“After ”Nuckan” and ”Haggan” I am waiting anxiously for ”Subban””
“After the ”Nuckan” and ”Haggan”, I wonder out of curiosity which other derogatory expression for a woman that will be manifested in a book title. Is a relief ”Subban” on tour?”
“One can ask whether the authors and publishers had an eye on this start of the millennium, the Swedish pop band when they agreed to a definite form singular –as the Gun, Machine, War, Foundation, Face, Hästpojken – is the way to bokläsarnas hearts and wallets. Maria Svelands ”Bitterfittan” came already in 2007, but now Malin Lindroths ”Nuckan” and Aase Berg’s ”Haggan” has been released with quite short intervals allowed me to discern a trend. Why complicate it with high-sounding titles as ”The highest caste” or ”Mosquitoes and tigers” when the message can be expressed in a single pithy epithets, seem to the reasoning to go.”
“I allow myself to speculate on what the next book that follows the trend might be called.”
“the Title ”Ruggugglan” is not too shabby, but what would it be about? The right to be ugly, not noppa eyebrows and frighten the children with its chilling revelation is possibly not material enough for a whole novel. ”Harpyan” is not casual enough, and the ”mickey ride” is an epithet that may not need to be recaptured. So my choice falls on the ”Subban”, a fairly broad insult for women who do not behave in a desirable way. ”Subban” could be a settlement with a woman’s relationship to men, but also to the other women, the family, the workplace, yes, the whole universe.”
“Or so it is the men who take up the baton. Horace Engdahl came quite close to the trend with title of ”The last pig” but should simply have called it ’the Pig’.”
” the Problem is certainly that there are hardly any derogatory words specifically for men who are unmarried, childless or otherwise not behave.”
“But it need not prevent them from soon take out a patent on ”Gubbjäveln”,”Skitstöveln”, ”Ass-hole”, ”Kukhuvudet” or why not ”Avskummet”. Only the imagination and the grammar sets the limits.”
