Literature, Writers and The Nobel Prize 

Swedish people read a lot. Each year, about 65 million books ars borrowed at public libraries. About 40 percent are children´s books. Adult fiction and adult non-fiction account for about 30 percent each. 

The 2 000 public libraries and 130 bookmobiles in Sweden belong under local authorities. Books, talking books, records and CDs are borrowed free of charge. If a book cannot be found in a local library, it may always be ordered from the county library. In addition to providing books to the public, libraries often organize exhibitions, lectures and other activities. 

The Royal Library in Stockholm is the national copyright deposit library, and a large reSearch (in Swedish) library as well. It also collects and keeps the national bibliography. 

The Swedish publishing business is dominated by a few publishing houses. A large part of their book-selling, mainly bestsellers, is translated from English. Among the Swedish authors that  are still read are;Selma Lagerlöf, Harry Martinson, Ivar Lo-Johansson, August Strindberg, Vilhelm Moberg, Pär Lagerkvist and Astrid Lindgren. 

Swedish Film 
Two of the first Swedish films ever, filmed in 1911, were based on August Strindberg´s dramas Miss Julie and The Father. Seven years later, Strindberg´s The People of Hemsö was filmed, and in 1921 it was followed by Körkarlen, 
a novel by Selma Lagerlöf. This film is considered a masterpiece, and it started a golden era for Swedish film. In this period we find the actress Greta Garbo and directors such as Victor Sjöström and Mauritz Stiller.
Among the films from this time were Herr Arnes penningar and Gunnar Hedes saga, of which both were based on books by Selma Lagerlöf (the book title of the latter was actually Gösta Berlings saga). This golden era came to an end, however, when a lot of directors and actors chose to move to Hollywood. 

In the 1950´s and 60´s Victor Sjöström made some films based on works by Strindberg, such as Miss Julie, Karin Månsdotter (1954), and The Father. One of Sjöström´s disciples  was Ingmar Bergman, and Sjöström even acted in Bergman´s Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället). 

Other Swedish directors to be mentioned are Lasse Hallström, Jan Troell and Bo Widerberg, all of whom have won international acclaim. Among the Swedish actors, there are names like Max von Sydow, Liv Ullman (both have starred in films by Bergman), Anita Ekberg and Ingrid Bergman. 

The annual Gothenburg Film Festival gives directors, actors and cineasts an opportunity to meet, listen to lectures and, of course, watch movies. The majority of the films are made in other countries, but some new Swedish films are also shown. 

Greta Garbo (1905 - 1990) 
Greta Garbo is probably one of the most famous movie stars ever. She was born in Stockholm and her name was then Greta Gustavsson. She made her debut in 1921, in a commercial called "Eating pieces of pastry". One year later, she started at a drama school. Thereafter, in 1924, she got her breakthrough as Dohna in "Gösta Berling's Saga" after Selma Lagerlöf's book.
She went with director Mauritz Stiller to Hollywood and became a great success. Between 1921 and 1942, she played in over 25 films and is most famous for her roles in "Mata Hari" (1932), "Christina" (1934), "Grand Hotel" (1932), "Anna Karenina" (1935), "Kameliadamen" (1936) and "Ninotschka" (1939). 

Greta Garbo's ashes were buried on a small wooded hill at Skogskyrkogården (Forest Cemetary) on June 16 1999, where a red headstone carrying her signature in gold marks the spot. The architecturally beautiful cemetary is itself on the UNESCO World Heritage List and is located 3 kms south of central Stockholm. 

August Strindberg (1849-1912)
August Strindberg grew up in a middle-class family in Stockholm. After having studied for one semester at the University of Uppsala he started working at the Royal Library in Stockholm. His first work was the historical drama Maestro Olof (1878). All in all he wrote more than 75 books. Recurrent themes in his works are power, the (problematic) relation between men and women, religious doubt and social problems. However, he could also be amusing in his writing, as in The People from Hemsö.  Apart from being a writer, Strindberg was also a talented painter.  Strindberg´s last home has been turned into a museum, called Blå Tornet.

Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman is Sweden's most famous director of film and theatre. He has worked in many of the Swedish theatres; for example he was the head of The Helsingborg Theatre between 1944-1946, director in Gothenburg 1946-1949, in Malmö 1953-1959 and in Stockholm at The Royal Dramatic Theatre 1960-1976 and he was its chief 1963-1966. His debut in the filmindustry was in 1944 when he wrote the script to the film "Hets". His first international breakthrough came in 1955 with "Sommarnattens Leende". He often describes "ordinary" people's most profound problems; life and death, God and religion. In 1976 he moved to Munich after a controversy with the tax-authorities and continued his film productions, and at the same time also worked with drama at the Rezidenstheatre in Munich.
In 1981 he returned to Sweden to film "Fanny and Alexander". Other famous films are for example "Det sjunde inseglet (The Seventh Seal)" (1957), "Smultronstället (The Wild Strawberries)" (1957), "Tystnaden (The Silence)" (1963), "Persona" (1966), "Viskningar och Rop (Cries and Whispers)" (1973) and "Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata)" (1978).