This show’s co-hosts provide a fun and enjoyable overview of the history of Sweden, starting in the mists of prehistory and (eventually) going up to the modern era. They bring some levity even to rather grim periods of history, and always put things into the proper perspective. I also love their “Swedish Phrase of the Week” feature, as someone who is trying to learn some Swedish on Duolingo. Thanks Chris and Asa, I look forward to future episodes!

I live in Chicago , I work for a company that has recently merged with a Swedish company. I have the opportunity to travel to Sweden and work on a daily basis with Swedes on video conference . I wanted to learn more about their culture and History to understand them better. I am a history buff so luckily I found this podcast . I have enjoyed it very much . Asa and Chris do an excellent job making the podcast informative and fun. I have even tried using the Swedish phrase of the week in meetings (English translation) , they look at me strangely but they can tell I am trying to pick up some Swedish culture even if it is still in English. Chicago does not have as many Swedes as Minneapolis but it does have a historically Swedish neighborhood called Andersonville . Although originally named after a Norwegian , Swedish immigrants in late 1800 and early 1900 would start their American life their . Neighborhood still houses the Swedish American Museum. I started listening to podcast late but hoping to catch up to it live soon .

I’m a complete novice to Swedish history and in only 5 episodes in, but I must say this is very well-paced and informative, and a great balance between fairly deep dives (esp. compared to other Scandinavian and/or Nordic history podcasts I’ve found) and light chat between a couple of intelligent, personable hosts. Looking forward to the rest of it!

Flashback to over 500 days ago! My family has decided to move to Sweden and as a voracious audiobook listener, I went searching for a good history of Sweden audiobook to listen to. I didn’t find that audiobook. Instead, I found A Flatback History of Sweden. At this point I’m living in Sweden, working in Denmark and all caught up on Swedish history into the 15th century. There’s a sweet satisfaction of listening to King Erik’s decision to tax all ships traveling through the Baltic Sea as I take a train directly over the waterway in question. You don’t need to live in Scandinavia to enjoy this podcast though. The hosts are clearly doing this as a labor of love. Their passion about history and storytelling is clear and you can tell where they have worked hard to restrain the impulse to share the sights they have seen from wandering down every possible path of history branching out from Sweden. I’ve never reviewed a podcast before, because unless you’ve listened to all the episodes it feels like reviewing a half read book. I know that logic isn’t sound, but I’m very happy to have listened to all of the episodes of this podcast that are available. The only problem is I’m only caught up until the early 15th century. Hopefully this Kalmar Union thing is built to last and makes it into the early 21st century. Don’t tell me if you know. I’m waiting for Åsa and Chris to fill me in.

I am thoroughly enjoying this podcast as preparation for a trip to Scandinavia. Will be spending a bit of time in Sweden visiting our Grandparents grave and stomping grounds near Arboga. Love the special episodes as well. Thank you! Karen

I started listening to prepare for an upcoming trip to Sweden and have been loving listening to this duo! It’s a great balance of education and funny commentary. I really enjoy the “field trip” episodes!

This is a lovely duo and I look forward to the Great Northern War during Charles XII -Tsar Power

As an American I find it interesting to imagine what my family could have been up to prior to coming to the States. My mom was Swede and my dad Dane so I find the smattering of the two cultures engaging. I found the podcast as I was getting ready for a holiday in Skåne, Halland Östegötland Kronoberg and Stockholm (my family originates from Markyrd and Motala/Bona Bruk). I wish I would have found the podcast earlier. As a student of Swedish I love the phrases of the episode and now find myself using some of them and asking Swedish relatives “is that a thing” 😀 Åsa and Chris are entertaining and engaging with a passion for history. I love the detail and enthusiasm that they bring. I am very disappointed to have caught up in just a couple months time of listening to all episodes. I can’t wait for the next episodes to drop. John Nielsen - Aurora Colorado USA.

I found this podcast after booking a trip to Stockholm. I have been running through all the episodes, and I’ve learned so much about Swedish history! I am confident that my trip will more enjoyable because of everything I’ve learned from the show. Åsa and Chris are very personable and terrific hosts!

From all the available flatpack histories of Sweden out there, *this* is the one you should put on your regular listening diet. I’m up to episode 54 and amazed by all that I knew nothing about. Many many ‘thank you’s to Åsa and Chris for the work and dedication they’ve put into the podcast. I very much enjoy the show and learned a tremendous amount by following along.

I’m on episode 28 and love the show. Your pod gives me exactly the right amount of history with so witty comments to make the pod seem like a conversation instead of a monologue. I’m trying to learn how to speak Swedish so the sayings at the beginning help. Again great job. Dan from Wisconsin

Very informative and engaging podcast. The hosts are entertaining, and I’ve learned many things that no world history class here in America has ever taught me. And as a learner of the Swedish language, the Swedish phrases at the beginning of each episode help me to learn more slang and idioms. Would definitely recommend to any history buffs, language learners, or general podcast listeners :)

As an American with a lot of Swedish ancestors, I wanted to know more about the history of Sweden. This podcast has been a great way to do that. I listen to an episode every morning on my way to work (until I get caught up). I just finished episode 26 this morning. I really like the episodes that are recorded outdoors because the sounds from the environment make it into the show. Det är fredag mina bekanta! (Insert IKEA frog meme here) -Ture Lund

This is the first podcast that I’ve binge-listened to, and for good reason. Listening to Åsa and Chris discuss Swedish history is like sitting down with friends over a good dinner - conversational and fun. What makes it doubly rewarding is the way they address “meta” issues of history as they unfold the narrative. Their treatment makes the material both engaging and thought-provoking at the same time.

Interesting content with good perspective and tone. Thanks.

As an American looking to move to Sweden understanding the history has been super helpful!! Thanks to you both!!

I am a little behind with where you are currently in your very interesting history so just finished episode 11. When you were talking about the stave buildings/churches you reminded me of the Scandinavian Heritage Park in Minot, North Dakota in the US. It’s not a large park but there is a a structure of some kind from each of the Scandinavian countries. There is a life sized replica of a stave church from Gol, Norway. There is a replica of an 18th century stabbur which was built in Norway, disassembled & brought to Minot where it was rebuilt. The Swedish contribution to the park is an amazing 25ft. Dala horse. If you haven’t talked about the history of the dala horse I hope you will when it’s appropriate. Keep up the great job. It sounds like you are having a great time exploring your topic. Sandie Roze New London, Wisconsin

This podcast is full of interesting facts and historical accounts of sweden. I love listening!

I absolutely have loved discovering and listening to this podcast! The hosts are fun and their enthusiasm and excitement is contagious. Each episode begins with a unique Swedish phrase or explanation which further adds to the fun before diving into the history! I am so excited to listen and follow along with this podcast!

The hosts are clearly knowledgeable about Swedish history and are enjoyable to listen to. I like the way the material is presented, it's all very coherent and well thought out. And of course the podcast is in English.

I’ve been waiting for a English language podcast on Swedish History. It’s been fun listening, the host are awesome, smart and engaging.