Swedish Working-Class Fiction

A special issue of Humanities (ISSN 2076-0787). This special issue belongs to the section "Literature in the Humanities".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2023) | Viewed by 1509

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University, Box 201, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
Interests: world literature; working-class literature; literary translation; literary prizes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Swedish working-class fiction has been described as a unique contribution to world literature. The way in which a single generation of self-educated writers made a collective breakthrough in the 1930s, through a number of highly recognized autobiographical novels about underprivileged childhoods, is unparalleled. These texts quickly became central in the national literary canon, and they had a profound impact on Swedish 20th century policies. The novels shaped a solid cultural and narrative platform from which a large portion of later Swedish literature has developed. Still today, the strong position of working-class fiction in Swedish literary history has a significant impact on what is written, published, discussed and read in Sweden. The rationale of this Special Issue is to explore this tradition, beyond any strict theoretical, thematic or historical restrictions. Contributions may examine Swedish working-class fiction from any time period—before, during or after the so called “golden age” of the 1930s—and may focus on domestically Swedish contexts or its existence and positions abroad. The central, collective ambition is to compose a broad and substantial presentation of this particular literary current—addressed to international scholars and students—that clarifies its specific significance in the world of letters. 

In response to Swedish working-class fiction, please send an abstract of no more than 300 words, together with a short bibliography of primary and critical texts, to Paul Tenngart at paul.tenngart@litt.lu.se. Abstracts are due by 31 December 2022. Finished essays of around 6000 words are due by 1 March 2023.

Dr. Paul Tenngart
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information 

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Humanities is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • Swedish literature
  • working-class literature
  • literature and politics
  • 20th century literature
  • the novel
  • world literature
  • literary translation

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 268 KiB  
Article
Precarity and Class Consciousness in Contemporary Swedish Working-Class Literature
by Magnus Nilsson
Humanities 2023, 12(2), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/h12020028 - 15 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1180
Abstract
This article analyses aesthetical–political strategies for the promotion of class consciousness among workers in a few examples of contemporary Swedish working-class literature from different genres that describe and criticize precarious working conditions. Special attention is given to how these texts engage in dialogue [...] Read more.
This article analyses aesthetical–political strategies for the promotion of class consciousness among workers in a few examples of contemporary Swedish working-class literature from different genres that describe and criticize precarious working conditions. Special attention is given to how these texts engage in dialogue with the notion of the precariat and to the authors’ use of decidedly literary forms. One important result is that Swedish working-class writers highlight the heterogeneity among those working under precarious conditions while also arguing that they share certain economic conditions, both amongst each other and with members of other groups (especially the traditional working class). Furthermore, it is argued that the use of literary forms (as opposed to, e.g., reportage or documentary) reflects the absence in the precariat of class consciousness, and the authors’ belief that literature can contribute to the creation of such a consciousness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Swedish Working-Class Fiction)
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