An excerpt in English of Pol Pot’s smile was published in 2009 by Words Without Borders.
For questions regarding the international rights, please contact Szilvia Molnar.
ABOUT POL POT’S SMILE
”Combining non-fiction and fiction in an utterly fresh and startling way, Peter Fröberg Idling takes his reader on a frightening and fascinating journey into the heart of the Democratic Kampuchea of the Khmer Rouge, and into the mind of one of history’s most feared mass murderers, Pol Pot. A revolutionary shrouded in myth and the despotic leader of a scarred country that was cut off from the world following the Khmer Rouge takeover, allowing for myth-making and misconception to flourish in the West and for ideologies to wage war with so-called ‘expert knowledge’ as their commodity.
Pol Pot’s Smile has been called ‘groundbreaking journalism’. And to be sure, its fearless way of exploring and posing open-ended questions – in short, of acknowledging that we will never really know – provides an intriguing approach to modern history. Paired with the fascinating dynamics of Fröberg Idling’s versatile prose, at times suggestive and lyrical, at times documentary, at times mocking the choppy style of the Khmer’s ”new language”, Pol Pot’s Smile makes for something altogether new in Swedish nonfiction literature and above all, a remarkable literary achievement.
In 2007, Peter Fröberg Idling was shortlisted for Dagens Nyheter’s Annual Award for a Cultural Achievement as the only writer, with the following motivation:
‘For a documentary thriller that eleganty blends the presence of the reporter with the overview of the essayist. At the end of the day, it is a question of ideological deception. /…/ The world and the past come very close. And Swedish documentary prose is re-invented.’”
REVIEWS:
“It’s possible that the year’s best non-fiction book has already been published. /…/ You can find material on Pol Pot’s Cambodia in many places, but Peter Fröberg Idling presents the stories in a remarkable way. The theme is horrifying, but his portrayal of the country and the people has poetic qualities above the ordinary. My associations go to Sven Lindqvist, the Swedish master of travel documentary, or the Danish equivalent, Carsten Jensen.
/…/ The world is evil, but do a good deed: assist this book in knocking all the war heroes, healers, and health freaks off the bestseller’s list.”
Dagbladet (Norway)
“Pol Pot’s Smile is a finely tuned and almost beautiful book about an entirely fundamental question: How should one protect oneself from political dreamers and fanatics, without simultaneously giving up on the possibilities of creating a better world? We now live in a time in which not all idealists can distinguish totalitarian from democratic movements. Pol Pot’s Smile is a book which appeals to both parties.”
Dagens Næringsliv (Norway)
“Pol Pot’s Smile is not just a good non-fiction book, it’s a good novel. Maybe it’s a little bold to recommend it on these grounds but as long as you are allured into the text it will take a helluva lot to step out of it historically and emotionally untouched from the experience.”
Studvest (Norway)
“You definitely must read this unbiased book. The author, who has lived in Cambodia for several years, reveals in an insightful way – subjectively yet without a political agenda – how one persons glaring incompetence and indescribable evil can damage an entire country for many years to come.”
Adresseavisen (Norway)
”A horrifying but important book about human evil in theory and practice.”
Jyllandsposten (Denmark)
”With the book’s total of 262 fragments Idling creates an excellent literary mosaic of the anatomy of mass murder and delusion.”
Information (Denmark)
”A masterpiece”
de Volkskrant (Neatherlands)
”By means of his unconventional and intriguing approach to history, Peter Fröberg Idling reveals the dynamics of political self-deception.”
Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden)
”Groundbreaking journalism /…/ A documentary thriller in 259 fragmented scenes.”
Dagens Nyheter (Sweden)
”I must admit that I am deeply impressed by this remarkable début that asks so many questions, that is so candid in its answers, that dares to challenge itself and others.”
Helsingborgs Dagblad (Sweden)
”Beautiful and lyrical /…/ Enchanting”
Sydsvenska Dagbladet (Sweden)
”An extraordinary report on the genocide in Cambodia and the strayings of the unknowing Swedish left wing movement into the realm of death. The documentary as Art.”
Expressen (Sweden)
