The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Isn’t Just Fiction Anymore

Today's Sweden Has Come to Resemble the Dark World Stieg Larsson Created for His Hacker Heroine

We are standing in front of a magnificent building at Fiskargatan 9 in Södermalm, Stockholm’s bohemian southern island. The penthouse once belonged to a controversial businessman, Percy Barnevik, the former CEO of the Swiss-Swedish energy giant ABB, but he’s not its most famous resident.

“On the top floor, Lisbeth Salander rented an apartment with 21 rooms,” says Ylva, my friendly and enthusiastic guide. For just 130 Swedish krona ($15) you, too, can join Ylva on a walking tour across Södermalm, the home base of late crime journalist Stieg Larsson’s Millennium …

By Bruno Kaufmann | September 3, 2015

When 82 Percent Voter Turnout Isn’t Good Enough

Election Participation in My Swedish City Could Crush Any Town in America. But We Decided There Was More to Be Done.

by Bruno Kaufmann | November 4, 2014

I did not receive the warmest welcome from my colleagues four years ago, at my very first meeting of the Falun Election Commission. In fact, most members of the authority …

Could the Riots Make Sweden a Better Democracy?

I Love My Adopted Country. But Democracy Can’t Be All Top-Down.

by Bruno Kaufmann | May 29, 2013

I moved to Sweden 26 years ago, a Swiss native and journalist following his wife home to Falun. I became a citizen in 2000 and feel the country is my …