 Young people need to read books because it's really a great experience in many ways. There are writers all over the world who write in different ways, so it would be really strange if there isn't a sort of book, or an author that doesn't fit for every person. In this article we have a Swedish, an Italian and an English writer have completely different ways of writing. It might help you in finding the right book just for you!
Marianne Fredriksson is one of our most famous Swedish authors, with more than 20 years of writing behind her and still counting. She was born in 1927. She worked as a journalist on a well known Swedish newspaper called "Svenska Dagbladet". She has also been the head editor of the magazine "Allt i hemmet" , where you can read about things like "how to put up new wallpapers", "how to make old furniture look new again" and so on. She was also one of the people behind "Vi föräldrar" , a magazine for parents with small children. It takes up things like "The best babyfood", "Three women about their first weeks as a mother" and so on. All these magazines are well known and read by thousands of people here in Sweden. Her books often builds on religious stories from the Bible, with figures like Adam and Eve, Noah with family, John the Baptist and so on. All these people you have heard or maybe read about comes to life in a brand new way, in the 20:th century they are more alive then ever! They have needs and feelings not to unlike our own. The biblical and mythological grounds comes back even in her novels about the present, "Simon och ekarna" (Simon and the oaks) and "Gåtan" (The Riddle) for example. The book "Anna, Hanna och Johanna" brakes that pattern. It is about the lives of three women, (grandmother, mother and daughter) with a lot of Sweden's development in the story from generation to generation, and the woman's fight for independence and their background. It was for a long time a best-seller in Germany, where it was called "Hanna's töcher". Except for German, Mariannes books has been printed in 11 languages. "Den som vandrar om natten"(The One Who Wanders in the Night) - this is my favourite among Marianne Fredriksson's novels. It is a fantastic story that takes us to places like Rome, Israel, Greece, and Caldeérn around the year 0. In the middle of the story we find Marcus and his teacher and mentor, Anjalis the Calder. Marcus is the son of the roman nobleman Salvius, and one of his Greek slaves. Anjalis father was one of the three wise men who discovered the star and followed it to Bethlehem, where he found the new born Jesus child. Anjalis leaves his home in the desert at a grown age to find knowledge in the west, and travels through Greece and Rome, where he meets the young boy Marcus. He is blind, he has "escaped into the darkness". He is the one who " wanders in the night", as a way to grief his mother's death. Anjalis realises that Marcus' blindness is psychological related and wants to help him, and he succeeds. Anjalis hunts for the mystery with Gods appearance on earth as a human. About this riddle there is a lot of whispering all around the world, and there are as many explanations and theories as there are temples and Gods. The searching leads Anjalis to Israel where he meets Jesus- and his mission. Anjalis becomes John, one of the first men who chose to follow the son of God. The novel is very good because it feels so real! The hectic city life in Rome, the scents, the people, a lifestyle that was usual almost 2000 years ago feels real and close, here in the 20:th century.
Italo Calvino - an Italian writer that in my opinion is a great writer. He has got a fantastic imagination and he has got a keen sense of storytelling. He is both a short story writer, a journalist and a writer of fiction. For his great writing he was awarded the Italian literary award, Premio Feltinelli. This novelist was born in Cuba in 1923 and he grew up in San Remo, Italy. He died in 1985, 62 years old. He joined the Italian Resistance during the World War 2 and his two first fictional works were about his involvement in the Resistance. In the 1950s he turned to fantasy and he wrote three books that brought him international acclaim. One of them was "Il barone rampante". "Il barone rampante" or in English "The Baron in the trees" was written in 1957. I have read this book and I think it has become one of my favourite books now. One of the reasons for that is that the book never stops surprising you. It is a very unusual book and I think you have to have a sense of imagination to read it. I mean, after all, the boy that this book is about, lives in the trees! It's about a baron who is 12 years old - Cosimo - who climbs up in a tree in the middle of the family's dinner, because he is fed up with his parents. This is the year 1767 and the date is June 15th, and he promises that he will never ever climb down. He learns to live in the trees even when it's rough and cold outside. He achieves a lot though, even if he lives in the trees. He helps the poor people, fights with pirates, he meets Napoleon himself, and he loves the girl Viola, so even love is a part of this book. It isn't Cosimo who tells this story, it's his brother and that is kind of fun, because then you find out his side of the story, and not the main character's, like in most books. Cosimo really lives a different life during his 65 years and no-one can really understand him and his way if thinking. That's one reason why this book is good, because you get to think a lot on your own. One of my favourite parts in this book, is when Cosimo meets Spanish high ranked people who also live in the trees, not of their own free will, but because their country claimed that they were traitors. As I said this book is for those who have imagination and for those who let their fantasy overcome their common sense. The author describes everything very well, so if you want a lot of conversation and not so much storytelling you might get bored with this book, but apart from that, I recommend this book to everyone!
Boys of my age 15-18 often read fantasy literature. I have read the book "The Snow-Walkers Son" by Catherine Fisher and I´m already waiting for the next book of the series to be released. It's a brief book about two kids, Jessa and Torkel who live far up in a cold country in the north. Their parents were traitors to the leader of the country, and the leader, Ragnar , killed them because of the treason. Now, he has called the two of them to his castle to give them their sentences. But Ragnar's mind isn't a hundred percent his own. His wife, the snow-witch Gudrun has mighty powers and controls him from tip to toe. So she demands him to send them away to the ice cold Trasirshall. It's a castle far away where the mysterious monster Kari lives, with Brokael Gunnarsson, the man who takes care of him. So, here begins Jessa's and Torkel's dangerous journey to Trasirshall where the monster lives, and they keep wondering all the time during the journey: "Will we survive?" I think that this book is a book you can read anywhere, because it´s a well written book and very interesting to read. Catherine writes almost the same as other fantasy writers, like David Eddings, one of mine favourite writers who have written many good books.
... that you have received some useful tips about books for young people!
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