SWEDEN

A FEW INDICATIONS
Sweden is best known for its literature, and in particular the latter’s leader, August Strindberg.  Vilhelm Moberg, who is also very popular, on his part represents the proletarian literature of the 20 century (Saga of the Emigrants).  Stig Dagerman, who is particularly appreciated in France, is a member of the same generation of writers. Among the scientists let us mention Carl von Linné, an eminent botanist of the 18^th century, who compiled the Latin nomenclature of plants, and Alfred Nobel.  After the silent movie precursors such as Mauritz Stiller and Viktor Sjöström, it is above all thanks to Ingmar Bergman that the Swedish cinema made a reputation outside the country.
By tradition, the Swedish creators have always been very mobile, feeling curiosity about the artistic movements coming from abroad. Sweden’s cultural heritage may be defined to a great extent as an astute assimilation of borrowings made from other cultures, while keeping an eminently Swedish poetic tonality, consisting of simplicity and a natural approach, a lively mind and a receptivity to new impressions, and above all the omnipresent love of and respect for Nordic nature, which are so tangible among such other great creators as Harry Martinson, Tomas Tranströmer and Astrid Lindgren.
In the past decade, Sweden’s creative culture experienced a new impetus. That creativity attracted attention outside the national borders, in connection with such traditional expressive modes as literature and the theatre (Henning Mankell, Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Lars Norén) and the plastic arts, particularly in photography (JH Engström, Annika von Hausswolff), design (Front, Monica Förster), fashion (Per Nilsson, Camilla Norrback), contemporary music (The Knife, José Gonzalez, E.S.T.) and gastronomy (Marcus Aujalay, Bocuse d’or award for 2007).

ORGANIZATION OF CULTURAL POLICIES
The Ministry of Culture is responsible for matters of cultural and media policy. The cultural policy governs aspects related to the cultural heritage, theatre, dance and music, artistic activities, architecture, design, the cinema, literature and reading, etc. The media policy concerns itself with issues relating to public service radio and television, the daily newspapers, media concentration, the struggle against showing violence in the media – including movie censorship – the new media and the new technologies, etc.

In the international sphere, the ministry is responsible for coordinating international questions in connection with culture and the media, including coordination at community level and the Swedish cultural affairs advisors assigned to other countries.

The regional activities are supervised by regional councils. They grant subsidies to the regional cultural institutions – theatres, musical institutions, museums and libraries at that level – as well as to popular movements and to non-governmental organizations.

Events connected with the country

Franco-Swedish Tandem

September in Paris, Swedish Cultural Center
Exhibition
La croisée des regards (Comparative views)
Photographs Tova Mozard, Eric Mutel, Frédéric Nauczyciel, Anneé Olofsson, Yann Toma and Pernilla Zetterman.   Comparison of Swedish and French views of the realities that people like to associate with the two countries, enabling us to travel by way of our prejudices.

And also...

08 July-14 September in Arles, Rencontres Internationales de la photographie (Interational Photography Encounters)
Photography
The long road
Within the framework of the exhibition called «Viewing photography by way of the idea of filiation», arranged by the Agence Vu, the project « The long road » queries the Swedish filiation resulting from the school of freedom created by photographer Christer Strömholm.
In the presence of Anders Petersen and of JH Engström, an encounter/showing of documentary films on that same subject will also be organized at the end of September in Paris at the Swedish Cultural Center.

28 October-31 October in Paris, Montreuil, Sevran and Seine-Saint-Denis
Young Public Theatre
Ma vie de detective (My life as a detective)
In connection with the European Festival of youth theatre and culture known as LABO07, a show for Swedish children called Ma vie de détective at the Swedish Cultural Center.

10 October-6 January in Lille, Palais des Beaux-Arts
Exhibition
Nordic breakaways. The Scandinavian and Finnish masters in France (1870-1914).
Exhibition dealing with the Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Finnish artists who flocked to France between 1870 and 1914. Exhibitions of contemporary art, readings, film showings and seminars organized by the institutes and embassies of the Nordic countries.

Starting on 6 November in Paris, at the Swedish Cultural Center
Photography
I Love Borås
An exhibition of the work of Swedish photographer Lars Tunbjörk, in connection with Photography Month.

17 November-28 November in Paris, at the Swedish Cultural Center
Music
Wild Birds and Peace Drums
Elected best jazz group for the year 2008 by Rikskonserter, presented within the framework of the Jazzycolors Festival.
(www.jazzycolors.org)

For more information :
Swedish Cultural Center
11 rue Payenne - 75003 Paris
Tel.: +33 1 44 78 80 20

• Updated: 17.07.2008

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