Greta Schüldt: This year's 'Sommar' lineup feels particularly dull

Greta Schüldt, writing for Dagens Nyheter, expresses a strong sense of disappointment with this year's selection of speakers for the popular Swedish radio program "Sommar i P1." Schüldt describes the lineup as "particularly dull," even when compared to previous years, and questions the choices made by program chief Bibi Rödöö.

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Her crown? A flower crown that far surpasses those of her subjects, forgive me, the Summer speakers.

Schüldt criticizes Rödöö, who has been the program's chief for 30 years, for what is perceived as an increasingly grandiose self-image and an "unyielding will to become a celebrity herself." The author references a podcast feud between "Alex och Sigges podcast" and Rödöö, highlighting comments where Rödöö is described as a "queen" who "reigns over the institution Sommar." Schüldt suggests that even jokes can reveal an inflated sense of self.

While acknowledging that some of the chosen speakers, such as Maria Maunsbach, Jonas Gren, and Kristoffer Leandoer, are individuals the author might listen to, there's a lingering suspicion that the program settled for Leandoer due to the unavailability of his son, the widely discussed and trendy Yung Lean. Schüldt implies that "Sommar i P1" is not aligned with the contemporary cool of Yung Lean, or even "Old Lean," but rather with figures like Klarna founder Sebastian Siemiatkowski and Eurovision participant Felicia.

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My God, what a collection of bores!

Ultimately, Schüldt concludes that Bibi Rödöö continues to preside over her "TV4-compatible kingdom," symbolized by a flower crown that far surpasses those of her "subjects," or rather, the "Sommarpratarna" (Summer speakers). The piece is a commentary on the perceived lack of excitement and the established, perhaps staid, nature of the program's selections under Rödöö's long tenure.

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For thirty years she has been queen and reigned over the institution Sommar.