And there they are; four persons showing up for group therapy, waiting for a therapist who never shows up. Perhaps they might as well start talking to each other, to break the ice and not feel as alone?Four persons are attending group therapy: Ove, w ...
And there they are; four persons showing up for group therapy, waiting for a therapist who never shows up. Perhaps they might as well start talking to each other, to break the ice and not feel as alone?
Four persons are attending group therapy: Ove, who is experiencing an emotion of being fictionalised, Inga-Lill, who only has her TV to talk to, Konrad, who wishes to become more rational, and Ragna, who is constantly angry and shouts at everyone without really knowing why. Since no therapist ever shows up, they start talking to each other instead and find it strange, how much they all have in common, once they start thinking about it.
And then there is the Narrator – who is he, and what does he do? Is he the one in charge or is this all just a big misunderstanding? What would happen if they just got rid of him? Would the story then turn out differently? How does one know, who he or she really is?
Staffan Malmberg’s new novel is an accurately observed story, infused with black humour. Världens ensammaste plats / The Loneliest Place in the World can be read as a mockery of today’s society where everything and everyone is analyzed to pieces.
Press voices for Aj Människa:
“Aj människa puts the finger on that which is really human in all its magnificence and pettiness, the everydayness and the loneliness deep as an abyss. This is so good. What a debut!” ID Magazine
“Anyone who thought that a psychologist at the National Police Board couldn’t be funny, must think again after reading Staffan Malmberg’s first book Aj människa.” Göteborgs Posten
“Staffan Malmberg’s first novel Aj människa is a low-key, stubborn tale characterized by a drastic sense of humour and a credibility, illustrated by the psychologist – with the clumsiness of a teddy-bear – who is really more of a failure than the patient.” Svenska Dagbladet
“Aj människa is a good novel, quite simply. It is clever and funny without keeping a distance or despising people (which is much harder than you might think), and although I am aware that the little letters so rarely get a major reaction, I at any rate will listen carefully in the future when Staffan Malmberg writes.” Elle Sweden