Lena Andersson is a novelist and a columnist
for Svenska Dagbladet. Considered one of Sweden’s
sharpest contemporary analysts, she writes about politics, society,
culture, religion, and other topics. Her fifth novel and
English-language debut, Willful Disregard, was awarded the
2013 August Prize, Sweden’s highest literary honor.
Saskia Vogel is from Los Angeles and lives in Berlin, where
she works as a writer and Swedish-to-English literary translator.
Her 2019 debut novel, Permission, has been translated into four
languages. She has written on themes of gender, power and the art
of translation for publications such as Granta, The White Review,
The Offing, and The Paris Review Daily. Her translations include
work by Lina Wolff, Katrine Marçal, Karolina Ramqvist, Johannes
Anyuru and the modernist eroticist Rut Hillarp.
“[Andersson] exposes the cruelty and the comedy of romantic
obsession…gripping.” —The New Yorker
“A thoughtful and sharp exploration of how our culture views
infidelity.” —Elle (UK)
“Andersson (well served by Saskia Vogel’s subtle translation) is an
electrifying writer.” —Times Literary Supplement
“Engrossing…a cogent, astute novel.” —Publishers Weekly
“Piercing…As dryly comic as it is horrifying on an emotional level,
the novel will ring true to anyone who has ever loved unwisely…a
razor-sharp examination of the self-deluded mind…irresistible.”
—Booklist
“Andersson’s writing, crisply translated from the Swedish by Vogel,
is wry and refreshingly unsentimental.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Andersson’s acerbic, sharp-witted novel puts the lie to
stereotypes about aloof, chilly Swedes…Ester and Olof are the stuff
of great characters: fascinating people engaged in terrible
behavior.” —Barnes & Noble Reads, 15 Newly Translated Novels You
Need to Read in 2019
“Andersson tells [the story] with energy and wit, and her
psychological insights make the twists and turns of the
relationship engrossing.” —Book Riot
“A razor-sharp take on being a mistress…Andersson adroitly
juxtaposes contemporary practice against human nature; the epilogue
is a pure gut punch delivered to everyone: the married, the single,
the hopeful, the desperate.” —Literary Hub
“Acts of Infidelity powerfully captures the frustration of pursuing
someone who wishes neither to commit nor to break things
off…captivating…funny and poignant.” —The Literary Review
“[A] truly stunning read…Endless wisdom and elegance.” —Daily
Mail
“[A] scalpel-sharp look at a doomed relationship…funny,
intelligent…Every other sentence begs to be underlined, reveals an
uncomfortable nugget of truth.” —The White Review
“This is a follow up to Willful Disregard, but you don’t need
to have read that to appreciate the craftsmanship of Acts of
Infidelity…Andersson’s book is cutting and honest, and Ester’s
situation and feelings are frustrating, complicated and so, so
real.” —Stylist
“A novel of heartbreak told with intellectual rigor. It gripped me
from first page to last. Fantastic!” —Alice Sebold, author of The
Lovely Bones
“There are few people writing about love and longing with such
unflinching sharpness and insight as Lena Andersson. She gives
feelings and experiences so often dismissed as trivial the
attention and gravity they deserve, to brilliant, and often
painful, effect.” —Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure
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