Coupledom: A Swedish Author on Marriage and Oppression
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Gun-Britt Sundström, the acclaimed Swedish author, possesses a remarkable talent for dissecting the subtle complexities that often elude the stark pronouncements of headlines. Her fiction, notably in her novel Engagement, allows these nuanced realities to unfold, offering a space where characters like Martina can exist beyond simple categorization as either a heroine or a cautionary tale. This very ambiguity, Sundström notes with a touch of surprise, has led some young women to embrace Martina as a role model.
“I met a young girl who showed me her copy of Maken, and it was full of Post-its,” Sundström recounts. “And she saeid, ‘When I’m in trouble, or unsure of something, I think: what would Martina say?'” The author’s astonishment at this revelation underscores her intentional intention: “I don’t know if I am suppose to be happy about that.Not for a moment was it my intention to propagate anything at all.”
The Personal Roots of Engagement
Sundström’s exploration of relationships and societal expectations in Engagement stemmed from a deeply personal period of her life. “I conceived of the book while going through a period of being single, wondering about the long-term prospects of any relationship,” she explains. This introspection coincided with the burgeoning culture war surrounding marriage and divorce in the 1970s, a societal shift she recognized as fertile ground for a novel.
The author’s personal feelings about societal norms were further amplified by a significant cultural event. “In 1976 the Swedish king got married, and all of us radicals, of course, were republicans - I have been a member of the republican association for as long as I can remember,” she says. “and although [regard for the monarchy] wasn’t as mad as it is in Britain, I really was depressed about peopel engaging with that bloody wedding. And me walking around feeling single.” This personal experience led her to a broader observation about the pressures of societal expectations: “This idea of coupledom is even more oppressing to young people today than it was in my day. That means it is very oppressing.”
A Calm Approach to Life and Death
The conversation then shifts to the subject of death, a topic Sundström’s parents approached with a notable lack of drama. “My parents were unhistrionic about it too,” she shares.reflecting on a conversation with her mother shortly before her death, Sundström recalls asking, “Are you afraid of dying?” Her mother’s response was one of gentle surprise: “‘No! Why should I be?'”
Sundström disapproves of the modern tendency to imbue the afterlife with notions of reunion, even for pets. “They didn’t talk about her being reunited with Sundström’s father, which is something, she notes disapprovingly, that people extend to their cats and dogs these days. ‘Imagine… what a crowd.'” Instead, her parents’ equanimity stemmed from a deeply held conviction: “They were both so very calm, because they had lived in the conviction that this world isn’t the only one.”
Imagining a Better World
While Sundström herself does not share her parents’ religious beliefs, she acknowledges their profound influence on her worldview, particularly in terms of social engagement. ”This is not what Sundström believes,” she states plainly. Yet, she credits her upbringing with fostering a similar outlook: “And yet, thanks to those admirable, religious people in her background, she sees the world much as they did, in terms of social engagement.”
If she were young today, sundström declares, “I’d be a Greta Thunberg.” For her, the ability to look at the world and envision a more positive future is a shared characteristic that bridges the gap between the novelist and the activist.It is indeed, she concludes, the capacity “to imagine something else than this world.”
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Engagement* by Gun-Britt Sundström, translated by Kathy Saranpa, is published by Penguin Modern Classics (£18.99). To support the Guardian, order your copy at guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.