The newspaper Svenska Dagbladet reports a renaissance of British satirical novels in Sweden. In an article by Charlotta Lindell, this is attributed largely to the positive reception of the Swedish translations of the works of writers such as Edward St. Aubyn, Zadie Smith and Monica Ali. This new interest has also had a halo effect on earlier writers in this tradition:
In parallel with these contemporary successes, there has been a spate of Swedish reissues of older British social satires in recent years. These include “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh, which came out in an acclaimed new Swedish translation in autumn 2015 (Wahlström & Widstrand). Not much later, Waugh’s “A Handful of Dust” was reissued by Modernista.
This year marks 50 years since Waugh died, In July, a new comprehensive biography will be published in English: “Evelyn Waugh: A Life Revisited” by Philip Eade who has gained access to new material through Alexander Waugh, the great author’s grandson.
According to Lindell, the renewed interest in the novels of earlier satirists such as Waugh and Anthony Powell was also aided by the popularity of the TV series Downton Abbey.
The quote is an edited version of the Google Translate translation of the article.
