
Sweden recently presented its list of 100 works, ideas and brands that define ‘Swedishness’, or its new ‘culture canon’. The list sparked many discussions one can easily follow on the news, meanwhile here is… everything that was included in it
Prose literature:
Det går an or “Sara Videbeck and the Chapel”, by Carl Jonas Love Almqvist
Giftas, or “Getting married”, by August Strindberg
Gösta Berlings saga, or “The Sage of Gösta Berling”, by Selma Lagerlöf
Muittalus sámid birra. En bok om lapparnas liv, or “An account of the Sami people”, by Johan Turi
Kallocain by Karin Boye
Pippi Långstrump, or “Pippi Longstocking”, by Astrid Lindgren
Utvandrarna, or “The Emigrants” by Vilhelm Moberg
Katitzi by Katarina Taikon
Den vedervärdige mannen från Säffle, or “The Abominable Man”, by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö
Literature, poems:
Skulle jag sörja, då vore jag tokot, or “If I were to grieve” by Lasse Lucidor
Drick ur ditt glas, se Döden på dig väntar, or “Drain your glass, death awaits you”, by Carl Michael Bellman
Några ord till min k. dotter, ifall jag hade någon, or “A few words to my daughter, if I had anybody”, by Anna Maria Lenngren
Vän! I förödelsens stund,” by Erik Johan Stagnelius
Triumf att finnas till, by Edith Södergran
Det är vackrast när det skymmer by Pär Lagerkvist
Stjärnorna kvittar det lika by Nils Ferlin
Eufori by Gunnar Ekelöf
Den halvfärdiga himlen by Tomas Tranströmer
Äktenskapsfrågan I–II by Sonja Åkesson
Painting, sculpture and architecture:
Kalkmåleri i Härkeberga kyrka, or the fresco painting in Härkeberga church, by Albertus Pictor
Gripsholms slott, including the national portrait collection
Självporträtt med allegorier, or Self portrait with allegories, by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl
Kungliga slottet or the Royal Palace, by Nicodemus Tessin dy, Carl Hårleman
Nordisk sommarkväll, or “A Nordic Summer Evening” by Richard Berg
Lilla Hyttnäs, Sundborn by Karin and Carl Larsson
Målningarna till templet by Hilma af Klint
Tomtebobarnen or Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow
Stockholms stadshus or Stockholm City Hall by Ragnar Östberg
Sitting… Six months later. Version A, by Öyvind Fahlström
Music:
Drottningholmsmusiken by Johan Helmich Roman
Sjung med oss mamma, (Sing with us mama), first volume, by Alice Tegnér
Midsommarvaka, svensk rapsodi nr 1 för stor orkester, op 19 by Hugo Alfvén
Tre inspelade låtar med spelmannen Hjort Anders Olsson, Hjort Anders Olsson
Flyttningssång and Till kåtan och hemmet by Lars Sikku, Frida Johansson
Calle Schewens vals and Möte i monsunen by Evert Taube
Förklädd gud, op 24 by Lars-Erik Larsson
Aniara by Karl-Birger Blomdahl
Jazz på svenska by Jan Johansson
Symfoni nr 7 by Allan Pettersson
Film and theatre:
The Drottningholms slottsteater opera house, by Carl Fredrik Adelcrantz
Lejonets unge, the Lion’s child, at Sundsvall theatre by Frida Stéenhoff
Ett drömspel, or “A Dream Play”, by August Strindberg
Körkarlen, or The Phantom Carriage, by Victor Sjöström
Gullregn, including the couplet Den ökända hästen från Troja, by Karl-Gerhard
Fröken Julie or “Miss Julie”, a ballet by Birgit Cullberg
Det sjunde inseglet, or “The Seventh Seal” by Ingmar Bergman
Dom kallar oss mods, or “They call us misfits”, a documentary by Stefan Jarl and Jan Lindqvist
Fars lille påg, or “Daddy’s little boy” a farce by Franz Arnold, Ernst Bach and Nils Poppe
Medeas barn, or Medea’s children at the Unga Klara theatre, by Suzanne Osten och Per Lysander
Educational and non-fiction prose:
Heliga Birgittas uppenbarelser or “The Visions of Saint Bridget” by Saint Bridget of Sweden
Historia om de nordiska folken or “History of the Nordic Peoples” by Olaus Magnus
Christinas självbiografi or “Christina’s autobiography” by Queen Christina of Sweden
Lappländsk resa or “Journey to Lapland”, by Carl von Linné or Linnaeus
Drömbok or “Dream Diary” of Emanuel Swedenborg
Fädernas gudasaga, or Our fathers’ godsaga by Viktor Rydberg
Svenska folkets underbara öden or “The Wonderful Fates of the Swedish People”, by Carl Grimberg
Barnets århundrade or The Centutry of the Child by Ellen Key
Kris i befolkningsfrågan or Crisis in the Population Question, by Alva and Gunnar Myrdal
Vägmärken or “Markings” by Dag Hammarskjöld
Law and rights:
Magnus Erikssons landslag, the 1341 legal code put in place by King Magnus Eriksson
1734 års lag, or the The Civil Code of 1734, brought in Sweden’s constitutional monarchy
1766 års tryckfrihetsförordning, the freedom to publish law from 1766
Offentlighetsprincipen, the principle of public access to information
1809 års regeringsform, the 1809 Instrument of Government
Rättegångsbalken, or The Swedish Code of Judicial Procedure
Sveriges riksdag, or The Swedish Parliament
Europakonventionen, or The European Convention on Human Rights
Brottsbalken, or The Swedish Penal Code
1974 års regeringsform, or the 1974 The Instrument of Government
Allemansrätten, Sweden’s right to roam law
Religion:
Husaby kyrka, Husbany Church
Vadstena kloster, convent founded by Saint Birgitta
Horologium Mirabile Lundense, an astronomical clock in Lund Cathedral, probably by Nicolaus Lilienvelds
Malmöpsalmboken, the Malmö Psalm book (in Danish) by Christiern Pedersen
Gustav Vasa bible, translated by by Olaus Petri, Laurentius Andreae, and Laurentius Petri
Konventikelplakatet, the Conventicle Act of 1726 which banned religious gatherings outside the Lutheran Church
Marstrands synagoga, Marstrand Synagogue. Sweden’s first synagogue, built in Marstrand near Gothenburg
O store Gud “Oh Might God”, a hymn by Carl Boberg
The Lutheran Church’s 1960 decision to allow women priests
Nattvardsgästerna, or Winter Light, a film by Ingmar Bergman
Economy:
Falu koppargruva, the copper mines at Falu
Riksbanken, the National Bank of Sweden
Storskiftet, the Great Partition agricultural reform
Näringsfrihetsförordningen, or The freedom of trade statute by Johan August Gripenstedt
Industrilandskapet i Norrköping, or “the industrial landscape of Norrköping”, by the architects Carl Theodor Malm and Theodor Glosemeyer (among others)
Harsprånget, a hydroelectric power station on the Luleå river
Folkpensionsreformen, the national pension
Saltsjöbadsavtalet, or the Saltsjöbad Agreement, between The Swedish Trade Union Confederation and the Swedish Employers’ Confederation
Ikea Älmhult, by Ingvar Kamprad
Särbeskattningen av makar, the separate taxation of spouses (1971)
Inventions:
Luft- och eldmaskin, an early steam engine invented by the engineer Mårten Triewald
Systema naturae, the book of Carl von Linné
Tabellkommissionen, “The Commission of Tables”, the world’s oldest statistics agency, set up by Pehr Wargentin in 1756
Kakelugnen, the masonry heating system developed by Fredrik Wrede and Carl Johan Cronstedt
Justitieombudsmannen, the Parliamentary Ombudsman
Göta kanal, the Göta Canal, by the engineer Baltzar von Platen
The Nobel Prize by Alfred Nobel
The spherical ball bearing designed by the engineer Sven Wingquist
Viggen, the fighter jet launched by Saab in 1967
Paternity Leave
Public Life:
Gustavianum, or the Uppsala University Museum, by Gustav II Adolf and Olof Rudbäck dä
1634 års regeringsform, the government system put in place by Axel Oxenstierna
Lappkodicillen, the Lapp Codicil of 1751
Svenska Akademiens ordbok, The Swedish dictionary commissioned by Gustav III from the Swedish Academy
Läsebok för folkskola, a reading anthology for schoolchildren, published in 1868
Riksdagshuset, the Swedish parliament building, by the architects Helgo Zettervall and Aron Johansson
Brunnsviks folkhögskola, the oldest Swedish folkhögskola, or residential college for adult education, established by Karl-Erik Forsslund in 1906
Vasaloppet, the Vasaloppet ski race, founded by Anders Pers and IFK Mora in 1922
Per Albin Hanssons folkhemstal, the 1928 speech by the Prime Minister Per Albin Hansson in which he launched the idea of a “people’s home” or folkhem
Radiohuset, the headquarters of Swedish national radio, built in 1961 and designed by the architects Erik Ahnborg and Sune Lindström
