Now his attention turns to the Arctic – a place described as both wild, myth-laden and filled with competing narratives. During the expedition, he aims to explore the modern human relationship with the ocean and the unknown, and to examine how we use research, stories and experience to understand the Arctic world.

Could you tell us a little about yourself and what made you apply for the Canada–Sweden Arctic Ocean 2026 expedition?

– In recent years, I have been working in a new direction, on a project centred on humanity’s relationship with the sea, the oceans and the universe that opens up beneath the ocean surface. For me, the sea is a place where I feel happy. I have a deep fascination with and respect for nature. I am an author and playwright, a political scientist and a former diplomat with the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The opportunity to experience this unique Arctic landscape is extraordinary – I have dreamed about it my entire life. The Arctic is such a wild place, filled with myths and conflicting narratives. It is incredibly fascinating.

How would you describe your writing to someone who has never read your work?

– I write stories that drill into the present in unexpected ways. What I write often develops a compelling sense of suspense. It simply emerges that way – a pulse that drives both the narrative and the language forward.

– Whether it is a novel, a play or a television script, I create worlds that I know well but that remain unfamiliar to many people. They become journeys into entirely separate universes. I have spent much of my life in the rather closed environments of international politics and diplomacy, and that has shaped my writing. I am constantly drawn to the individual human being enclosed within our modern social systems. Now, I think my writing is beginning to turn in a slightly different direction – towards humanity’s relationship with nature.

Tell us about the project you would like to work on during the expedition.

– I want to explore the modern human relationship with the Arctic and the Arctic Ocean, focusing on how explorers, scientists and politicians describe and attempt to define this physical place. In a sense, it is about how people have approached the unknown and the non-human world, and how they have tried to understand it and tell stories about it.

– More specifically, I will follow the scientists’ work on board and explore their relationship with nature, while also conducting documentary research into the security and economic interests that many countries have in the Arctic. Participating in an expedition to the North Pole is a very tangible way of experiencing nature while also trying to understand how we tell stories about the Arctic and assign different meanings to the region. The expedition will result in a novel, but it will almost certainly inspire many other forms of expression in the years to come.

In your application, you write about humanity’s need to understand and tell stories about the Arctic and the ocean. What is it about these environments that fascinates you?

– At its core, I think it is the vastness and starkness of the Arctic landscape that makes human beings feel incredibly small. There is an interesting tension between scientists’ efforts to generate knowledge about this environment, great powers’ claims to the region, and the fact that the Arctic remains so unknown to us. I think the wild and the unknown become a kind of projection screen for different culturally coded ideas and narratives – everything from myths and scientific findings to political and colonial stories about economic value and military dominance.”

You often work at the intersection of documentary material and fiction. How do real-life experiences influence your writing?

– For me, writing is a way of exploring an experience, of continually asking, ‘Why is it like this?’ It may sound paradoxical, but I feel most free to create fiction when my writing is anchored in a solid documentary foundation.  Reality is often so strange – there is a power in that. There is also a power in directing your attention towards other people and the world around you, and forgetting yourself for a while. That is why it is essential for me to gain a personal and physical experience of a place, its people and the questions it raises. That is where writing begins.”

How did you feel when you learned that you had been selected for the expedition?

– It was absolutely fantastic – I just burst out laughing. It is genuinely a dream come true. There is nothing in my everyday life that resembles an expedition to the North Pole.

What do you think the Arctic environment will do to you as a writer and as a person?

– I think I will feel a sense of wonder and a kind of euphoria in the face of this immense landscape. Encountering something like the Arctic Ocean inevitably raises questions about who you are as a human being, and I think that gives a particular weight to words.

Is there anything in particular you hope to experience or understand during the expedition?

– I want to expose myself to the Arctic cold, the light, the sounds and the overall feeling of the place – to really let it permeate me. I am very excited to understand how the ship operates and to experience what life on board feels like. I want to get close to the scientists and their work, and to hear how they think about the questions they study. That is something I truly look forward to. But there is little point in trying to predict everything. I want to remain open to the experience and see what happens. The truly exciting things begin when you do not quite know what you are about to encounter.