Finnish-Swedish writer Kjell Westö reflects on history, fiction and the moral imagination behind his novels. The interview traces Westö’s long engagement with the turbulent decades of the 20th century—particularly the 1930s and early 1940s. “A novel’s strength is that it can depict how major changes impact the individual,” he says.
Westö speaks about why he repeatedly returns to moments of political and social rupture, from Finland’s civil war in 1918 to the shadow of the Second World War. These periods, he argues, were not only defined by violence and ideological conflict, but also by the birth of modern popular culture, cinema and mass media. “So alongside the rumble of war, our modern world is born in the late 30s,” he says.
Often described as a “holist,” Westö explains a literary approach that resists narrow themes in favor of interconnectedness. “My style reflects my belief that everything in the world is connected,” he notes, adding that his novels are driven by an interest in how ordinary individuals try to live meaningful lives amid war, social upheaval and historical pressure. This ambition, he acknowledges, has sometimes placed him out of step with prevailing literary trends. “Not for a single moment in my 40-year-long career have I felt in tune with the times,” he says.
The conversation also turns to contemporary debates about authenticity and autofiction. Westö reflects on what he sees as a renegotiation of the contract between writer and reader, as audiences increasingly demand biographical truth from novels. “This demand for authenticity
is a sign of the times. Perhaps because authenticity is scarce,” he observes, while defending the imaginative power of fully fictional characters. At the same time, he addresses climate anxiety, social media, and the growing expectation that writers must perform publicly and continuously explain their work.
Throughout the interview, Westö returns to solitude as a condition of writing and to fidelity to one’s inner voice. Recalling an early attempt to imitate fashionable theory-driven poetry, he concludes: “You must dare to be alone with your own thoughts.”
Kjell Westö was born in 1961 in Helsinki, Finland. He is one of the most widely read contemporary authors writing in Swedish, known especially for his historical novels depicting Finland’s 20th-century history. His major works include Drakarna över Helsingfors (1996), Where We Once Went (2006), Mirage 38, and Skymning 41. Westö received the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 2014 for Hägring 38 and has been awarded several other major literary honors for his contribution to Nordic literature.
Journalist Kim Skotte interviewed Kjell Westö in connection with the Louisiana Literature festival in August 2024 at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
Camera: Rasmus Quistgaard
Edit: Signe Boe Pedersen
Produced by Christian Lund
Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2026
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