2026
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Spring · Brooklyn
Merrill Kaplan
The Paganesque and The Tale of Vǫlsi -
Fall · Upcoming
Rachel Willson-Broyles
Translating Contemporary Swedish Literature
Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
SASS Book Talks
Conversations with the authors, translators, and scholars shaping how we understand the Nordic world.
The SASS Book Talk series brings readers together to explore new books in Scandinavian studies and related fields. Through conversations with authors and translators, the series connects scholarship, literature, and the wider questions that animate our field.
Launched in 2022, the series features a spring conversation at the SASS annual conference and an online talk in the fall. Browse past programs below and watch recordings where available.
Our Next Conversation
Translating Contemporary Swedish Literature
Monday, November 9, 2026 · 1:00 p.m. Central · Online
Join literary translator Rachel Willson-Broyles for a conversation about her recent work, with a focus on the third novel in Ann-Helén Laestadius’s trilogy, which began with Stolen. Marcus Cederstrom will chair the session, followed by an open discussion.
Register for the Book Talk →Explore the Series
Find featured books, speakers, purchase links, and available recordings on each year’s page.
2025
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Spring · Minneapolis
Kari Lie Dorer
Muus vs. Muus: The Scandal That Shook Norwegian America -
Fall · Recording Available
Liina-Ly Roos
The Not-Quite Child: Colonial Histories, Racialization, and Swedish Exceptionalism
2024
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Spring · Seattle
Amanda Doxtater
Visions and Victims: Art Melodrama in the Films of Carl Th. Dreyer -
Fall · Recording Available
William Banks
The Great Debate: Nietzsche, Culture, and the Scandinavian Welfare Society
2023
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Spring · Austin
Ben Bigelow
Menacing Environments: Ecohorror in Contemporary Nordic Cinema -
Fall · Recording Available
Claus Elholm Andersen
Knausgård and the Autofictional Novel
2022
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Spring · Puerto Rico · Recording Available
Tiphanie Yanique
Land of Love and Drowning and Monster in the Middle -
Fall · Recording Available
Tami Navarro
Virgin Capital: Race, Gender, and Financialization in the US Virgin Islands
Help Shape the Series
What Should We Read Next?
Have you read a book that would spark a compelling conversation? Do you have a new publication you would like us to consider? We welcome nominations for future SASS Book Talks.
Suggested books should be new or forthcoming publications in Scandinavian studies or related fields. SASS members may nominate their own work or another author’s book. Ideally, the featured author will be a SASS member in good standing.
Please send us:
- The book title and author’s name
- Contact information for the author
- A brief description of the book, approximately 200 words, and why you would like to see it featured
Or email sassbooktalk@scandinavianstudy.org .
Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed for future programming.
Help sustain conversations in Scandinavian studies.
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