Summary of Popular Music from Vittula
“Popular Music from Vittula” is a coming-of-age novel about a boy growing up in a remote rural village in northern Sweden in the 1960s, a place influenced by Finnish, Swedish, and Meänkieli traditions. The novel traces the lives of local youngsters, as they form friendships, discover rock music (especially The Beatles), explore the world beyond their village, and rebel against the older generation.
Reasons to read Popular Music from Vittula
“Popular Music from Vittula” paints a beautiful picture of life in the Swedish countryside. While the events it recounts may seem ordinary, they are told with great tenderness and beautiful prose. Some scenes include teenagers learning to play the guitar, long hours spent in the sauna, games of ice hockey, drinking contests, and falling in love. Swedish author Mikael Niemi transforms these simple events into a humorous and touching novel. The book was a best-seller in Sweden and won the prestigious August Prize for fiction in 2000.
Original title: Populärmusik från Vittula
Year of publication: 2000
Nr of pages: 237
