The Palace of the Snow Queen

Winter Travels in Lapland and Sápmi

2023

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Author:

Barbara Sjoholm

An exploration of the winter wonders and entangled histories of Scandinavia’s northernmost landscapes—now back in print with a new afterword by the author

Diving deep into the rich traditions and vibrant creative communities of northern Scandinavia, Barbara Sjoholm shares her winter adventures in Lapland and Sápmi in The Palace of the Snow Queen. Writing with keen insight and humor, she offers a timely investigation of how ice and snow shape our imaginations and create a vision that continues to draw visitors to the North.

The Palace of the Snow Queen is an exquisite book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Lapland in particular, or travel in general.

—

Vendela Vida

Tags

Minnesota and the Upper Midwest, Cultural Criticism, Native American and Indigenous Studies, Scandinavia, Travel

After many years of travel in the Nordic countries—usually preferring to visit during the warmer months—Barbara Sjoholm found herself drawn to Lapland and Sápmi one winter just as mørketid, the dark time, set in. What ensued was a wide-ranging journey that eventually spanned three winters, captivatingly recounted in The Palace of the Snow Queen.

From observing the annual construction of the Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, to crossing the storied Finnmark Plateau in Norway, to attending a Sámi film festival in Finland, Sjoholm dives deep into the rich traditions and vibrant creative communities of the North. She writes of past travelers to Lapland and contemporary tourists in Sápmi, as well as of her encounters with Indigenous reindeer herders, activists, and change-makers. Her new afterword bears witness to the perseverance of the Sámi in the face of tourism, development, and climate change.

Written with keen insight and humor, The Palace of the Snow Queen is a vivid account of Sjoholm’s adventures and a timely investigation of how ice and snow shape our imaginations and create a vision that continues to draw visitors to the North.

Barbara Sjoholm is a writer and translator of Danish and Norwegian literature. Her translations include By the Fire: Sami Folktales and Legends (Minnesota, 2019), and she is author of Black Fox: A Life of Emilie Demant Hatt, Artist and Ethnographer and From Lapland to Sápmi: Collecting and Returning Sámi Craft and Culture (Minnesota, 2022). She lives on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.

The Palace of the Snow Queen is an exquisite book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Lapland in particular, or travel in general.

—

Vendela Vida

A captivating homage to the frozen far North and the Sámi.

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Booklist

An enticing entrée for those in search of extreme weather in a scenic clime.

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Kirkus Reviews

Sjoholm maintains a keen eye for observation, leaving romanticism behind, while still indulging in the swooning beauty of the far North.

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Seattle Times

After reading this book, readers get a real sense of life in a dark, very cold, yet also beautiful land.

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Library Journal

Sjoholm’s writing is beautiful and vivid, with a precise and emotionally effective command of the language. A spectacular book, not to be missed by anyone fascinated with the North, or anyone who enjoys reflections on culture, art, and history.

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Bookslut

Contents

Author’s Note xi

I. Early Winter

1. The Blue Hour 3

2. The Architecture of Snow and Ice 21

3. The Palace of the Snow Queen 41

4. How the Wild Reindeer Was Tamed 59

5. Traveling in the Dark 73

6. On the Finnmark Plateau 97

7. Santa’s Post Office 121