Imagining Norden - branding and Nordic reputation
Perceptions of the Nordics abound, from the reputation of the Nordic welfare state to that of interior design. Content on this page seeks to examine the construction and deconstruction of the different 'brands' of the region; why, when, where and how the region, its individual countries, its way of life, what it produces etc are branded. New articles are added regularly.
2019.10.22 | Biography, Anne Heith, Literature
Gunnar Björling (1887–1960)
Poet Gunnar Björling flouted conventional grammar and syntax rules and is recognised as a radical, modernist in Sweden.
2019.10.17 | Article, Sille Julie J. Abildgaard, Education, Business, Research
Studio-Based Learning in the Nordics
Studio-Based Learning (SBL) is an educational tradition with a student-centered approach. The practice originates in Northern Europe, where Nordic arts and design programs have a long tradition of using studio spaces for teaching. The physical space is considered a powerful factor in facilitating learning and accomplishing instructional goals, and…
2019.10.03 | Biography, Anne Heith, Literature
Sonja Åkesson (1926–1977)
Swedish poet Sonja Åkesson advocated the use of colloquial language and themes from everyday life, and her style and humour influenced the next generation of particularly women writers and feminists.
2019.10.01 | Article, Lill Tove Fredriksen, Literature, Minorities
A brief history of Sámi literature
Sámi literature's history can be traced from the 1600s and the course of this history can be interpreted in the context of important Sámi, national and international political movements. Sámi literature is literature written by authors who are Sámi, who are members of the Sámi people. In this short article, the Sámi socio-political development…
2019.08.28 | Biography, Bodil Marie Stavning Thomsen, The arts
Asta Nielsen (1881-1972)
The Danish theatre actress Asta Sophie Amalie Nielsen became a silent screen world star overnight after her leading role in the silent movie Afgrunden (The Abyss/The Woman always Pays) in 1910.
2019.08.27 | Biography, Tom Lundskær-Nielsen, The arts
Kjeld Abell (1901-1961)
Kjeld Abell is one of the most prominent and innovative Danish playwrights in the 20th century. In his early plays he satirises the narrow, conventional outlook of the bourgeoisie from a socialist viewpoint. Later, he focuses on political commitment and moral dilemmas, inspired by World War II and the German occupation of Denmark, while the…
2019.08.21 | Biography, Linda Haverty Rugg, Literature
Tomas Tranströmer (1931-2015)
Winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature, Tomas Tranströmer was one of those rare poets who is both acclaimed by scholars and critics as well as beloved by a broad readership in Sweden and internationally. Translated into over 60 languages, his poetry is characterized by powerful imagery, and focuses particularly on the human interface with…
2019.08.18 | Biography, Jenny Rood, Juliette Victor, The arts
Ulf Lundell (b. 1949)
Ulf Gerhard Lundell is a Swedish rock singer, composer, author, poet, and artist known as ‘the Swedish Bob Dylan.’
2019.08.07 | Article, Anne-Marie Mai, Literature
An overview of Nordic prose fiction since 1945
Post-war Nordic prose fiction forms a diverse literary landscape, starting with existentialism and a renewal of modernism, and developing with both Nordic and international currents, including realism, postcolonialism, and autofiction. A number of authors from the period are well known both in the Nordic countries and internationally. Among the…
2019.08.06 | Article, Kenn Nakata Steffensen, Reputation, The Nordics in the World
The Nordics in the modern Japanese political imagination
In the early 1900s, Japanese progressive intellectuals, writers, and feminist activists questioned their country’s quest for power and looked to Scandinavia for an alternative modernity. The Scandinavian modern breakthrough peaked in Japan in the 1910s and 1920s on the back of a burgeoning interest in Nordic literature, philosophy and political…