World Cup season is the perfect time to make some literary connections with the countries playing! Lists have been published recommending books by authors from each of the World Cup countries. There have also been daily literary World Cup matches where participating countries’ books or authors have been matched against each other to see which book/author readers like best. Check out #literaryworldcup on Twitter for the latest match-ups and results.
Sadly, neither Norway nor the USA made it to the World Cup this year, but Scandinavian enthusiasts could still root for Sweden and Denmark and their Nordic cousin Iceland. Sweden and Denmark moved on to the knockout Round of 16. Good luck to them!
I thought I’d consolidate titles recommended around the Internet from the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, and Iceland. It’s interesting to see which books and authors are repeated. Make sure to click the links to the sources to see suggestions for all World Cup countries.
Have you come across any lists with book suggestions from World Cup countries that I missed? Please share in the comments. I’ll update this post as I come across more lists.
Los Angeles Public Library recommends four books for each of the World Cup countries:
Denmark:
- Often I Am Happy: A Novel by Jens Christian Grøndahl, translated by the author
- Of Darkness by Josefine Klougart, translated by Martin Aitken
- Rock, Paper, Scissors by Naja Marie Aidt, translated by K.E. Semmel
- Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg, translated by Tiina Nunnally
Sweden:
- Wonderful Feels Like This by Sara Lövestam (YA), translated by Laura A. Wideburg
- Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö, translated by Lois Roth (Martin Beck Series)
- Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell, translated by Steven T. Murray (Kurt Wallander Mystery Book 1)
- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, translated by Henning Koch
Iceland:
- The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, translated by Victoria Cribb
- Tómas Jónsson, Bestseller by Guðbergur Bergsson, translated by Lytton Smith
- Moonstone: The Boy Who Never Was by Sjón, translated by Victoria Cribb
- Hotel Silence by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, translated by Brian FitzGibbon
New York Public Library recommends authors from each of the World Cup countries:
Denmark:
- Jussi Adler-Olsen
- Hans Christian Andersen
- Sara Blædel
- Isak Dinesen (aka Karen Blixen)
- Peter Høeg
Sweden:
- Fredrik Backman
- Kerstin Ekman
- Jonas Hassen Khemiri
- Selma Lagerlöf
- Stieg Larsson
- Camilla Läckberg
- Henning Mankell
Iceland:
- Arnaldur Indriðason
- Halldór Laxness
- Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
- Snorri Sturluson (13th c.)
Noteworthy: News from the University Libraries (Loyola University, Chicago) recommends:
Denmark:
- Difficult Death: The Life and Work of Jens Peter Jacobsen by Morten Høi Jensen
- The Murder of Halland by Pia Juul, translated by Martin Aitken
- Baboon by Naja Marie Aidt, translated by Denise Newman
Sweden:
- 1947: Where Now Begins by Elisabeth Åsbrink, translated by Fiona Graham
- Hackers by Aase Berg, translated by Johannes Göransson
- The Dying Game: A Novel by Asa Avdic, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles
Iceland:
- Tómas Jónsson, Bestseller by Guðbergur Bergsson, translated by Lytton Smith
- The Greenhouse by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, translated by Brian Fitzgibbon
- The Blue Fox by Sjon, translated by Victoria Cribb
Emily Temple, senior editor of Literary Hub, recommends the following books:
- Denmark: Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg, translated by Tiina Nunnally
- Sweden: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson, translated by Rod Bradbury
- Iceland: Independent People by Halldór Laxness, translated by J. A. Thompson
Penguin Random House suggests the following:
- Denmark: The Scarred Woman by Jussi Adler-Olsen, translated by William Frost (A Department Q Novel)
- Sweden: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, translated by Reg Keeland (Millennium Series Book 1)
- Iceland: Independent People by Halldór Laxness, translated by J. A. Thompson
CrimeReads recommends a crime novel for every country in the World Cup:
- Denmark: Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg, translated by Tiina Nunnally
- Sweden: Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell, translated by Steven T. Murray (Kurt Wallander Mystery Book 1)
- Iceland: The Shadow Killer: A Thriller by Arnaldur Indriðason, translated by Victoria Cribb (Flovent and Thorson Thrillers, Book 2)
Hodges Figgis, Ireland’s oldest bookstore, recommends the following:
- Denmark: Mirror, Shoulder, Signal: A Novel by Dorthe Nors, translated by Misha Hoekstra
- Sweden: Beartown by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith
- Iceland: The Shadow District: A Thriller by Arnaldur Indridason, translated by Victoria Cribb (Flovent and Thorson Thrillers, Book 1)
Three specific books were mentioned more than once:
- Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg (Denmark)
- Tómas Jónsson, Bestseller by Guðbergur Bergsson (Iceland)
- Independent People by Halldór Laxness (Iceland)
Four series were referenced:
- Kurt Wallender Series by Henning Mankell (Sweden)
- Millennium Series by Stieg Larsson (Sweden)
- Department Q Novels by Jussi Adler-Olsen (Denmark)
- Flovent and Thorson Thrillers by Arnaldur Indriðason (Iceland)
Many authors were mentioned more than once for different works:
- Sweden’s Fredrik Backman
- Denmark’s Naja Marie Aidt
- Iceland’s Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
- Iceland’s Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
- Iceland’s Sjon
I’d love to hear if you’ve read any of these and how you liked them.
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