They say one of the best ways to keep dementia at bay is to learn another language. Supposedly new pathways are created in the brain that keep the brain vibrant and strong. If I had not moved to Sweden, I would have never taken up the task of learning Swedish. Prior to meeting my Swede, I had never heard the language spoken, except for the Swedish chef on Sesame Street. That doesn’t seem to count as real Swedish. Now, as I am writing this, I am using a Swedish keyboard that has these three new letters and one that one my tongue can barely pronounce: Ö, Ä, och Å.
As part of my learning Swedish, I am reading Astrid Lindgren’s children’s books. These books are at the third-grade reading level yet they are a challenge for me to read. Recently I finished, Kajsa Kavat. Kajsa is a girl’s name and ‘Kavat’ means ‘plucky’. Each chapter is a story of another ‘plucky’ child. The book was published in 1950. It is written during another time when children were viewed differently than they are today. In the book the children are harsh to each other, the parents are harsh to the children, and life is harsh to all. Yet, there is an undertone of humor and care. Lindgren’s stories represent a time not only in Sweden, it also represents the view of mid 20th century in the US. These types of harsh stories I don’t find in children literature today. Our view of children has changed.
The Reading i Sverige book club has four categories we read from; one of the categories is ‘Swedish’. This month we read, ’The Abominable Man, A Martin Beck Novel’ by Sjöwall and Wahlöö, written in 1971. The book is unique in that the authors are creating a new genre within the detective crime genre. Throughout the book the authors use the crime story to be critical of Sweden. The country they were criticizing is hardly recognizable today. In the 1990’s vast economic changes were put in place in Sweden. Today Sweden is one of the strongest democratic countries in the world. It is not a perfect society, as I read a few years ago in the book 'The Almost Nearly Perfect People' by Michael Booth. Yet, much has changed and the world’s view of Sweden has changed.
My reading has highlighted the continue evolution of society. The struggle of how to build a strong society is ongoing and we are all a part of it. Obviously, organizing a successful society is a difficult human endeavor. In my past I have hopefully been a part of changing society for the better. And now, for my part I continue that struggle by min dagliga läsning av svenska bärnböcker. Hopefully the dementia stays away too!
Currently reading:
- On Interpretations (4th Century BCE) by Aristotle
- Psalm (5th Century BCE by King David and Solomon
- The First Four Books of Poems (1995) by Louise Glück
- Leviticus (6th Century BCE) tradition says Moses
- Every Thing is Sacred (2021) by Richard Rohr and Patrick Boland
- The Peloponnesian War (5th Century BCE) by Thucydides
Completed:
- The History (425 BC) by Herodotus
- Kajsa Kavat (1950) by Astrid Lindgren
- West with the Night (1942) by Beryl Markham
- The Abominable Man (1971) by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
