Comments on: The Case of the Swedish Ghost Book: A Critical Who Dunnit or Hell Hath No Fury like a Swedish Literary Critic Who Detests You

By: Sten DÃ¼ring

Sten DÃ¼ring — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:31:12 +0000

The reason PiratfÃ¶rlaget looks like Pirate Publications is that it literally means what it looks like.

The people behind it were controversial thirty years ago. They have since attained great commercial success but failed in their repeated attempts at staying controversial.

By: Ingrid

Ingrid — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 18:27:43 +0000

I don’t speak Swedish, but doesn’t Piratvorlaget look a lot like “Pirate Publications”?

By: Kevin Wignall

Kevin Wignall — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:58:31 +0000

I agree with Lundberg – Fruktans Makt is a risible book with paper-thin characterization and a plot that can only be described as slight.

As an aside here, for a long time I was listed on Amazon.de as the author of a book called something along the lines of “All the Flowers are Dying” (except in German, of course). It goes without saying that I didn’t write the book and have never had a German deal.

By: Ingrid

Ingrid — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:36:05 +0000

Oh, nice! This one takes criticism to an altogether different level. It now becomes oracular. Since I don’t believe this happens all that much, and since I have found American reviewers to be generally very forgiving, I’m only amused.
I have to wonder what the author did to make the critic so angry. Does the critic have a motive? Is it personal? Or is she somehow in his view hurting people by writing what she writes? Do authors have a responsibility to the public? Do critics have a responsibility to public and authors?
Does advertising hype enter somewhere into this?
Anyway: thanks. I liked this one.

By: Jim Winter

Jim Winter — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 14:29:24 +0000

OK, someone please explain to me why this person still has a job reviewing books. Were I the editor, my first words to the reviewer would be, “I thought you should know McDonald’s is advertising for fry cooks. Would you like to postpone this meeting while you fill out an application?”