New author: Evelyn Scala Schreiber

We are happy and proud to represent Evelyn Scala Schreiber and her debut novel, The Private Girl that is published by Forum 28^th of January 2025. It is the first part of the Circus Trilogy, a series based on the author’s own family history. The Private Girl is a story about marginalization, freedom and sisterhood, about a woman who decided to sacrifice everything for love – and the circus. The protagonist in the first book is Bertha, Evelyn’s great-great-grandmother born in the mid-1800s.

She is a wealthy bourgeois girl with her future laid out before her. He is an Austrian circus artist passing through. Two young people from different worlds. Three days that change everything.

A magnificent love story and family saga spanning almost a century.

The Circus Trilogy has already been pre-empted by Blanvalet (PRH) in Germany.

“Evelyn Scala Schreiber’s story is unique in many ways: The deep dive into her colorful family history builds the foundation for her strong narration and her unforgettable characters. I especially admired the execution of female empowerment à la Bonnie Garmus and the radical insight, how early a circus environment offered this compared to all other fields in which women had historic disadvantages. A great read!”
Beatrice Lampe, Editorial director hardcover Blanvalet (PRH)

“We at Bokförlaget Forum are incredibly thrilled and proud to publish The Private Girl, the first part of a trilogy that portrays women’s liberation and circus history through the life story of the strong and courageous Bertha. Sometimes reality surpasses fiction, and Evelyn’s novels, based on her own family’s history in the circus, will move a wide audience of readers. Once you enter Evelyn’s circus world, you won’t want to leave!

I love books that transport you into a completely unique universe, and that is certainly the case here. Through the story of the young woman Bertha, we are drawn into a circus world with its own rules, where women are allowed to assert themselves in ways not possible in the ordinary world. The Private Girl is a true reading delight, filled with stunning settings, vibrant characters, and a breathtaking tale of a woman at its heart!”
Åsa Lindström, senior editor at Forum

“It has been incredible to have the great honor of working with Evelyn and her family’s story. I feel almost unreasonably close to Bertha and Baptiste and their whirlwind love story – but now I’m more than ready to finally let them out into the world, where they belong. Never before have I read anything so powerful about the world of the circus.”
Elin Michaelsdotter, editor at Forum

Welcome to the circus! (a Q and A)

The Private Girl is inspired by your family history – could you tell us about that?

I had long thought that someday I should write down my family’s circus history. Mostly out of curiosity and to share it with the rest of the family. Then the pandemic came, and I found myself in a cabin in northern Sweden one summer with little to do. So, I started doing research for fun. Then, as I began piecing together the story, I realized what I thought was a pleasant way to pass time was something much bigger. Writing the book as a novel has allowed me to fill in certain gaps in the story. But at its core, this is my family history.

The title and the concept of the Private Girl are central to the book. Can you explain what it means?

I usually compare it to “muggles” and wizards in Harry Potter. Historically, circus people have seen themselves as a distinct group with their own rules and traditions. They refer to the world outside the circus as the private world. You’re either circus folk – and it can be a bit fuzzy on the rules – or you’re private. Without revealing too much, the title comes from an interview where one of my relatives spoke of her mother as a “private girl”.

The protagonist is the young woman Bertha, who leaves her secure bourgeois background for a life with the circus. Who is she?

Bertha is my great-great-grandmother. She was born in the mid-1800s and dreamed of becoming an actress. But, you might say, love took her on other adventures.

Women’s liberation and feminism are essential themes in the book. Could you share your thoughts on that?

What struck me when I started reading up on the circus was that there’s a common narrative about how women’s liberation unfolded, with the suffragettes and the fight for women’s rights during the 19th and 20th centuries. But what’s left out of history is how circus women have always been at the forefront of that liberation. The circus has always been described as a sanctuary for society’s outcasts. But it has been an equally important refuge for women. As early as the mid-1800s, women ran some of the leading circus companies in Europe – and it has continued that way. It felt like a part of history that was important to tell.

At this time (late 19th century), the circus becomes a haven for those who struggle to find their place in society. Please tell us more about that.

The circus has always been a refuge for the outcasts. My interpretation is that this is the glue that holds the world together. People found a connection in their exclusion, whether they were Jewish, Romani, disabled, homosexual, or women. It’s certainly not uncomplicated or without problems. But for many, the circus has been a way to reclaim power over their lives – to control the narrative. Had the world looked different and been more inclusive, perhaps the circus wouldn’t have been needed in the same way.

You can really feel the love for the circus environment when reading your book. What is your relationship with the circus today?

My grandmother and her siblings very rarely talked about the circus when I was growing up. I remember how we’d be at the summer cottage and run to the attic to play with the dress-up clothes in the old trunk. Only much later did I realize that these were old circus costumes from the early 1900s. My grandmother and her siblings have a complicated relationship with the circus. They grew up in a small industrial town in the early 1940’s. Being associated with the circus and traveling people wasn’t seen positively. Hence, they fled as soon as they could, changed their names, and hid their circus background in a trunk in the attic. With my books, I’ve tried to bring it back into the light and revive the pride.

How has it been to do research for the book?

My research has been a way to piece together our family story. And I’ve learned so many amazing things about the circus world in the process. It’s a world unto itself, a universe that few know about. It feels good to invite more people to it.

Can you tell us more about your writing process? What came naturally to you, and was there anything you struggled with?

One of the first reactions I got from my grandmother’s sister when I told her about my project was, in agony, “There won’t be any sex scenes, will there?” I promised nothing, but it’s always been a delicate balance. On the one hand, I want to honor the real story and the people in it. On the other hand, it’s a novel, and it’s the circus – which means the show comes before everything else. I’m glad I’ve had fantastic publishers and editors who have helped me balance it.

The Private Girl is the first part of a series. Can you tell us more about what’s ahead?

This is the doorway into the circus world. The upcoming books will delve much deeper – and venture into the world. From Sweden, out into Europe, and onward to the USA. As they say in the ring, it’s circus romance.