Supporting Act
Produktdetaljer
Om bidragsyterne
Agnes Lidbeck is one of Sweden’s most prominent and versatile contemporary writers. She made her literary debut with Supporting Act in 2017, which was shortlisted for the Svenska Dagbladet Prize and won the Borås Tidning Debut Novel Prize. She went on to write Förlåten (‘Forgiven’, 2018), Gå förlorad (‘Get Lost’, 2019), Nikes bok (‘Nike's Book’, 2021) and All min kärlek (‘All my Love’, 2023). Lidbeck also writes for the stage and is known for her sharp, minimalist style.<p><i>"A powerhouse novel about the construction and execution of female identity. In its pages, motherhood, marriage and the very notion of care are meticulously deconstructed. What a writer Agnes Lidbeck is – bold, blisteringly intelligent, deliciously playful."<br /></i>- Katie Kitamura, author of Audition and <i>Intimacies</i></p><i>"Perfectly captures the feminised dream-state of caring – and living – for others."</i><br />- Stephanie Sy-Quia, author of <i>A Private Man </i>and <i>Amnion<br /></i><i><br /></i>"<i>In my years as a literary critic I have rarely come across anything like it. </i>Supporting Act<i> is a sensational debut."<br /></i>- Expressen<p> </p><p><i>"Agnes Lidbeck's cold, precise prose scrutinizes the fulfillment of the demands and rituals of love."<br /></i>- Svenska Dagbladet</p><p> </p><p><i>"Agnes Lidbeck has written a sharp and haunting debut."<br /></i>- Kulturnytt, Radio P1</p><p> </p><p><i>"A powerful novel about submission."<br /></i>- Vi Laser Magazine</p><p> </p><p><i>"It is a striking satire... In the details, in the attention to the social game and, in the psychological realism of the moments, </i>Supporting Act<i> is at times genius."<br /></i>- Nordvastra Skanes Tidningar</p><p><i>"Sometimes you come across real gems: books that are interesting, well-written and well balanced between a neat linguistic style and an engaging story. Rarely, they come from debutants. Agnes Lidbeck's debut novel, about women's roles, self-realization and being content, is an exception."<br /></i>- Boras Tidning</p><p> </p>
The social contract is non-negotiable. The woman must be a mother. The woman must be desirable. The woman must be a caregiver.
When Anna gives birth, she surrenders completely to motherhood, reshaping her body, identity and purpose, shielding herself from the burden of her own desires. But as her marriage crumbles and her children grow independent, she needs a new role. An affair with an ageing writer, Ivan, offers her a new narrative, a way to rewrite herself. But no role lasts forever, and sooner or later Anna must confront the woman beneath the performance.