The Benefactors
One day Alma receives a phone call. Her friend Maud has disappeared. Maud is a successful artist without a permanent home, while Alma leads a secure family life in Stockholm. They used to be close, but have drifted apart. Now Maud’s gallerist reaches out and gives Alma the task of finding her.
In the search for Maud, a portrait of her emerges—sketched by people whose lives have been touched by her in different ways. Sometimes profoundly, sometimes only in passing. An old boyfriend, a fellow artist, an investor, someone who once sat as her model. But how do we really know what is true about someone? Everyone has their own version, but are they really describing Maud—or are they merely revealing themselves?
And then there are the rumors about Maud’s paintings. That they do something to their viewers. Enchant. Awaken obsession.
The Benefactors/Mecenaterna is a novel about art, money, and friendship—and about the place they hold in our lives.
Johanna Hedman (b. 1993) holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from Uppsala University, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Comparative Literature and International Relations. She has completed an internship at the Swedish UN delegation in New York, where she kept minutes for the Security Council meetings. In addition, she has also studied…
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About the book
One day Alma receives a phone call. Her friend Maud has disappeared. Maud is a successful artist without a permanent home, while Alma leads a secure family life in Stockholm. They used to be close, but have drifted apart. Now Maud’s gallerist reaches out and gives Alma the task of finding her.
In the search for Maud, a portrait of her emerges—sketched by people whose lives have been touched by her in different ways. Sometimes profoundly, sometimes only in passing. An old boyfriend, a fellow artist, an investor, someone who once sat as her model. But how do we really know what is true about someone? Everyone has their own version, but are they really describing Maud—or are they merely revealing themselves?
And then there are the rumors about Maud’s paintings. That they do something to their viewers. Enchant. Awaken obsession.
The Benefactors/Mecenaterna is a novel about art, money, and friendship—and about the place they hold in our lives.
