“Naravno, neki ljudi su idioti. Mladi ili stari. I ne želim nipošto tvrditi da su mladi bolji od starih niti da su zanimljiviji ili vredniji. Kod mladih ljudi stvar je u tome da im nedostaje iskustva, imaju nove misli, imaju probleme i brige koje je imala većina ljudi moje dobi i prebrodila ih. Okružiti se mladim ljudima put je do razumijevanja mlade osobe koja ste i sami bili u nekom trenutku.”
Margareta Magnusson na spisateljsku scenu izašla je u osamdesetpetoj sa međunarodnim bestselerom o švedskom običaju čišćenja prije smrti – raščišćavanje stvari prije smrti kako se drugi ne bi trebali time baviti jednoga dana kada nas više ne bude. Simpatična i mudra starica donosi savjete u stilu švedskog načina života kojima vas želi potaknuti na što bolju i ugodniju starost i život.
Svako poglavlje donosi novi savjet i njezinu životnu priču koja je pisana na jedan zabavan i duhovit način. Autorica priča o svom životu, suprugu, odgoju djece, životu u stranim zemljama i „čišćenju prije smrti“. Osobno očekivala sam više o švedskim običajima i stilu života, a nešto manje memoara, ali nešto zreliji čitatelji mogli bi uživati u opuštenom pristupu starosti koji autorica donosi na svojim stranicama.
*Za sve koji se pitaju zašto sam u svojim četrdesetima čitala knjigu o starenju odgovor je vrlo jednostavan – kako pokušavam čim bolje razumjeti svog tinejdžera u nastajanju tako se trudim čim bolje razumjeti i svoje roditelje (za koje mi se ponekad čini da prolaze svoj starački pubertet).
[english]
The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly – Margareta Magnusson
“Of course, some people are idiots. Young or old. And I by no means want to claim that the young are better than the old or that they are more interesting or valuable. The thing about young people is that they lack experience, they have new thoughts, they have problems and worries that most people of my age had and overcame. Surrounding yourself with young people is a way to understand the young person you were at some point.”
Margareta Magnusson stepped out on the writing scene at eighty-five with an international bestseller about the Swedish custom of cleaning before death – clearing things before death so that others don’t have to deal with it one day when we are gone. A nice and wise old lady offers advice in the style of the Swedish way of life, with which she wants to encourage you to have a better and more pleasant old age and life.
Each chapter brings new advice and her life story, which is written in a fun and humorous way. The author talks about her life, husband, raising children, life in foreign countries and “cleaning before death”. Personally, I expected more about Swedish customs and lifestyle, and a little less of a memoir, but slightly more mature readers could enjoy the relaxed approach to old age that the author brings to her pages.
*For all those wondering why I read a book about aging in my forties, the answer is very simple – as I try to understand my soon to be teenager as well as possible, I also try to understand my parents (who sometimes seem to me to be going through their own puberty).
