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The Xenophobe's Guide
The Xenophobe's Guide to the Swedes
An irrational fear of foreigners. Xenophobe's Small books that show the more you know the less you fear. Xenophobe's Forewarned is forearmed.
64 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 27, 2013
2010 bookcrossing journal:
This isn't a long book, so I've already finished it. A concise, wry, tongue-in-cheek look at the Swedish national character and Swedish ettiquete. Although it's done in good humour, some of it is very close to the truth, and I recognise some of it from my own experiences - the stand-offish, inpenetrable society being one that I know every single non-Swede living in Sweden I've spoken to has suffered from and been very irritated by. Also other things such as this attitude that Sweden is best, and the surprise that other nationalities don't necessarily know all about Sweden. Oh, and some of the language and pronounciaiton things, yes, they made me laugh out loud.
Although I also thought there was something lacking in this book. There's a lot more to modern culture that isn't mentioned in here AT ALL. It feels as though this would have been more relevant several decades ago in some ways, and could do with some additions. Broadband, mobile phones, television culture, the effect of English, puss o kram, the drinking culture of today, Eurovision obsession and singing of popular songs at that Allsvenskan or whatever it's called, the looonnnnggg drawn out university process and the way Swedes are never in a rush to do anything at all amoungst other things just didn't come up at all in this book - hence why I feel it's lacking.
This isn't a long book, so I've already finished it. A concise, wry, tongue-in-cheek look at the Swedish national character and Swedish ettiquete. Although it's done in good humour, some of it is very close to the truth, and I recognise some of it from my own experiences - the stand-offish, inpenetrable society being one that I know every single non-Swede living in Sweden I've spoken to has suffered from and been very irritated by. Also other things such as this attitude that Sweden is best, and the surprise that other nationalities don't necessarily know all about Sweden. Oh, and some of the language and pronounciaiton things, yes, they made me laugh out loud.
Although I also thought there was something lacking in this book. There's a lot more to modern culture that isn't mentioned in here AT ALL. It feels as though this would have been more relevant several decades ago in some ways, and could do with some additions. Broadband, mobile phones, television culture, the effect of English, puss o kram, the drinking culture of today, Eurovision obsession and singing of popular songs at that Allsvenskan or whatever it's called, the looonnnnggg drawn out university process and the way Swedes are never in a rush to do anything at all amoungst other things just didn't come up at all in this book - hence why I feel it's lacking.
September 24, 2019
It was a funny and short read. Most of the things are correct, but there are some are clear misunderstandings here and there as well. It somehow felt quite dated so I actually checked when it was written and was surprised it wasn't 15-20 years older.
I think it's a good book. There are things in there to learn for both Swedes and others, but above all, there are lots of topics worth discussing over a fika!
I think it's a good book. There are things in there to learn for both Swedes and others, but above all, there are lots of topics worth discussing over a fika!
February 26, 2009
At the end you realize it's written by a Swede, which sort of contradicts the whole point of the book (other than to confirm the observation that Swedes aren't very funny). Still, a reasonably good collection of insights into Swedish culture.
April 1, 2012
Accurate in spirit, fun to read. A gift from a Swedish friend who says it's mostly true. The bits where it intersects with Norwegian culture (which I know better) are quite true -- yes, Santa Claus (julenissen in Norway) really does terrify children!
July 10, 2017
Hilarious as hell. But almost too exaggerated. I was hoping for a bit more accuracy from this book. But the humor, well, you just have to be in Sweden for a while to understand it :)
February 20, 2011
Sometimes provoked a mild chuckle. Generally too tame, to be really funny.
July 23, 2007
A funny read, and surprisingly accurate. Can't wait to read the guide to Spaniards.
August 3, 2021
After living in Sweden a few years, this book was a fun read.
February 20, 2021
Not the best of these “guides“ and feeling rather dated, but still amusing enough.
Whatever, I love Sweden, the beautiful country, the great music of ABBA, the kind Swedes I met, and the language sounds so melodious to me. So this was like a very welcome mini-trip ...
Whatever, I love Sweden, the beautiful country, the great music of ABBA, the kind Swedes I met, and the language sounds so melodious to me. So this was like a very welcome mini-trip ...
January 13, 2022
I read this book plainly because someone had recommended it to me, and I have to admit it was funnier than I expected it to be.
I started reading it with not too high expectations and it clearly surpassed them. It talked about the traditions and mentioned a bit of vocabulary, all with undeniable humor and self-critique (the author is Swedish).
I would recommend it to anyone who might want to have a light and funny reading.
I started reading it with not too high expectations and it clearly surpassed them. It talked about the traditions and mentioned a bit of vocabulary, all with undeniable humor and self-critique (the author is Swedish).
I would recommend it to anyone who might want to have a light and funny reading.
March 16, 2016
These little books have been a bit of a vice of mine this year, sub-100 page junk reads inflating my stats. But they are fun and they can give more insight into other books from a country. Besides, £1.79 is cheaper even than Ryanair.
More than the other Xenophobe's Guides I've read - or perhaps it's just because it's so long since I've had one to one conversations with anyone from Sweden - there are paragraphs where I notice that, although something sounds like a joke, you'd need to be familiar with how things actually are to know the exact degree to which it is a joke. And I'm not always. (I've found Swedes in the UK to be more modest and friendly than the people half-satirically described here - could also be a reflection of the sort of people who go to live abroad.)
Much like descriptions of star signs, with national characteristics you can always find some attributes you share; apparently I'd fit in well with Swedes on splitting bills and owing money, talking about sex, and beingmeticulous pedantic about the recycling.
In the sections on work in all the Scandinavian volumes, it's as if they've been written by one of those obviously-Tory CBI spokespeople from the news: there is shock at five weeks' holiday, finishing on time and other matters which are hardly outlandish and which are also part of the culture in quite a few workplaces in less cutthroat sectors here.
The writers mentioned (and that goes for the Danish book too) include those who aren't mentioned on lists of recommended translated authors on Goodreads, in press articles, by publishers etc. e.g. Vilhelm Moberg, Sven Delblanc as well as the better-known-here likes of Strindberg and Lagerlöf.
Also made me aware of Swedish terms for concepts I'm more familiar with as Norwegian or Danish - for the latter, especially undfallenhet ≈ Jante Law.
More than the other Xenophobe's Guides I've read - or perhaps it's just because it's so long since I've had one to one conversations with anyone from Sweden - there are paragraphs where I notice that, although something sounds like a joke, you'd need to be familiar with how things actually are to know the exact degree to which it is a joke. And I'm not always. (I've found Swedes in the UK to be more modest and friendly than the people half-satirically described here - could also be a reflection of the sort of people who go to live abroad.)
Much like descriptions of star signs, with national characteristics you can always find some attributes you share; apparently I'd fit in well with Swedes on splitting bills and owing money, talking about sex, and being
In the sections on work in all the Scandinavian volumes, it's as if they've been written by one of those obviously-Tory CBI spokespeople from the news: there is shock at five weeks' holiday, finishing on time and other matters which are hardly outlandish and which are also part of the culture in quite a few workplaces in less cutthroat sectors here.
The writers mentioned (and that goes for the Danish book too) include those who aren't mentioned on lists of recommended translated authors on Goodreads, in press articles, by publishers etc. e.g. Vilhelm Moberg, Sven Delblanc as well as the better-known-here likes of Strindberg and Lagerlöf.
Also made me aware of Swedish terms for concepts I'm more familiar with as Norwegian or Danish - for the latter, especially undfallenhet ≈ Jante Law.
April 24, 2016
This book is a humorous attempt at describing the Swedish people, their traditions and customs, etc, to international audiences, and is part of a a publication series (Xenophobe's® Guide) doing the same thing to people from various countries. As I haven't read any of the other books, my comments, however, can only be applied to the volume at hand, authored by one Peter Berlin, who from the author bio appears to be a born Swede who left his country behind fairly early on (after university) and who've since merely visited on occasion. While the bio cites this as a particular strength ("how can one size up a whale from within?"), I find that on several occasions Berlin succumbs to perpetuating myths (that are just that, myths!), describing local phenomena as national and sometimes more or less downright inventing customs that, aren't there. To my mind this suggests that Berlin is slightly out of touch with his topic, or put slightly differently, he may well have been outside the whale for too long, and consequently forgotten how the inside actually looks.
Don't get me wrong, I find the book an enjoyable and fun read, but I wouldn't give it to somebody as good reference book (the good bits after all, doesn't easily separate themselves from the fiction, unless you already know the answer).
So, feel free to read and enjoy, but take it with about two fistfuls of salt.
Don't get me wrong, I find the book an enjoyable and fun read, but I wouldn't give it to somebody as good reference book (the good bits after all, doesn't easily separate themselves from the fiction, unless you already know the answer).
So, feel free to read and enjoy, but take it with about two fistfuls of salt.
Read
June 22, 2011"The Swedes are an enterprising, fair-minded people who suffer from a mild case of megalomania. For example, they think it entirely appropriate that the cartographer Mercator magnanimously drew Sweden roughly the size of India. They object to being lumped in with other Scandinavians, as if they had no identity of their own.
From a Swedish perspective the differences between the Nordic countries are stark. Denmark is horizontal, Norway is vertical, Iceland is melting, Finland is labyrinthian, and Sweden is stunningly pastoral.
There is also the language difference. Every Finnish sentence starts in falsetto and ends in baritone. Norwegian sounds like Finnish intoned backwards, but is actually a provincial Swedish dialect. The Danes with their diphthongs and glottal stops sound as if they are caught between swallowing and spitting out a very hot potato. Only the Swedish language has evolved from grunted Icelandic gobbledygook to become the familiar and beloved sing-song sounds of the Swedish Chef in The Muppet Show."
From a Swedish perspective the differences between the Nordic countries are stark. Denmark is horizontal, Norway is vertical, Iceland is melting, Finland is labyrinthian, and Sweden is stunningly pastoral.
There is also the language difference. Every Finnish sentence starts in falsetto and ends in baritone. Norwegian sounds like Finnish intoned backwards, but is actually a provincial Swedish dialect. The Danes with their diphthongs and glottal stops sound as if they are caught between swallowing and spitting out a very hot potato. Only the Swedish language has evolved from grunted Icelandic gobbledygook to become the familiar and beloved sing-song sounds of the Swedish Chef in The Muppet Show."
November 18, 2014
Being a biased reader I am curious to learn how foreigners think about the Swedes as described in this short book.
I know from the cradle to nurture our trait as a people with a great "svårmod". What this book gave me in addition is "undfallenhet". And yes, appeasement, or rather docility and ductility, is well in line with the law of Jante.
If you have forgotten this golden law, let me refresh your mind:
1.You're not to think you are anything special.
2.You're not to think you are as good as us.
3.You're not to think you are smarter than us.
4.You're not to convince yourself that you are better than us.
5.You're not to think you know more than us.
6.You're not to think you are more important than us.
7.You're not to think you are good at anything.
8.You're not to laugh at us.
9.You're not to think anyone cares about you.
10.You're not to think you can teach us anything
So, to sum it up, this book was "lagom" good...
For further info on Jante, please read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jantelagen
I know from the cradle to nurture our trait as a people with a great "svårmod". What this book gave me in addition is "undfallenhet". And yes, appeasement, or rather docility and ductility, is well in line with the law of Jante.
If you have forgotten this golden law, let me refresh your mind:
1.You're not to think you are anything special.
2.You're not to think you are as good as us.
3.You're not to think you are smarter than us.
4.You're not to convince yourself that you are better than us.
5.You're not to think you know more than us.
6.You're not to think you are more important than us.
7.You're not to think you are good at anything.
8.You're not to laugh at us.
9.You're not to think anyone cares about you.
10.You're not to think you can teach us anything
So, to sum it up, this book was "lagom" good...
For further info on Jante, please read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jantelagen
December 16, 2010
Humorous approach, very close to reality. Well written, I enjoyed it very much!
January 8, 2012
This book was a gift from Trigger for my 35th birthday that I celebrated in Lund. I finally read it and I didn't care for it at all. Nope, wasn't my thing.
December 4, 2014
Funny in places. Informative on the whole... if true.
July 28, 2015
I feel like I know more about Swedes now and maybe pass off as one myself. I like the sense of humour in it and it's short enough that read through the book in one sitting.
January 24, 2016
Basically airport reading. Some funny observations, though.
August 3, 2016
Hilarious
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2021
Mostly this is just a funny ride. Totally recommend it. Even if it helps to be Swedish or live/have lived in Sweden, it’s going to tickle your funny bone regardless.
Have fun!
Have fun!
December 27, 2017
The Xenophobe’s Guide to the Swedes is a cute and amusing little book about the Swedes. As it says on the front cover (perhaps a subtitle of sorts), the book provides “[a] frank and funny look at what makes the Swedes SWEDISH.” The Xenophobe’s Guides provide a brief look at the beliefs of a people.
The Xenophobe’s Guide to the Swedes is a quick and easy read. Some of the topics covered include beliefs & values, manners, custom & tradition, and language. The book is short, sweet, and amusing. I found it difficult, however, to discern what is true from what is tongue-in-cheek. For example, regarding dinner party etiquette, the book discusses guests removing shoes and the providing of slippers: “It is therefore up to the guest to bring his own slippers in a bag separate from the one containing the gift, and to remember which is which.” (p. 50) Those knowledgeable about Sweden will find familiar topics mentioned, such as Stieg Larsson and ABBA; while discussing Advent and the lighting of windows, the book states that “[w]alking along snow-covered streets at night amidst all that light is a unique experience, the more so since the darkness of night descends in the middle of the afternoon.” (p. 65) This light-hearted little book is fun and would make a nice little gift.
Note: all citations are from the 2016 edition (copyright 2013).
The Xenophobe’s Guide to the Swedes is a quick and easy read. Some of the topics covered include beliefs & values, manners, custom & tradition, and language. The book is short, sweet, and amusing. I found it difficult, however, to discern what is true from what is tongue-in-cheek. For example, regarding dinner party etiquette, the book discusses guests removing shoes and the providing of slippers: “It is therefore up to the guest to bring his own slippers in a bag separate from the one containing the gift, and to remember which is which.” (p. 50) Those knowledgeable about Sweden will find familiar topics mentioned, such as Stieg Larsson and ABBA; while discussing Advent and the lighting of windows, the book states that “[w]alking along snow-covered streets at night amidst all that light is a unique experience, the more so since the darkness of night descends in the middle of the afternoon.” (p. 65) This light-hearted little book is fun and would make a nice little gift.
Note: all citations are from the 2016 edition (copyright 2013).
September 19, 2017
I had previously read the Xenophobe's Guide to the Poles but it wasn't as amusing as this one.
Maybe it's because of the writer, or maybe because I actually spent three months in Sweden as an au-pair and I was a bit more familiar with the Swedish culture rather than with the Polish one.
The best parts? Well, the crime and punishment section was quite informative. For the part regarding the meal... I don't know, I've been to a dinner but it was like my second day there. I was more interested in eating rather than paying attention to the local customs.
The short description of the Swedish language is so funny:
I still have the guide to the Italians (of course), to the Finns, and to the Dutch. As usual, I'll mix them up and pick one without looking.
Maybe it's because of the writer, or maybe because I actually spent three months in Sweden as an au-pair and I was a bit more familiar with the Swedish culture rather than with the Polish one.
The best parts? Well, the crime and punishment section was quite informative. For the part regarding the meal... I don't know, I've been to a dinner but it was like my second day there. I was more interested in eating rather than paying attention to the local customs.
The short description of the Swedish language is so funny:
«The Swedish language is very easy to learn and can be mastered in the 2½ hours it takes to fly from London's Heathrow to Stockholm's Arlanda airport. It consists of German words arranged according to English grammar and pronounced with a roller-coaster inflection.»As someone who's trying to learn Swedish by herself, yes and no. Word order is quite simple compared to German but the words... It takes a little bit to get used to them. And don't let me start on the pronunciation...
I still have the guide to the Italians (of course), to the Finns, and to the Dutch. As usual, I'll mix them up and pick one without looking.
January 5, 2023
A book from an author, Peter Berlin, who left Sweden after graduating from university. He looks back on his life in Sweden and analyzes it from abroad with a different perspective.
As a person who is in the exact opposite condition of the author (i.e., who moved to Sweden after graduating from my home country) and who has lived in Sweden for more than five months, I found this book to be really useful and true to the core. Even though it's a short read, it's a good book.
As a person who is in the exact opposite condition of the author (i.e., who moved to Sweden after graduating from my home country) and who has lived in Sweden for more than five months, I found this book to be really useful and true to the core. Even though it's a short read, it's a good book.
April 9, 2025
Dry humor, exaggerated comedy, and at least a couple of insights and truths abound, this is a fun read for anyone who has stayed in Sweden. What a pleasant surprise, considering most of the written material on idisyncracies of a country or a population are quite lightweight with not much substance, but with all hype. This one here is a quiet book which does the book in its unique lagom manner.
July 22, 2018
Not as amusing as it refers to. Some typical noticeable Swedish manners, and then some out of dated sections. Blend and looses interest rather quickly when you realize that Mr. Berlin has lost touch with his native country long ago. He aims gratitude towards some individuals on the acknowledgements for providing with Swedish insight and Canadian perspectives (what ever that means).
September 11, 2020
An all-time favorite! My cousin, who's Swedish, got this for my birthday. It was so humorous and enjoyable. For example, I now know that Swedish pastors are allowed to not believe in God and that a Swedish Christian sect called Copymism would be allowed to copy banknotes, and if prosecuted, allege religious persecution!
May 5, 2017
Great read
Great humour, very informative, a lot of vocabulary if anyone reading is learning swedish. Will be moving to Sweden in a few month so will figure out then how accurate it is.
Great humour, very informative, a lot of vocabulary if anyone reading is learning swedish. Will be moving to Sweden in a few month so will figure out then how accurate it is.
August 29, 2018
Enough funny lines to compensate for the fact that this is a very thin book which really does not take advantage of the rich possibilities of its subject. I'm sure a much funnier book could be created about the Swedes - particularly if the publishers had selected a Norwegian to write the book!
July 9, 2025
Facts about the Swedes written with a tiny dose of sarcasm and humour despite the whole series being promoted as a comic take on different nationaties. A quick read. Good literature for those who know completely nothing about Sweden.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews