The Literary Agenda invites the SSE community to explore literature through shared reading, discussion, and reflection beyond the everyday curriculum.
For nine years, the Literary Agenda has given SSE students the opportunity to take part in book circles and author talks led by faculty, staff, and PhD students.
Each year, participants read six selected books. The aim is to promote self-reflection, empathy, and cultural literacy.
The Literary Agenda is open only to the SSE community. More than 2,500 students, PhD students, faculty, and staff have participated over the years.
An external advisory board of authors and publishers selects the books that form the annual reading list.
Participants are divided into groups of around 10. Each group includes students from different academic levels, together with faculty, staff, and PhD students.
The groups follow a set reading schedule and decide when and where to meet. The books are then discussed in the book circles throughout the year.
Each participant receives all six books free of charge, available for pickup at the SSE Library. During the book circle discussions, participants are offered lunch or fika from the SSE cafeteria.
Students who read and discuss at least four of the six books and submit a reflection paper will have the Literary Agenda listed on their degree certificate under Formal Extracurricular Activities.
The initiative is funded by the Hamrin Foundation.
Daniel Kehlmann, The Director (Ljusspel). Original language: German.
Arundhati Roy, Mother Mary Comes to Me (Mitt skydd och min storm). Original language: English.
David Szalay, Flesh (Kött). Original language: English.
Hanna Johansson, Body Double. Original language: Swedish.
Samanta Schweblin, Good and Evil and Other Stories (Det goda onda). Original language: Spanish.
Tezer Özlü, Cold Nights of Childhood (Barndomens kalla nätter). Original language: Turkish.
Please note: Circle leaders should be faculty members, staff members, or members of the PhD group.
We hope the literature in the Literary Agenda opens up new worlds for students, helping them see circumstances from other people’s perspectives. Future leaders will need this empathy and capacity for reflection.
Johannes Anyuru, A Storm Blew in from Paradise (En storm kom från paradiset). Original language: Swedish.
Sofi Oksanen, Purge (Utrensning). Original language: Finnish.
Kerstin Ekman, Blackwater (Händelser vid vatten). Original language: Swedish.
Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (Den ovillige fundamentalisten). Original language: English.
Theodor Kallifatides, Another Life (Ännu ett liv). Original language: Greek / Swedish.
Han Kang, The Vegetarian (Vegetarianen). Original language: Korean.
Julie Otsuka, The Buddha in the Attic (Vi kom över havet). Original language: English.
Ian McEwan, Machines Like Me (Maskiner som jag). Original language: English.
Colson Whitehead, The Underground Railroad (Den underjordiska järnvägen). Original language: English.
Jamaica Kincaid, The Autobiography of My Mother (Min mors självbiografi). Original language: English.
Karolina Ramqvist, The White City (Den vita staden). Original language: Swedish.
Han Kang, The White Book (Den vita boken). Original language: Korean.
Tara Westover, Educated (Allt jag fått lära mig). Original language: English.
Jonas Hassen Khemiri, I Call My Brothers (Jag ringer mina bröder). Original language: Swedish.
Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (En stund är vi vackra på jorden). Original language: English.
Edna O’Brien, Girl (Flicka). Original language: English.
Patrik Svensson, The Book of Eels / The Gospel of Eels (Ålevangeliet). Original language: Swedish.
Jeanette Winterson, Frankissstein. Original language: English.
Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Refugees (Flyktingar). Original language: English.
Yaa Gyasi, Homegoing (Vända hem). Original language: English.
Therese Bohman, The Other Woman (Den andra kvinnan). Original language: Swedish.
Rumaan Alam, Leave the World Behind (Lämna världen bakom dig). Original language: English.
Fernanda Melchor, Hurricane Season (Orkansäsong). Original language: Spanish.
Douglas Stuart, Shuggie Bain. Original language: English.
Ben Lerner, The Topeka School (Topekaskolan). Original language: English.
Maja Lunde, The History of Bees (Binas historia). Original language: Norwegian.
Naoise Dolan, Exciting Times (Edith och Julian). Original language: English.
Tove Jansson, Moominsummer Madness (Farlig midsommar). Original language: Swedish.
Joseph Ponthus, On the Line (Vid bandet). Original language: French.
Pilar Quintana, The Bitch (Tiken). Original language: Spanish.
Yan Lianke, The Years, Months, Days (År, månader, dagar). Original language: Mandarin Chinese.
Marie NDiaye, Ladivine. Original language: French.
Elin Cullhed, Euphoria (Eufori). Original language: Swedish.
Olivia Laing, The Lonely City (Den ensamma staden). Original language: English.
Karl Ove Knausgård, Spring (Om våren). Original language: Norwegian.
Abdulrazak Gurnah, By the Sea (Vid havet). Original language: English.
Andrej Kurkov, Grey Bees (Grå bin). Original language: Russian.
Ann-Helén Laestadius, Stolen (Stöld). Original language: Swedish.
David Sedaris, Calypso. Original language: English.
Ia Genberg, The Details (Detaljerna). Original language: Swedish.
Lea Ypi, Free (Fri). Original language: English.
Mohsin Hamid, The Last White Man (Den siste vite mannen). Original language: English.
Jessica Au, Cold Enough for Snow (Kallt nog för snö). Original language: English.
Hernan Diaz, Trust (Egendom). Original language: English.
Damon Galgut, In a Strange Room (I ett främmande rum). Original language: English.
Claire Keegan, Small Things Like These (Små ting som dessa). Original language: English.
Leila Mottley, Nightcrawling (Nattvarelser). Original language: English.
Cecile Pin, Wandering Souls (Vandrande själar). Original language: English.
Ingvild H. Rishøi, Brightly Shining (Stargate: en julberättelse). Original language: Norwegian.
Alia Trabucco Zerán, Clean (Rent hus). Original language: Spanish.
Jamaica Kincaid, A Small Place (En liten plats). Original language: English.
Agri Ismaïl, Hyper. Original language: Swedish.
Constance Debré, Love Me Tender. Original language: French.
Christian Kracht, Eurotrash. Original language: German.
David Szalay, Flesh (Kött). Original language: English.
Tezer Özlü, Cold Nights of Childhood (Barndomens kalla nätter). Original language: Turkish.
Arundhati Roy, Mother Mary Comes to Me (Mitt skydd och min storm). Original language: English.
Hanna Johansson, Body Double. Original language: Swedish.
Daniel Kehlmann, The Director (Ljusspel). Original language: German.
Samanta Schweblin, Good and Evil and Other Stories (Det goda onda). Original language: Spanish.
For questions about the Literary Agenda, please contact the team at Literary agenda, Tinni Ernsjöö Rappe, Director of the Art Initiative and Literary Agenda, or Clara Lindström, Librarian at SSE Library.