Literature

In her wealth of work since her first breakthrough publication in 1974, the Swedish novelist Kerstin Ekman has explored themes such as the transformation of Sweden through industrialisation, the interrelation of the Sami, Swedish and Norwegian cultures and, latterly, ecocritical perspectives and cultural perspectives.

While the Royal Danish Theatre was founded in back in 1748, this overview of drama in Denmark extends from after World War II to the beginning of the twenty-first century touching on experimental and socially critical theatre groups in the 1960s and '70s, the exploration of aesthetics thereafter and some contemporary playwrights.

Swedish artist Vera Nilsson developed an expressionist style and subjects included the landscape of Öland and the Spanish Civil War.

While Ibsen cannot go unmentioned in a discussion on Norwegian theatre, developments in other areas have also been varied and interesting. Regional theatres were established throughout Norway in the 1970s and these as well as others, such as independent theatres, have been used as fora for airing important issues as well as for entertaining since then.

Non-fiction can include essays, reports, memoirs and biographies, and travel writing, although the boundaries of what constitutes 'non-fiction' - or, as it is called in the Scandinavian languages, 'factual prose' - are fluid.

This is the third Quick Read on drama in the Nordics and this time it focuses on Sweden.

This is the second Quick Read on drama and it focuses on Iceland.

Theatre is a dynamic medium in the Nordic countries, and the many plays written and produced, especially since the 1960s, have been characterised by innovation and experimentation. This is the first Quick Read on drama in the Nordics which focuses on Finland. Articles on the other Nordic countries are to follow.

Literary work and issues pertaining to it were rooted in the historical-biographical tradition following the Second World War in the Nordics. Danish linguist Louis Hjelmslev's work helped paved the way for structuralism which came to prominence in the 1960s, when the wider debate on the role of literature in education and society also began to grow. Theory and method were central to this debate, as were the introduction of a wealth of innovative approaches to literature, including Marxism and feminist literary criticism. Poststructuralism and deconstruction developed thereafter. All of these waves arguably lay the foundation for the literary criticism we are familiar with today in the Nordic countries, namely, a subject area that is eclectic and wide-ranging.

Feminist writing in 1970s, particularly prose fiction, was inspired by second-wave feminism and by the mid-1980s, feminist writing had become a significant element in Nordic culture. Over the following two decades, issues of gender, frequently explored in terms of language, identity and the body, also gave new prominence to genres such as drama and poetry.