Flora Wiström

Hi Flora! Who lives here?

Me and my boyfriend Johan.

You have a lot of books in your shelf, tell us how you sort them!

Maybe it has to do with my need for control, but I sort my books by which ones I have and have not read. And also by paperback and hardcover. I love to own books, as a trophy of how much I read.

Which book do you want to recommend?

Röd Självbiografi (Red autobiography) by Anne Carson. It is a very thrilling lyrical novel, an interpretation of the myth about Herakles and Geryon. Geryon is a monster that falls in love with Herakles, but Herakles is not that enthusiastic. It’s such a strong story about desire. I just read it in my book club and could not stop reading. It is a very well-written and quite peculiar book.

What about the little drawing behind the plants?

It was a gift I got on my 24th birthday. My boyfriend Johan and I had then been dating for a few months, and since he is an architect he decided to draw me a little cabin where I could sit and write. It was so cute that I could not stop crying. It was never supposed to be built, but more of a sweet gesture to encourage my writing.

You released the book Hålla andan this year, tell us about it!

It takes place at a public swimming pool. Those places make me feel very uncomfortable, you are exposed and it is so associated with going there with school and being undressed. But there is also something nice about dressing rooms. When I had decided on the location, I involved every part of in the swimming facility in the story, from the roof and the reception to the sauna and the staff room.

The main character is a young elite swimmer that one day disappears. Her siblings are trying to understand why she went away, and it is a story about relationsships and performance. The cover of Hålla Andan is made by Sara Edström who also designed my first book Stanna. She is also the designer of the new issues of Annika Thor’s books.

Tell us about your shelf.

I used to have a smaller version of the Portal shelf before, when I lived in a 24 sqm apartment. I then had three sections of the shelf, but after I moved in here and got more space I could add one more section.

When I had just moved in, my best friend and I painted the pinewood shelves in our underwear. I love that they are all painted the same color as the wall, and that the shelf takes up an entire wall. The books and things in my shelf really get to be the main characters in the room. It is easy to move things around in the shelf to give the room a new feeling. I just read that it is good for a room when things move around from time to time. Good for the energy.