Jan Guillou on His Pain: 'I Can Only Walk 100 Meters'

Swedish author Jan Guillou, known for his sharp prose, now navigates the world with a noticeable physical limitation. He can currently only manage to walk approximately 100 meters, a stark contrast to his previously active life.

Guillou has developed ingenious, albeit delicate, methods for enjoying one of his simple pleasures: picking flowers. He demonstrates how he uses his well-crafted wooden walking stick to gently lift snowdrops, allowing him to then use scissors to cut them. For more delicate wildflowers like blue anemones, which require bending down, he finds it increasingly difficult, stating, "One must bend down too far and pick them by hand, carefully. It's not possible anymore."

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I have found a way to pick snowdrops. They often grow together in drifts. Then I usually lay the stick over them and fold them down, and then sit down with scissors and cut them off. Then I take a snow shovel on a shaft and sweep them up and sort them on the sink.

Despite these challenges, the ritual of picking flowers remains a significant part of his and his wife Ann-Marie Skarp's weekend routine. While Guillou spends his weekdays writing at their home outside Östhammar, Skarp arrives on Friday afternoons with groceries from the market. The flowers are then arranged for her to enjoy. This cherished tradition continues, a testament to their enduring connection and Guillou's adaptation to his changing physical reality.

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One must bend down too far and pick them by hand, carefully. It's not possible anymore.