The Smile of the Midnight Sun

Gustafsson and Blomqvist take the reader from Sweden’s own “deep south” all the way up to Norrland, from the Scanian farmers to the Lapps. But the authors concentrate on the places they call home – a fjord in Bohuslän, the region of Västmanland, Lake Mälaren, and the capital, Stockholm. The couple’s wide-ranging interests are as varied and eclectic as the subjects they tackle and the excursions they make – delving into Swedish history and calling at a famous bakery in Norberg; taking long walks through woods and across moors to gather wild mushrooms and berries and see the wolves and elks. They visit Strindberg and Tucholsky’s graves, and throw themselves into such time-honoured festivals as Midsummernight and Santa Lucia.