Sweden for beginners / Gunnar Jägberg ; English translation: Rachelle Puryear.

Informative and witty insights into what characterizes the Swedes in English! How do we behave when it comes to punctuality, standing in line, the weather and conflicts? Gunnar Jägberg writes about topics such as traditions, food and drink, colloquial expressions and proverbs, unwritten rules, the Swedish temperament, all in a satirical vein . . . Read about what makes up old and new Swedish traditions like the Nobel Prize, the Friday ritual called Fredagsmys, coffee breaks or fika and fermented herring known as Surströmming. And find out what characterizes us as Swedes. (For example: You know that you are Swedish when you think that Danes are continental.) Learn more about basic Swedish concepts such as hard bread (knäckebröd), caviar, equal opportunity (jämställhet), study circles (studiecirklar), fear of conflicts (konflikträdsla), Swedish melancholy (svårmod), choir singing (körsång) and sharing the restaurant bill (delad nota). Find out why Swedish parents are masters at curling their children, and learn about the parental benefits for sick children in Sweden called VAB which people from other countries think is a joke when they understand how it works. A brief language lesson is included which explains some idiomatic expressions that cannot be translated literally, for example giving back for old cheese, suspecting owls in the bog, making a poodle, having a fox behind your ear . . . Gunnar Jägberg also covers all of the unwritten rules which are important to know about standing in line, punctuality and the Jante Law. A wonderfully useful book for tourists, foreign friends and for English speakers in Sweden who want to know how Swedes think while having a smile and maybe even learning a little Swedish.