Man vänjer sig.

1. Robert Asprin: Another Fine Myth
2. Robert Asprin: Myth Conceptions
3. Arto Paasilinna: Harens år

4. Carsten Palmær: Liten ordlista för nusvenskar (2003, "Small glossary for contemporary Swedes")

I managed to forgot the book I was reading (Kushiel's Dart, if you want to know — when thette heard it she asked "Are you telling me you're reading that in public?") at the office on Friday night, and just grabbed something slim that I hadn't read before from the shelf this morning. This little volume, previously published by instalments in Ordfront magazine, is most likely inspired by The Devil's Dictionary, i.e. satirical and cynical definitions of common words, with a special barb towards the vocabulary of political discourse — especially towards the political right (including the war in Iraq, which was still new at the time). I don't agree with all the views put forth herein, but parts of the book are hilarious and the satire is sometimes razor-sharp.

As with all specific and contemporary satire, much of this book will be dated in a few years. Some of my favourite definitions that may stand the test of time (in my own translation, which I admit could be better):

Amateur

From latin amare, to love: someone pathetic enough to do something without getting paid.

Analysis

A newspaper article where the journalist has copied several foreign newspaper articles, as opposed to just one.

Correspondent

A journalist making newspaper clippings in a foreign capital, as opposed to an expert who makes the newspaper clippings in his home town.

Culture

A form of human communication, mostly of interest to single middle-aged women and hence worthy of the same care and respect as those.

EU directive

Has now replaced computer error as a general explanation for something not working.

Ex-Communist

A former Communist. In Sweden, often a synonym of "middle-aged journalist".
The ex-Communist is normally full of remorse over his youthful political deviations and makes an effort to be useful to his new overlords. [...] The ex-Communist, well-trained in spotting political deviants and revisionists, communicates with the world by excommunicating.

FinansVision

The last daring masterstroke of late financial genius Jan Stenbeck: a business newspaper that he could not even give away.

Persson, Göran (b. 1949)

Swedish actor. [...] Since 1996, he has been acting as the Swedish Prime Minister.
His careful, if not very lifelike, imitations of Tony Blair and Bill Clinton have drawn international attention, while his rendering of Olof Palme leaves something to be desired. It was mainly thanks to Persson's qualities as a leader and personal charms that the Left Party could more than double their number of votes in the 1998 election.

Planned economy

An unnatural and antiquated system where politically appointed people make the plans. The opposite is called market economy where people who have inherited their money make the plans.

School sucks!

a political slogan from Ung Vänster, the youth organisation of the Swedish Left Party. The purpose of the slogan is unclear; it may be that they hope to attract the interest of at least the male students by making false promises.

Edited June 26 for b0rked HTML, which I only noticed just now.
Edited again November 4, 2008, to repair a broken picture.