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Swedish author P.C. Jersild reflects on 66-year career and new novel Image: Lars Lindqvist
🇸🇪 Sweden /Culture & Society

Swedish author P.C. Jersild reflects on 66-year career and new novel

From Dagens Nyheter · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Swedish author P.C. Jersild, 91, marks 66 years as a writer with the release of his new novel, "Livet som gåva."
  • The novel focuses on his late brother Hans, who died at 53 from tuberculosis, and explores themes of memory, family, and alternative life paths.
  • Jersild, also a medical doctor, discusses his brother's illness's impact on his own career path and the power dynamics within healthcare.

Veteran Swedish author and medical doctor P.C. Jersild, now 91, is marking an extraordinary 66-year literary career with the release of his latest novel, "Livet som gåva" (Life as a Gift).

Yes, it doesn't feel particularly special, actually. But I know I've been at it for a long time.

— P.C. JersildOn reaching his 66th anniversary as an author.

This new work delves into the life of his older brother, Hans, who succumbed to tuberculosis at the age of 53. Hans's illness has been a recurring theme in Jersild's writing over the years, but this novel offers a new perspective, exploring the uneven distribution of happiness and the 'what ifs' of life.

"Livet som gåva" is structured in two parts. The first part offers a biographical account of Hans's life and Jersild's relationship with him, striving for truthfulness while acknowledging the reconstructive nature of memory. The second part imagines an alternative life for Hans, one where his illness was a curable pneumonia, allowing him to live a long life free from the ravages of tuberculosis.

I don't really know why. But I think it was because I read Vilhelm Moberg's 'Din stund på jorden,' where Alfred Carlson looks back on his life and writes about his older brother who died young. I think that's what set it off. But I'm not sure.

— P.C. JersildExplaining the inspiration for writing about his brother now.

Jersild, who himself pursued a medical career partly influenced by his brother's illness, reflects on the profound impact of healthcare on his family. He notes how his brother's prolonged sickness immersed the family in the world of medicine from a young age, revealing the inherent power dynamics between patients and healthcare providers, particularly doctors.

Yes, but it feels like this story has been resting within you for a while?

— InterviewerProbing Jersild about the long gestation of the story.

Despite his prolific career and numerous accolades, Jersild approaches his 66th literary anniversary with characteristic modesty. He acknowledges the passage of time and the evolution of his own perspective, noting that his viewpoint as a 90-year-old differs significantly from that of his younger self.

Well, but I wrote 'Fem hjärtan i en tändsticksask.' Those stories are in there. But then almost 40 years have passed. And memory changes, and my attitude towards these different family members changes. The perspective I have as a 90-year-old is not quite the same as one has as a 60-year-old or 50-year-old.

— P.C. JersildResponding to the interviewer's observation about the story's long development.
About this summary

Originally published by Dagens Nyheter in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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