ABSTRACT
In Sweden, fiction, plays, opinion pieces and newspaper essays on migrant experiences are contributing to a new understanding of the country as increasingly diversified. These writings convey experiences of exclusion, even racism, but also of integration. Importantly, the writers do not identify as immigrant writers but as Swedish writers. One of them, Marjaneh Bakhtiari, was born in Iran and moved to Sweden at age seven. Her successful debut novel is about life among Iranians in Sweden, Call It What the Hell You Want! The critics were impressed, noting that here was a woman who wrote about cultural clashes in a witty way. Also, the second novel Can You Say Shibboleth? was hailed for being funny. This entertaining approach has, however, been replaced by a serious tone depicting war and dangerous escape in the short story “Farewell to those ashore,” as well as racist violence in the novel with the ironic title Incredibly Wonderful. According to Bakhtiari her work does not represent a group, it is not autobiographical, but inspired by her observations, conversations and media consumption. On an analytical level these narratives capture different types of migrant emplacement strategies that unsettle the traditional Swedish social landscape and its power dynamics.
