In English | Glänta

Glänta is an independent publishing house and a quarterly cultural journal, in both cases operating in the intersections between theory and politics, philosophy and literature, art and science. Glänta also produces films and events, including filmed events. The editorial office is situated in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Embedded publishing, editoriality and the future of small presses

On April 10 2024, Glänta hosted an event within the European collaboration project “Peripheral Visions – towards a trans(l)national publishing culture” whose aim is to create international space for creation and experimentation in publishing. Read more about the workshop here and the lecture from Boris Buden here.

Eurozine

We are a contributing member of the cultural magazine network Eurozine, and Göran Dahlberg is a member of the Eurozine board of trustees. You’ll find a list of their reviews of Glänta issues here.

Glänta 1.23

In Glänta, Ukrainian journalist Olena Myhashko writes about how artistic ambitions crumble into dust when your country is at war. ‘When the war came, I switched to journalism with relief. Having visited the first de-occupied towns and villages as a reporter, I finally got rid of this embarrassing state of coming across as a cowardly thinker, a detached scholar – the last person to be rescued in a shipwreck.’

Recently published texts in English

Sanna Beijnoff, ”The view of the eye”
”How do we learn to see? And how do we learn to be seen? Scientific theories layered over centuries, as intellectual history, have shaped and directed perceptions of vision. Contemporary studies on the evolution of sight in children gauge what an increasing dominance of screen visuals is teaching us.”

Cecilia Verdinelli, ”The biology of gut feelings”
”Reacting on instinct rather than consciously weighing up decisions is becoming increasingly popular. But what lies behind precognition? Tracing gut feelings back along their evolutionary path leads to C. elegans. What might the inconspicuous worm, with its belly full of serotonin, help illuminate about scientific skepticism, ‘happy pills’ and experienced intuition?”

Olena Myhashko, ”Futile words and tangible events”
Our former Journal-in-residence guest, Olena Myhashko, wrote a piece in Glänta’s first issue of 2023. One of the starting points of the text, written just after her return to Kharkiv early summer this year, is to question the significance of writing in times of war. Now it is also available in English, at Eurozine.

Michael Azar, ”Transcending ‘the absurd drama’”
Frantz Fanon’s impact is as important today as it was when he wrote ‘The Wretched of the Earth’, a political work that assesses violence, both of colonists and activists. Glänta commemorates the psychiatrist and political philosopher’s life and work, highlighting his influence on postcolonial theory and anti-racism, in an interview with historian Michael Azar.

Petronella Petander, ”So nothing had really changed”
This personal essay was first published in Glänta (4.20-1.21) and is now available in english on Eurozine.

Surviving a life lived on the edge can be down to chance. And only those lucky enough to look back will be able to slowly piece together the sequence of events. The personal narrative that results, when honest, is nevertheless remarkably recognizable.

Review of Glänta 1-2.20
Eurozine is publishing four articles from Glänta’s latest issue including an introduction:

Introduction: ”A conceptual toolbox”
Providing new and updated conceptual tools to understand contemporary social structures is crucial, writes editor Göran Dahlberg. Whether to construct, reconstruct or deconstruct from within or outside the system, ‘old tools can find new uses and new tools can awaken old and forgotten knowledge’. Eurozine presents a selection of articles from Glänta’s recent issue.

”Temperance”
Matilda Amundsen Bergström revisits temperance – the sixth century ethical cornerstone, dismissed as ‘naïve, if not downright silly’ in postmodern times – as a means to redefine limits in a seemingly boundless world.

”Faire l’idiot”
Being an idiot might be exactly the subversive tool we need in our communication-obsessed world, suggests Miriam Rasch. In times of heightened surveillance capitalism, non-communication can become active interference. It might not quite be time to throw away your phone, but inefficiency and deceleration could be useful tools.

”The state of suspension”
Karl Palmås’ pairings of historical moments and audio excerpts explore suspensions of time during recent cultural, economic and political crises: 1989 chords play under tension; self-referential recordings reflect 2008; and musical dissonance reaches a total collapse of tonal harmony by 2020.

Words Without Borders, March 2019

Johannes Anyuru’s essay ”Alhambra”, originally published in Glänta 4.17, is translated to English by Kira Josefsson and published in the online magazine Words Without Borders. You can read it here.

Glänta on Migration

In 2014 we published three issues on migration, and six of the texts are available in English:

Eurozine review on Glänta 3-4.14 (Glänta 2.14, Glänta 1.14)

Chimurenga

Also, we have an ongoing collaboration with the pan-african magazine Chimurenga, based in Cape Town. We are contributing to The Chimurenga Chronic, which Glänta is also distributing in Sweden.

Documenta

In 2007, Glänta was one of about ninety selected magazines from around the world participating in Documenta 12 Magazines, to which we contributed with Irina Sandormirskajas A story of O. and in the workshop The position of the speaker.

Glänta supports the business world

In 2008, Glänta reacted to the financial crisis by offering its support to the business world. ”Now that not even those involved in the financial markets can live on the market’s terms, we want to show our solidarity by sharing our cultural capital. We don’t mean stopgap contributions or some sort of temporary respirator – Glänta’s commitment is for the long term.” Read the press release here…

Books in English

Hamilton, Lindberg & Palmås – The Hambantota Connection

“In order to access the port, we visit Ms P at the Urban Development Authority. She shows us maps of the Hambantota district. On the maps, there are a lot of small dots representing activity. Patterns are visible, but only from afar.”

Holgersson et al – (Re)searching Gothenburg

This anthology is an ambitious attempt to bridge the gap between academic urban research and the public debate on urban transformation. Scholars from a number of disciplines were invited to write a text that would not require previous knowledge of Gothenburg, but at the same time would offer native Gothenburgers new perspectives on their city. The result is not only a nuanced representation of a city in transition, but also a more wide-ranging discussion of modern and postmodern public space and urbanity.

Texts in English

On Eurozine you will find a list of all our material published in English. Here is a selection of our texts: