet hur man klarar av misshälligheter i livet. Därför tycker han mycket illa om vad som sker i den kungliga akademin. Han frågar sig: Varför kan icke så högutbildade och lärda personer som akademiledamöter lösa sina meningsmotsättningar på ett bättre sätt? Det måste alltid förekomma ordning och reda. Även i litterära sällskap. ”Du minns väl att det var den dåvarande kungen, Gustaf III, som bildade svenska kungliga akademin,” började Rolf sitt samtal med mig. “Förmodligen tog den gamle kungen också del i hur akademin skulle organiseras. Han dik-
terade förmodligen även vilka uppgifter som mansson i svensk Tv på 60-talet. Och visst skulle läggas på den ständige sekreteraren. är det så: ordning och reda måste ‘det va’. Eftersom allting därefter fungerade relativt hyggligt i ett hundratal år visade sig kungens idéer fungera. När det nu brakat SAN FRANCISCO samman är det dags Torsdag 3 maj kl 19.00 för den nuvarande STUDENT- OCH AU PAIR-MIDDAG kungen Carl XVI i Norska Sjömanskyrkan på Hyde St. Grillning. Gustaf att gripa in. Anmälan på Norska sjömanskyrkans fb-sida. Han är ju inte bara Söndag 13 maj kl 11.00 en sentida arvtagare GUDSTJÄNST efter grundaren, den i Norska Sjömanskyrkan på Hyde St. Präst Louise Linder predikar och gamle Gustaf den Ragnar Bohlin är organist. Kyrkkaffe och saft tredje. Dessutom är Lördag 19 maj kl 15.00 (barnsamling kl 14.00) han beskyddare av FAMILJEGUDSTJÄNST akademin. En akademi i Los Altos. Präst Louise Linder predikar. Therese Brewitz spelar, Zaida Singers medsom nu verkligen beverkar. Kyrkkaffe och saft. Barn välkomna redan kl 14.00 för sång och pyssel. höver beskydd. Till Torsdag 24 maj kl 18.30 ytterligare visso är vår Meningen med livet och konsert i kyrkan. Oskar Stenmarks trio framför “I min nuvarande kung känd farmors fotspår - jazz på Rättviksmål”. Snittar och dryck serveras. Inträde. för att vilja ha ordning I samarbete med svenska konsulatet och SWEA. och reda. Egenskaper Fredag 4, 11, 18, 25 maj kl 10.30 av det slaget behöver BARNGRUPPEN akademin träffas på fredagar i Norska sjömanskyrkan för sång, lek och gemenskap. Svåra problem går Smörgås, kaffe och saft serveras. att lösa. Följ Rolfs rekSe Facebook för mer info! ommendationer. “Någon jävla ordSVENSKA KYRKAN SAN FRANCISCO Norska Sjömanskyrkan, 2454 Hyde Street, San Francisco ning ska ‘det va’ i ett Tel: 415-632-8504 Epost: sanfrancisco@svenskakyrkan.se parti,” sa f.d. vänHemsida: www.svenskakyrkan.se/sanfrancisco sterledare C-H Her-
not my time to die Titanic and the Swedes on Board by Lilly Setterdahl The 123 Swedes on board made up the third largest ethnic group on the Titanic after the American and the British. The book profiles each of the Swedish passengers; including the 34 survivors... Perfect bound, large size paperback, 296 pages. Richly illustrated.
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Two beloved Swedish voices Beloved Swedish singer and actress Barbro Svensson, professionally known as Lill-Babs died on April 4, after a career spanning more than 60 years. Also known as “Sweden’s grand old lady,” Lill-Babs died of heart failure after a brief illness. Born Barbro Margareta Svensson, her stage name was a play with words as a connection to the more well-known singer of the time, Alice Babs, a name given by her long-time mentor and manager Simon Brehm. Lill-Babs came from Järvsö, a small town in central Sweden. She was discovered as a singer at age 15 when she sang on local radio and was heard by a bandleader and talent scout. She
The Swedish opera singer Kjerstin Dellert has died, aged 92, in Stockholm, Sweden. She is survived by her husband Nils-Åke Häggbom and her son Thomas Dellert, relatives, friends and colleagues. Stockholm was Kjerstin's first stage in 1925. Her father Oscar was a wholesale distributor and managing director, her mother dreamed about acting and Kjerstin's youth was filled with music: Her career began when she won an Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts contest in the U.S. in 1948, with the song "Something To Remember You By." Soon a main role in the operetta "The Beautiful Helen" in Gothenburg led to employment at the Swedish Royal Opera in Stockholm 1952. Kjerstin became Carmen, Aida, Musetta and Tosca, singing together with all the great tenors of that time. She had the lead role as Daisy Doody in the newly written science fiction opera, "Aniara" in 1959, based on the poem by Nobel Prize winner Harry Martinson, the managing director of the
Metropolitan Opera in New York in 1972. She was an early, brave and skilled pioneer building bridges between opera, operetta, musicals, evergreens and jazz standards in Scandinavian television, radio and gramophone. When King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden married his queen in 1976, Kjerstin surprised them by singing an old, funny Swedish folk song called "Carl Gustaf" at the wedding party. Kjerstin was a fresh wind for the rather well behaved and shy Swedish audiences of the 50s and 60s. She was honest and outspoken, a voice for the unfortunate. Since 1792 the old Royal Court theatre "Confidencen" was forgotten at the Royal Palace Ulriksdal, outside Stockholm. The neighbor, Princess Christina, let Kjerstin borrow the key to the theatre; she stepped in and saw dusty lumber and old royal theatre history from King Gustaf III:s era, and she stepped out as managing director to bring life and plays and opera back in to the forgotten theatre; it became her life’s work. A "char" was a celestial chariot in an old court theater during the 1700s that could be lowered down from the ceiling where the gods made their entrances
Pomona’s Lost Children, A Book of Uncommon Antique Fruits By Jay Stratton
Jay Stratton’s book is a comfortable mix of memories, facts, trivia and hundreds of recipes, but also a revelation for a variety of reasons. If you grew up in the countryside or with access to a summerhouse or garden in Sweden, you have most likely grown up around red and black currant bushes along with gooseberries, elderberries and all sorts of other fruits that these days, as we’ve learned, are considered super berries. Having grown up in upstate New York, it turns out Stratton’s childhood was all about these widely forgotten fruits and berries—and quite a few we weren’t aware of, such as the Jostaberry, the Pawpaw or the Saskatoon.
“The mix of tips on growing, on cooking with memories, mythology and ethnobotany of Pomona’s Lost Children makes it an easy read and the hundreds of recipes are a welcome bonus.”
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moved to Stockholm and her career took off. Lill-Babs starred in several movies, television shows and musicals and had a successful career in Germany as well. She came to the U.S. on many occasions later in her career and performed on tour and at special events. Her latest performance here was at the SWEA Florida 25-year jubilee in October 2017. Known as a versatile artist, warm, friendly and generous, always attentive to everyone she met or worked with, she touched many lives. Her audience loved her, and she loved the audience just as much. Lill-Babs had three daughters and wrote her autobiography, Hon är jag in 1996. In 2012, Sweden released a stamp of the popular entertainer, and in 2017 Lill-Babs was inducted into the Swedish Music Hall of Fame.
Lill-Babs, top left, enjoys a return visit to SWEA Florida; and Kjerstin Dellert gives an interview in her native Sweden. Photo: Mattias Ahlm
to interfere in the play. Now, for the last time, the char is raised toward her waiting friends and colleagues. They sing and celebrate her with the same song she sang for the King in 1976: "O, dear Kjerstin, sweet, little Kjerstin! You are so close to our heart...!" Mattias Enn, Stockholm
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news in brief
Swedish News Swedish soprano soars
Once again Sweden produces another opera star. Malin Byström was named Female Singer of the Year on April 9 at the opera’s Oscars, the 2018 International Opera Awards in London. The lyric soprano from Helsingborg received the award among many world-renowned opera stars who also performed live. Byström, whose voice has been compared to that of Kiri Te Kanawa, studied at the University College of Opera, Stockholm; she made her Royal Opera debut in 2002.
Eco-friendly aviation tax
Sweden introduced a new aviation tax in a bid to lessen air travel’s impact on the climate. Travelers will be hit with an extra charge of SEK 60-400 ($7$48) depending on the destination. The tax applies to everyone except infants, flight crews and stopovers that don’t require a plane change. A government report estimated the tax could potentially reduce Sweden’s greenhouse emissions by up to two percent, and 53 percent of Swedes are reportedly in the favor of the tax, but others are concerned it won’t have enough impact. The airlines argued the tax would have minimal positive impact and they have aspirations for the airplanes themselves to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in half by 2030.
First Catholic mass in Lund
This autumn, while the Catholic parish of St Thomas in Lund, Sweden will be closed for major restoration work, Lund Cathedral will open its doors to them: The first Catholic mass since the 16th century will be celebrated there on October 21. The decision by the Lutheran Church of Sweden to offer a temporary place of worship to the Catholic parish reflects the spirit of Pope Francis’ visit to the city in 2016 for a joint ecumenical commemoration of the Protestant Reformation. The ancient cathedral, dating back to the 11th century, was the religious heart of the region during the Middle Ages and continues to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
New Spotify acquisition
Just one week after its initial public listing, Spotify made another acquisition of a startup. This time the Swedish music streaming service acquired the American company Loudr. This acquisition should be seen as part of the company’s “continued efforts to achieve a more transparent and efficient music industry,” Spotify wrote in a release. Spotify has often been criticized for making wrong payments to the creators of music and has been sued for copyright Swedish lyric soprano Malin Byström sings Arabella at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 2015. infringement by artists and publishers several times. New gambling licenses Loudr, which will become an integral part of SpoWith hope for transitioning from a state gambling tify’s New York office, was founded in 2013, makmonopoly to privatized gambling, legislation is be- ing it easier for music services to identify songs ing proposed to require licensing for gambling, an and rights holders to subsequently pay royalties. effort to rein in offshore online casinos that have surged in popularity in recent years. It means any- Academy members resign one active in the Swedish gambling market must Three members of the Swedish Academy walked have a valid license; the bill would still permit its away from their chairs on April 6. In a high profile state-run casino monopolies to remain intact but on- sexual abuse scandal involving the spouse of Acadline gambling firms will pay an 18 percent tax on emy member Katarina Frostenson, a vote was taken gross gaming revenue. The legislation is expected within the academy to maintain Frostenson. In a reacto go into effect in early 2019 if approved. tion to the process and the outcome, Klas Östergren, Peter Englund and Kjell Espmark removed themSafer child safety seats selves from the Academy, citing decisions they can’t Sweden uses different child safety seats and rules support and a betrayal of the Academy’s own bylaws than America uses and has a far lower rate of car and founders. The Swedish Academy was founded by crash fatalities among children than in the U.S. If King Gustav III in 1786, has 18 chairs and awards the America were to adopt those same rules—and re- Nobel Prize in Literature each year. Two others left searchers and the American Academy of Pediatrics their seats in their lifetime, now leaving five chairs are open to the suggestion—children would be in empty; the Academy can’t pick new members for the rear-facing car seats until age 4 (in the U.S. rear- empty chairs since membership is for the lifetime of facing car seats are used until about age 2). Yes, par- each member, even if he or she decides to leave the ents actually manage to get their 3- and 4-year-olds Academy. Sara Danius, the first woman to lead the into rear-facing car seats because the seats allow for body was later forced out as permanent secretary — all much more leg room. Such seats are not available in part of the feud that has bitterly divided the academy, the United States—yet? which may not have seen its last resignation.
MAY 01, 2018 23
sports
‘Dear LA, You’re welcome’
The Zlatan of Sweden. Image: LA Galaxy
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has arrived. How long he stays is the $64,000 question. The self-proclaimed greatest living soccer player from Sweden landed in Los Angeles in spectacular fashion on March 24 when he took out a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times, proclaiming, “Dear Los Angeles: You’re Welcome.” Ibrahimovic now plays for the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer. He already scored three goals in his first games, including a pair in his debut against cross-town rivals Los Angeles City FC. In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on April 17, however, “The Zlatan” hinted his stay with the Galaxy could be short. “I’m going to the World Cup, yes,” he said to wild applause. “A World Cup without me wouldn’t be a World Cup.” Although he refused to say whether he would go as a player or a commentator for Fox Sports, which owns the U.S. broadcast to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, his announcement means
he would likely miss most of June and July of the MLS season. Unlike nearly every other league in the world, MLS does not take international breaks and plays through major international tournaments. This comes on the heels of a huge hint he posted on Twitter, saying chances of playing for Sweden in Russia are “skyhoga” or “shy-high.” The 36-year-old striker sent the characteristically audacious message to his five million Twitter followers on April 15, suggesting he is ready to come out of international retirement to play at one more major tournament. He has not played for Sweden since the European Championship in France two years ago, where they finished rock bottom of their group after collecting just one point. In his interview with Kimmel, the former Barcelona and InterMilan forward said he would only play for Sweden, “if I feel well.” “They call me every day, they ask me how am I doing, but we need to take a step at a time. I repeat if I feel well and if I want to, I’ll be there.” A series of knee injuries have hampered Ibrahimovic in recent years, limiting him to just 53 matches with Manchester United, although he managed to score 29 goals in those games. He said the decision to join MLS was an easy one to make. “I decided to sign with Galaxy because I think it’s the right place for me,” he told Kimmel. “I think I have a lot to give, I can help them a lot. It’s the best team in the U.S. There were no doubts.” After joking with Kimmel on his first late-night U.S. TV appearance, Ibrahimovic engaged with some good-natured—though very Zlatan—banter on the state of the game in the U.S. Kimmel told Ibrahimovic, “You have to understand it’s very unusual to get this kind of enthusiasm for anything related to soccer. For the most part, here soccer is a game we wish our kids didn’t play so we didn’t have go to it on the weekends.” Ibrahimovic dismissed the host, telling him, “So we call it football. And football is the biggest sport in the world. So imagine now when you play football and you’re on the top, how you feel. Brilliant.” Chipp Reid