Swedish News

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” on stage premieres in Copenhagen. S-women: The new leader should be a feminist. More bicycles to borrow for free in Stockholm. Princess Madeleine speaks out.  

  • Eva Gabrielsson’s Millenium theater
    Stieg Larsson’s partner Eva Gabrielsson has participated in creating the first theater script based on the deceased author’s best-selling Millenium books. The world premiere of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” on stage will take place at the Nørrebro theater in Copenhagen. “It all began two years ago, when I was new as a theater director and had read the book over a summer weekend,” says Kitte Wagner, Nørrebro’s director. “I thought this is just what we need, a popular story about our new society, not just a crime story – if only we could do it for stage.” She thought getting the rights to put up the play would be impossible, but still wrote to Norstedts publishing company as well as a letter to Eva Gabrielsson, Larsson’s partner. Wagner wanted to discuss with Gabrielsson how such a play could take shape. According to a deal, the rights to the play is shared between dramatist Vivian Nielsen and Eva Gabrielsson. “We’re focusing on the collective storytelling, the story as seen from a societal point of view. And the psychological light, the demons inside a human being,” explains Wagner. “What happens to a person who has been abused?” In a short film clip on the theater’s webpage, Gabrielsson talks about how the focus on Larsson’s books has disappeared in what has become a Millenium industry. According to her, the books aren’t merely action stories with an easy-to-sell heroine, but about violence towards women. In the Danish production, the part of Lisbeth Salander will be played by Signe Egholm Olsen and Mikael Blomkvist by Jens Jørn Spottag. The premiere of “Mænd der hader kvinder” will take place December 4. More info, see http://www.nbt.dk

  • S-women: The new leader should be a feminist
    The women's section of the Social Democratic Party (s-women) argues that the new leader for the party should be a feminist. They believe that it is important that the new leader is a woman, but after a meeting with regional sections they have agreed that most important is that the new leader is a feminist or "...someone who can make a feminist analysis" as s-women leader Nalin Pekgul says to Sveriges Radio. Pekgul thinks the fact that Sweden has never had a female prime minister sends out a bad signal for an equal society. “You have to see that there is a gender-power order, and you have to be prepared to do something radical,” she says.

  • More bicycles to borrow for free in Stockholm
    Stockholm city plans to invest in more loan-bicycles next year. The plan is to install 30 new 'bicycle-stations' next year, which means hundreds of more bicycles available for the public to rent. The system with commercially financed loan-bicycles free to use by the public was introduced in Stockholm in 2006. According to the plan, 2,000 loan-bicycles would be stationed at 160 different stations. Today, it is only around 1,000 due to problems with building allowances. In order to use a bike, you have to buy a bike card, either a season card or a 3-day card. The season card is valid from April 1 to October 31, and it costs SEK 200 or 250 SEK ($29 or $36) depending on where you buy it. A 3-day card costs 125 SEK ($18). www.citybikes.se

  • Princess Madeleine speaks out
    Princess Madeleine speaks out about her new life in New York and how she experienced the difficult period after breaking up with fiancé Jonas Bergström. In an open-hearted interview with Dagens Industri Weekend, the Princess says: “It was such a very private thing I went through, and to have it all being publicized made that period of my life very difficult. That’s why it’s so nice to be in New York now. I can stroll around here, I can be anonymous in a way that I just can’t when I’m in Sweden.” Madeleine also talks about the help she received from big sister, Crown Princess Victoria: “I thought I could get through it, but afterwards things just washed over me. That’s when my sister was very sweet and helped me out.” Madeleine loves New York City and her work for Queen Silvia’s charity organization Childhood, which has its headquarters in the Big Apple. It’s a job the princess does for free. “I see it as my contribution to charity,” she says. Princess Madeleine is even thinking about making New York her permanent base. Stockholm often feels a bit smallish, and she likes the energy of the capital of the world. “New York does something to you. You don’t have time to be negative, here it’s as if everybody is positive and looks ahead into the future,” she concludes. By the way, don’t expect Princess Madeleine to participate in this year’s Nobel festivities, she’ll remain in New York.