Elisabeth Åsbrink on the End of Swedish Exceptionalism

Swedish author and journalist Elisabeth Åsbrink, known for her books exploring fractures in contemporary Europe, will speak in Tuscany on March 20 and 21, 2026, invited by the Honorary Consulate of Sweden. On Friday, March 20 at 6:30 PM, she will appear at Libreria Feltrinelli in Florence's Piazza della Repubblica, in conversation with Livia Frescobaldi and Marco Del Panta on "Sweden and Italy: A Country's Identity and Its Perception Abroad." On Saturday, March 21 at 5 PM, she will meet readers at the Auditorium Terzani of the Biblioteca San Giorgio in Pistoia, as part of the program for Pistoia Italian Capital of Books 2026. In an interview, Åsbrink discusses the erosion of Sweden's exceptionalism, citing privatization of hospitals, schools, and social services that widened inequality and fostered nostalgia exploited by the Sweden Democrats. She contrasts Sweden's secular, state-trusting society with Italy's family-centered, faith-oriented culture, and notes the tension between individualism (symbolized by Zlatan Ibrahimović) and collectivism. She also reflects on Pippi Longstocking as a symbol of child autonomy, influenced by Ellen Key's pedagogy, and warns that transparency laws are challenged by new economic power disparities.