There is a great international interest in Swedish literature. The Swedish Arts Council is the authority with responsibility for promoting Swedish literature in translation. Through Swedish Literature Exchange we coordinate a number of efforts within the field.
Grants for Translation and Promotion
Translation of Swedish drama for stage performance
This grant aims to make it possible for more Swedish theatre plays in translation to be performed on stage abroad.
Grants for translation of Swedish literature and drama (Non-Nordic languages)
This grant aims to promote translation of Swedish literature into other, non-Nordic, languages.
Grants for translation of Swedish literature and drama to other Nordic languages
The objective of this grant is to increase publishing of quality literature in other Nordic languages. Since the grant is established in the national literature centres and their national and international networks, it can contribute to a wider discussion on translated literature.
Swedish Bookshelf
Explore our bookshelf and read about Swedish books
Our Grants
Fundig schemes and lists over allocated grants
Swedish Literature Exchange
How we promote Swedish literature in translation
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For publishers, theatres and organisers
Funding schemes for translation and promotion
For translators
Find out more about our grants and activities for translators
More Swedish Books for Young Readers
In our new publication we introduce you to exciting children’s and YA authors writing in Swedish today. They are authors who have already found readers in other languages and have the potential to reach even more. The publication is a standalone follow-up to the edition from 2020.
New Swedish Voices
Are you curious about which new voices in Swedish fiction we’re listening to right now? Then this publication is for you!
News
Fourteen works nominated for this year’s Nordic Council Literature Prize
Swedish writers Lotta Lotass and Andrzej Tichý are nominated for the 2025 Nordic Council Literature Prize. The winner will be announced on 21st October.
Actions to promote Swedish poetry
Poetry is one of the themes that will shape this year's activities, and here you can get a glimpse of what is to come.
Swedish poetry in motion
The first distribution round of grants for international promotion of Swedish literature and drama in 2025 has been decided. In this allocation, we support 23 literary projects in 16 different countries, involving around 50 Swedish authors.
Translator's Choice
The House with the Two Towers
In The House with the Two Towers (Huset med de två tornen), Maciej Zaremba dissects the events of his parents’ lives and how their war experiences led to an inevitable separation. Janny Middelbeek-Oortgiesen, who translates into Dutch, recommends a book that draws a finely nuanced portrait of childhood in post-war Poland.
Who Does Suzanne Osten Think She Is?
Who Does Suzanne Osten Think She Is? is more than a magnificent and colourful portrait of one of the greatest theatre and film directors of our time. It is a portrait of a zeitgeist. Ana Valdés, who translates into Spanish, recommends Suzanne Osten’s autobiography published in 2021.
W by Steve Sem-Sandberg
Emöke Andersson Lipcsey, who translates into Hungarian, recommends a book based on the life of the historical figure Johann Christian Woyzeck. The author Steve Sem-Sandberg uses W.’s fate to paint a shocking, true picture of how the brutality of war can affect and warp the character of the individual.