Hisingen with new eyes – a journey of discovery in 101 moments
May 16, 2025
Mikael Svensson is a nature photographer and has previously published books about, among other things, Dalälven, Mölndalsån and Delsjön. This time he has explored Hisingen with his camera. Claes Olsson is a writer and hiking blogger and has lived and worked most of his life on Hisingen. Together they have now published the book 101 nedslag på Hisingen.
The book gives a different picture of Hisingen than the one with heavy industry and socially disadvantaged neighborhoods. Here are hidden beautiful natural areas, a rich agricultural area, traces from the early Stone Age, strange rock paintings, medieval churches, remains from the many wars and from the closed shipyards.
We get to know residential areas, shopping centers, schools and industries that carry interesting contemporary history, as well as sports fields, swimming areas and public parks.
How would you describe the book to someone who has never heard of it?
-A beautiful book that depicts the contrasts and historical changes on Hisingen. The texts show contemporary observations partly portrayed personally through my roots on Hisingen. Mikael's idiosyncratic, wonderful pictures make the book enjoyable just to browse through.
What inspired you to write this particular story?
– We each wanted to portray the island from different perspectives. I through my blog and Mikael through his photos. We met at the end of 2022 and decided to focus on a book.
What type of reader do you think will appreciate the book the most?
– We each wanted to portray the island from different perspectives. I through my blog and Mikael through his photos. We met at the end of 2022 and decided to focus on a book.
What was your writing process like? Did you have any special routines?
– We started from the texts in the blog and Mikael's photographs. We discussed the form and what elements would be included. We often had to revisit several places. Hisingen is constantly changing.
What do you hope readers in Torslanda and Öckerö take away from the book?
– Hope they discover something new and hopefully see Hisingen in a richer way.
Are you working on any new projects right now?
– Right now we are enjoying the realization of the book project before we think about new projects.
TORSLANDA-ÖCKERÖ NEWSPAPER May 17, 2025
