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Queen
Not yet published
Expected 24 Feb 26Long-awaited rediscovery of visionary Swedish writer Birgitta Trotzig and her mythic, modernist classic, Queen
Birgitta Trotzig’s 1964 novella is the story of a girl named Judit who is stubborn and singular, distant and unyielding. She has a love of lilies. She is called Queen. Her entire world exists within Bäck, a village in the south of Sweden so named because a brook bends through it. At the age of nine, Judit’s mother falls ill during childbirth and passes Judit the strong little body of her brother Viktor. A sharp gleam springs forth from Viktor’s pale-blue infant eyes, and the two are bonded for life. Together with their wordless brother Albert (one who prefers the warm silence of animals), Viktor, Albert, and Judit form a precarious family. In dark and mystical waves of language, Judit’s inner life is awakened to the reader. She has her secrets. The Queen prizes her alias like a precious gemstone; she dreams one day that the master gardener at Trolle Ljungby Castle will select her very own flower bulbs for planting; and she holds suspicions like hot stones to her heart. When Viktor decides to emigrate to the United States, the ground beneath Judit's feet forever shifts.
The English-language discovery of Birgitta Trotzig, one of the greatest Swedish writers of all time, is long overdue. Her dark, spiritual writings construct a truth and vision all her own. Trotzig's characters are ordinary and troubled, their lives barren and merciless, but an otherworldly light sweeps across them, making them stand with spectacular clarity.
Birgitta Trotzig’s 1964 novella is the story of a girl named Judit who is stubborn and singular, distant and unyielding. She has a love of lilies. She is called Queen. Her entire world exists within Bäck, a village in the south of Sweden so named because a brook bends through it. At the age of nine, Judit’s mother falls ill during childbirth and passes Judit the strong little body of her brother Viktor. A sharp gleam springs forth from Viktor’s pale-blue infant eyes, and the two are bonded for life. Together with their wordless brother Albert (one who prefers the warm silence of animals), Viktor, Albert, and Judit form a precarious family. In dark and mystical waves of language, Judit’s inner life is awakened to the reader. She has her secrets. The Queen prizes her alias like a precious gemstone; she dreams one day that the master gardener at Trolle Ljungby Castle will select her very own flower bulbs for planting; and she holds suspicions like hot stones to her heart. When Viktor decides to emigrate to the United States, the ground beneath Judit's feet forever shifts.
The English-language discovery of Birgitta Trotzig, one of the greatest Swedish writers of all time, is long overdue. Her dark, spiritual writings construct a truth and vision all her own. Trotzig's characters are ordinary and troubled, their lives barren and merciless, but an otherworldly light sweeps across them, making them stand with spectacular clarity.
- GenresSweden
168 pages, Paperback
Expected publication February 24, 2026
97 people want to read
About the author
Birgitta Trotzig
55 books24 followersBirgitta Trotzig was a Swedish writer who was elected to the Swedish Academy in 1993. She was one of Sweden's most celebrated authors, and wrote prose fiction and non-fiction, as well as prose poetry.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 9, 2025
One of the most poetic novels I’ve ever read, and a true literary masterpiece. One of the very best family sagas, complimented by a beautiful translation. Just exquisite.
Displaying 1 of 1 review