Swedish Mentality

Scandinavian Review, Autumn 1996

Translated from the Swedish by Jan Teeland University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1996 236 pages. Introduction. Appendix. References. Index. Paper. $16.95

Here is the first of the respected anthologist's many books to be available in English translation. Published in Sweden in 1989, this hugely successful work considers the reality behind the myth. It poses the questions: Are Swedes truly shy, unemotional, conflict-avoiding, melancholy, and dour? In finding answers, the author goes beyond stereotype, drawing upon statistics gathered during more than a decade of research. He quotes from interviews with native Swedes and immigrants as well as from travel accounts, folklore, and proverbs. In this entertaining and engaging work, the reader learns why some Swedes might prefer to walk up a flight of stairs rather than share an elevator with a neighbor, and why some gain satisfaction from walking alone in the woods or going fishing.

This volume provides insights about national identity and values at a time when the European Union places special demands on members. Many Europeans now recognize that day to day business and government transactions may be hampered by cross-cultural misunderstandings. This book is useful in clarifying what is distinctive about the Swedish way of thinking.