The Palace of the Snow Queen: Winter Travels in Lapland and Sapmi

An exploration of the winter wonders and entangled histories of Scandinavia's northernmost landscapes-now back in print with a new afterword by the author After many years of travel in the Nordic countries-usually preferring to visit during the warmer months-Barbara Sjoholm found herself drawn to Lapland and Sapmi one winter just as morketid, the dark time, set in. What ensued was a wide-ranging journey that eventually spanned three winters, captivatingly recounted in The Palace of the Snow Queen. From observing the annual construction of the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden, to crossing the storied Finnmark Plateau in Norway, to attending a Sami film festival in Finland, Sjoholm dives deep into the rich traditions and vibrant creative communities of the North.

She writes of past travelers to Lapland and contemporary tourists in Sapmi, as well as of her encounters with Indigenous reindeer herders, activists, and change-makers. Her new afterword bears witness to the perseverance of the Sami in the face of tourism, development, and climate change. Written with keen insight and humor, The Palace of the Snow Queen is a vivid account of Sjoholm's adventures and a timely investigation of how ice and snow shape our imaginations and create a vision that continues to draw visitors to the North.