German Literary Critic Reviews IKEA Catalogue

I just had to share this with you. The new IKEA catalogue is out and is reviewed by a German literary critic. This shows what brilliant PR people those cunning Swedes are. I'm almost jealous. (Very, actually).

Dagmar: My favourite Swedish Fashion Label

I found Dagmar last year when I saw this skirt on the naughty-but-nice Net-a-Porter site. Its green camouflage pattern is really flattering, and the zips on the side make it a little more fun than a normal pencil skirt would be. It's also very stretchy, so even on 'fat days' I can fit into it. I've worn the skirt so many times now that I think a lot of people think its sewn onto to me; still it doesn't show any signs of wear and tear. Plus it can just be shucked into the washing machine time and time again.

Here I am wearing my Dagmar skirt, posing with the Moomin troll.

This is why I like a lot of Swedish brands; even H&M - which after all is a value fashion brand - makes items that last a lot longer than their British or Spanish counterparts. I''m not naming any names, but you know that irritation when  a t-shirt turns bobbly or stretched after just one wear and wash. Or when the label tells you that a simple skirt of shirt needs dry cleaning - or worse still - the label says 'Do not wash'. What is that all about?

Swedish House of  Dagmar is a quirky label, designed by three Swedish sisters. Tall, blonde and beautiful, I'd have to hate them, would they not produce such fun an wearable clothes.

The three beautiful and talented sisters
 behind the Dagmar label

One of their most important fans is the Swedish Crown Princess Victoria, so once again I'm wearing clothes favoured by Royalty. I must be getting old.

Princess Victoria wearing a Dagmar dress.

Which Nordic Noir character would you like to be?

I've got a bit of a girl crush on many of the female characters in Nordic Noir fiction, TV and film.

It all started with Lisbet Salander, the feisty female sleuth in Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy. Who wouldn't want to battle misogyny on the streets of Stockholm? I might not have been able to do all the techie stuff, nor am I very good in physical combat, but boy, would I, like Ms Salander, love to spend my time fighting for the cause of feminism!

Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander 

My more recent fictional heroines are from TV: The jumper-wearing Sarah Lund from The Killing, who sacrifices her personal life for the good cause of crime fighting, and the socially awkward Swedish detective, Saga Noren, from the Danish/Swedish TV series, The Bridge. Her brain is as big as a house, she wears tight leather pants, drives a vintage Saab and asks a man to move into her flat because, 'I like having sex with him.' That a girl!

Sofie Gråbol as Sarah Lund

Sofia Herlin as Saga Noren

But, my all time hero, and someone who I secretly would really like to morph into, is Birgitte Nyborg, the head-strong Prime Minister in another Danish TV series, Borgen. This might have something to do with the fact that The Englishman has been totally in love with her since Series One, but for me, being in charge of a whole country is also incredibly sexy. I've always been interested in Politics, I studied the subject at uni, and even once upon a time dreamed of being an MP in the UK.

Alas, my career has taken a totally different direction and I cannot really imagine that I would ever be able to carry such a heavy responsibility.  I would, however, be quite at home telling several good-looking, powerful men around me what to do...

Sidse Babett as Premier Nyborg

'Dream on', says The Englishman.

Which Scandi character would you like to be?

Dr Glas in London

I'd been looking forward to seeing this dark Swedish play by Hjalmar Söderberg since I interviewed Krister Henriksson in London last autumn. Henriksson, who is better known to UK audiences for starring in the Swedish detective series as the morose Wallander, has been playing Dr Glas to great acclaim and full houses all over the Nordic countries. This is the first time Dr Glas has been performed in London, what's more, probably the first time any play has been staged in the West End in Swedish with English surtitles.

In whichever language, Dr Glas will attract Nordic Noir lovers. The play, written in 1905, deals with issues such as sex, adultery, murder and abortion. It's a one man show with no interval and very little in the way of props. The only noticeable difference in the set occurs, as moving from one act to another, the background colour changes from green, red to blue. All very minimalistic and very Nordic.

The villain in the story, Pastor Gregorius, is loathsome and morally repulsive. He has a beautiful wife, who in despair seeks the help of the lonely, but passionate physician, Dr Glas. The story is told in the form of a journal, which Dr Glas himself recounts. Immediately, however, the audience is aware that he may be an unreliable narrator; he says he won't tells us everything, but the bits he'll tell us are true.

In narrating the story, Krister Henriksson excels. He becomes the characters he, as Dr Glas, describes. Expertly, he contrasts the disgusting figure of the hypocritical clergyman with the beautiful, fragile Mrs Gregorius. Even a minor character such as the Doctor's journalist friend, is skilfully portrayed by Henriksson. It's as if the other characters were on stage with Henriksson.

As for Dr Glas himself, Henriksson becomes the sad, obsessed man, destined to seek unrequited love. The doctor's terrible moral dilemma, the deep love he feels for Mrs Gregorius and his desire to be a hero, seep out of Henriksson's every pore.

I am, however, in two minds about the surtitles. In operas they work well, because they are just a guide to what's being sung, rather than a simultaneous translation of the actors words. On one hand it's fantastic that a UK audience can enjoy the talent of a Swedish actor such as Henriksson live on a stage, but, for me, as a Swedish speaker, the surtitles were a pain. They either lagged behind a little or were slightly ahead of the spoken word. This is natural; it's impossible to match a translation word for word in two languages (I should know). But the time lag meant that the audience reaction to any dramatic line was out of sync with Henriksson's words, and with my own reactions. So rather than aiding my pleasure of the play, they disrupted the suspense of my disbelief. It'd be interesting to find out how an English speaker found the experience of the surtitles. Did they detract from the dramatic action on stage, I wonder?

Having said all that, if you love Nordic Noir, I would very much recommend you see this rare treat of a truly authentic Swedish play in London. You may even be as lucky as I, and a few others in the audience, and catch one of the  red roses Henriksson threw out at curtain call.

Henriksson is a charming gentleman to the end.

Dr Glas
Wyndham's Theatre
London
www.drglas.com
Tickets are from £37
Until 11 May 2013