Sweden
                                                      Photography by Chad Ehlers. Portland, Oregon:
                                                       Graphic Arts Publishing Center, 1990

Almost everything I have written has started with an idea or a feeling, which, once put in words, has had to find a publisher. This book is the exception: Graphic Arts Publishing Center approached me and asked if I wanted to write the text for a book on Sweden. The subject matter was set and there were three guidelines: it was important to stick to a specific length, I had to keep in mind that it was to be written for an American audience, and I was asked not to be too argumentative or political. In addition, I was shown similar books that Graphic Arts had published, but I had no access to any of the photographs that were to be included. In the end, when I finally met the photographer for the first time and saw the pictures, I understood the true meaning of an arranged marriage. The photographs made me think that the book really should have been called something like Sweden On Vacation. I certainly recognized my native land, but felt that it was far from a balanced depiction. Nothing but happy blondies in the north here. Still, even though they were in a different spirit from my text, the editors consecrated the union and the book came into being.

       I suppose it could have ended there. The edition was published and sold out, and I really did not any have any contact with the publisher or the photographer even though the book eventually went into a second printing. Then I got a surprise in the mail--a friend in Stockholm wrote and told me that she had bought a copy of the book--in Swedish! This surprised me for several reasons. Partly because I had been told that the book was directed solely at an American audience, and partly because I had not been told about it. Both the publisher and the photographer knew that I worked as a translator and I thought that they would at least have asked me if I was interested in doing the Swedish translation myself. I never received any compensation for the Swedish edition, so I called Graphic Arts. They claimed not to know anything about a Swedish edition and promised to get back to me, and that, several years later, is where the matter still stands. Recently, I also learned that the book is now out in German and Polish as well! The attorney I consulted thought that a somewhat vague phrase in the contract COULD be interpreted to mean that the publisher had the right to publish the book globally, which COULD imply that other languages than English could be used, even though no translation rights were mentioned. In short, it would be a hard case to push. I suppose what irks me is not really the money, but the manner in which I was treated.

            Looked at from the bright side, I am happy that people from around the world enjoy looking at pictures of an idyllic Sweden. It is a spectacular country that will always be a part of who I am. And, of course, anyone who travels there with open eyes will find that there is more to Sweden than what they have seen or read in this book

            So if you want to find out more, I suggest that you check it out at your local library!