John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel Handling the Undead (2005) has a zombie theme. In this article I argue that the Swedish zombie is very much formed by-or part of-a typically Scandinavian literary context. This entails, among other things, that an implied or explicit discussion about the welfare state helps shape the narrative. Lindqvist describes a contemporary Stockholm where thousands of dead people suddenly wake up. In the novel the zombie is used as a metaphor for and a means to discuss the state of the welfare state. On the other hand, the zombie is also used as a way to handle pain and grief.
First published in eBook format in 2010 by Inter-Disciplinary Press.