Patrik Svensson

Patrik Svensson is a Swedish journalist and author whose debut joined natural history to family memoir. The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World, translated by Agnes Broomé and published in English by Ecco, follows the European eel through science, literature, philosophy, and the author's memories of fishing with his father. The Swedish original, Ålevangeliet, received the August Prize for nonfiction. Rather than treating the eel solely as a biological subject, Svensson uses its still-puzzling life cycle and long history of study to consider knowledge, inheritance, and attention to the natural world. He has worked as a journalist at Sydsvenskan, and his subsequent writing continues to connect researched nonfiction with personal and cultural history. The book appeared in different English markets under related titles, including The Gospel of the Eels.