Heaps of Praise for Maxim Grigoriev’s New Novel ‘Adrian’

Adrian, Maxim Grigoriev’s fourth novel, has received high praise from multiple major Swedish newspapers. Here’s a compilation:

“I am among those who have greatly appreciated Grigoriev’s critically acclaimed novels Europe and The Rain. The prose’s slightly hypnotic rhythm and how the elegiac tone suddenly switches over to dark social criticism. Adrian is a continuation – but Grigoriev has now decided to take even larger risks. It is exceptionally good.”
– Dagens Nyheter (SE)

“To read Adrian is to realize how the novel changes with the nuances of the prose. How gently the words fall alongside the snow over Stockholm, how entwined the prose becomes when it touches upon contemporary politics and societal issues. […] then are passages in the novel where the words and sentences become real, physically tangible.”
– Expressen (SE)

“The plot of Maxim Grigoriev’s new novel is simple – but Adrian unfolds into a rich novel of ideas […]. Grigoriev knows how to create memorable protagonists and Adrian is no exception. The gap between his inner life and how he is perceived by the outside world is harrowing. […] With Adrian, Grigoriev continues to cement his position in Swedish literature as our most prominent European intellectual.”
– Svenska Dagbladet (SE)

“Grigoriev writes incisively about how literature studies as a discipline is slowly killing itself, about the sellout of public utility, about class and segregation, and how Swedish fascism can be summed up with the word cozy – amongst else. […] Moreover, Grigoriev’s prose is exquisite, at once warm and clear-sighted and free of cynicism, despite the portrayal of cultural decline.”
– Göteborgs-Posten (SE)

Adrian was published in Sweden by Albert Bonniers Förlag on September 9th, 2026.