The book I never manage to read and followed me around

This Book have haunted me, almost, on trips through Europe on trains, and big towns and small towns in the US of A. In Sweden you are supposed to love any book of this writer. Full stop. And yep its a great writer.  Only… This particular  book I’ve never managed to read through. And feeling  guilty almost for not doing it. I used to bring it with me on all trips. I just thought I must manage to read the freaking book. And for some reason never make it.  I thought I had thrown  it away or give it to charity.  But no, I just found it on the top shelve. Staring at me: ” Yohoo, here I am, still, my friend”.

I bought it back in 1984 and still tried to read on trips early 2000. It was first published in 1983 and year after it came out in this pocket. It sold well. And the storyline is intriguing. And the story on the back cover and the first pages, first chapter, intrigued me as a very young man. It was a time when clothes from the 1940´s was hip again and for many years onwards. In 1983, the year before, I had been in Paris over the new year with my oldest friend. We had seen the start of Paris – Dakar Rally around Place de la Concord. And I had bought a Kashmir coat in Paris, close to the Opera house, to wear with my old second-hand original 1940´s hand-tailord suite on new years eve. And the cover of this book appealed to me. And still does. But reading it page to page from start to end or middle – nope. Just cant do it. It simply wasnt my tempo in the book or something like that. The way he wrote the story. I know, people years after, when I worked on theatres, convinced me it was a great book – because of the author. For so many years I gave it all the chances and packed it into my back packs. Who knows, maybe one day I will read it. And hopefully I will enjoy it. I just cant see it happening right now.

Last year, winter 2014 and january 2015, the book ”Gentlemen” by the same author, a true classic of this writer, was released as a movie. I didn’t read the book, and I can’t say I was even near interested after seeing clips from the movie. Thats life, right. SOme work and some doesnt.

A detail maybe, but 1940´s, this book played out in 1937 Stockholm

Enjoy the book and author. Nothing  wrong really. It is just this book.

Stefan Lindblad
Illustrator, Cover artist and designer.