Scandinavians cover art

Scandinavians

In Search of the Soul of the North

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Unlimited access to our all-you-can-listen catalogue of 15K+ audiobooks and podcasts
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Scandinavians

By: Robert Ferguson
Narrated by: Mark Meadows
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £18.99

Buy Now for £18.99

About this listen

Includes a multicast recording of featured interlude 'Ibsen's Ghosts'!

The Scandinavians are regarded as Europe's most tolerant and peace-loving people. So how was it that one of the worst acts of political terror ever witnessed on this continent was committed by a Norwegian - against his fellow countrymen?

Scandinavia is the epitome of cool: we fill our homes with cheap but stylish Nordic furniture; we envy their health-giving outdoor lifestyle; we glut ourselves on their crime fiction; even their strangely attractive melancholia seems to express a stoic, commonsensical acceptance of life's many vicissitudes. But how valid is this outsider's view of Scandinavia and how accurate our picture of life in Scandinavia today?

Robert Ferguson digs down through two millennia of history to tell stories of extraordinary events, people and objects - from Norwegian death metal to Vidkun Quisling, from Agnetha Fältskog to Greta Garbo, from Lurpak butter to the Old Norse rune stones - that richly illuminate our understanding of modern Scandinavia and its society, politics, culture and temperament.

©2016 Robert Ferguson (P)2017 Audible, Ltd
Europe Scandinavia Social Sciences
All stars
Most relevant
It veers between indulgent self analysis and seemingly random comment. The book lacks a strong sense of direction.

Mispronunciation of DANISH names

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.