Out of the Darkness: Classic Short Fiction from Sweden

by Vendela Vida (Editor), David Katznelson (Editor), Ulf Olsson (Editor)

A treasure chest of stories by Swedish authors from the 1880s to the 1950s, many appearing for the first time in English

In the late nineteenth century, Swedish romanticism gave way to vibrant new literary styles that flourished through the 1950s. Out of the Darkness is the first anthology to bring the short fiction of this golden age of Swedish literature to English readers, celebrating the country’s rich literary tradition and several of its most renowned authors. The stories in this volume (many in entirely new translations, and most never before published in English) reflect the arc of the short story in Sweden, from realism to symbolism to modernist experimentation, and stand as lyrical exemplars of the creativity and depth of Swedish literature.

Some stories explore themes of crime and refuge, others ask what makes life meaningful, and some challenge sexual and social constructs of their time. All are fueled by shadows—of evil, madness, or fate, eerie fantasy or grim reality. Including internationally famous authors like August Strindberg, Stig Dagerman, and Nobel laureate Selma Lagerlöf, Out of the Darkness also features writing by influential women such as Victoria Benedictsson and Agnes von Krusenstjerna, who are less familiar to English readers. A showcase of stylistic virtuosity and incisive social commentary, Out of the Darkness at last brings this remarkable period of Swedish prose into the light.

Contributors: Victoria Benedictsson, Hjalmar Bergman, Karin Boye, Stig Dagerman, Thorsten Jonsson, Agnes von Krusenstjerna, Selma Lagerlöf, August Strindberg, Hjalmar Söderberg.

184 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 26, 2026

About the author

Vendela Vida is the award-winning author of four books, including Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name and The Lovers, and a founding editor of The Believer magazine. She is also the co-editor of Always Apprentices, a collection of interviews with writers, and Confidence, or the Appearance of Confidence, a collection of interviews with musicians. As a fellow at the Sundance Labs, she developed Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name into a script, which received the Sundance Institute/Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award. Two of Vida’s novels have been New York Times Notable Books of the year, and she is the winner of the Kate Chopin Award, given to a writer whose female protagonist chooses an unconventional path. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two children, and since 2002 has served on the board of 826 Valencia, a nonprofit writing and tutoring lab for youth.

Reviews

[Ken Fredette]

Most of the stories were short and made sense but some were quite wild such as with "A Thousand Years with God" which makes no sense at all having the sailmaker go into the water in the U.K. and end up in Bergen Norway. It was not enjoyable to me.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful collection again proves that Scandinavian literature is so much more than noir crime. Although that seems to be a popular import, this carefully curated book of short fiction proves otherwise, including works by well known authors as well as those new to the average reader. There is a fair number of women writers too, and their works provide an astonishing modernity imbued with a healthy dose of feminism: "To be a woman is to be a pariah that can never rise out of her caste." Many contain that universal disquietude experienced at dusk: "Dusk is the hour of expectation. It makes your chest hurt." "...duskair that smells of pine needles and dew and evening and delinquent enigma." The stories are highly atmospheric, with a haunting quality that makes me long for more. I'll keep looking for further examples.