Born in Stockholm in 1978 to a Swedish mother and a Tunisian father, Jonas Hassen Khemiri is one of Sweden's most exciting and talented young authors. His debut novel Ett öga rött (One Eye Red), published by Norstedts in 2003, has received massive popular and critical acclaim for its highly innovative treatment of language and its poignant take on youth and cultural identity in modern-day Sweden. Through first-person diary entries, the novel traces the thoughts and dreams of an Arab teenager in Stockholm, as he wrestles with his own cultural heritage and social reality, imagining himself a revolutionary savior of all things true and authentic. A Catcher in the Rye for a 21st-century Europe, Khemiri's literary debut is a sharp and highly entertaining read which reveals in full force the painful paradoxes of adolescent defiance, the slippery terrain between cultural tradition and assimilation, and the transformative power of language and imagination.The reading and discussion will be moderated by Peter Leonard, translator and scholar of contemporary Scandinavian literature at the University of Washington. The event is free and open to the public.One Eye RedA Reading and Talk with Jonas Hassen KhemiriScandinavia House58 Park Avenue at 38th Street, New York CityNovember 8, 2005, at 6:30 pmFree admissionFor more information: www.scandinaviahouse.orgPhoto: © Leif Hansen