The Reddest Rose Unfurls
Romantic Love from the Ancient Greeks to Reality TV
Will be published approx. on 3. November 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
168 pages
978-1-64421-579-1 (ISBN)
Description
Mixing unbridled humor with social theory in graphic novel form, artist Liv Strömquist examines our ideas of romantic love through the ages to explain our modern inability to genuinely connect in a new and revised edition.
In this long-form comic essay, renowned Swedish graphic novelist Liv Strömquist walks us through the evolution and perception of romantic love in her distinctly irreverent style. Strömquist takes on philosophers and pop-culture figures alike—from Socrates to Leonardo DiCaprio and Beyoncé—to break down why modern love feels so devoid of genuine feeling. She reveals how, under late-stage capitalism, our preoccupation with the individual self has warped the concept of love from something felt to just consumed. Strömquist wrestles with our dating culture’s isolating obsession with endless choice and comparison, intensified by dating apps, social media, and internet culture writ large.
Now in a new and revised edition, The Reddest Rose is an unflinching, engaging, and deeply humorous remedy for our fatalistic attitude towards modern love.
In this long-form comic essay, renowned Swedish graphic novelist Liv Strömquist walks us through the evolution and perception of romantic love in her distinctly irreverent style. Strömquist takes on philosophers and pop-culture figures alike—from Socrates to Leonardo DiCaprio and Beyoncé—to break down why modern love feels so devoid of genuine feeling. She reveals how, under late-stage capitalism, our preoccupation with the individual self has warped the concept of love from something felt to just consumed. Strömquist wrestles with our dating culture’s isolating obsession with endless choice and comparison, intensified by dating apps, social media, and internet culture writ large.
Now in a new and revised edition, The Reddest Rose is an unflinching, engaging, and deeply humorous remedy for our fatalistic attitude towards modern love.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
1 Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 241 mm
Width: 172 mm
Weight
367 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64421-579-1 (9781644215791)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Swedish graphic novelist LIV STRÖMQUIST is best known for mixing sociology, philosophy, history, and humor in graphic novel form. Her book on romantic love, The Reddest Rose Unfurls, has sold over 150,000 copies in France and Germany alone, and will be reissued in a revised edition in English in Fall 2026 by Seven Stories Press. Fruit of Knowledge, her book on the obsession with and stigmatization of women's bodies, has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide and been translated into over twenty-six languages, and also will be reissued in a revised edition by Seven Stories Press (Spring 2027). Her new book, The Oracle Speaks (Seven Stories, Fall 2026) is a hilarious take on the evolution of the health and wellness industry and the commodification of shame.
Strömquist is the recipient of several comics prizes including the prestigious Max Und Moritz Prize in Germany, the Swedish Adamson Award, and the international EWK Award. A radio presenter and host of a podcast on cultural criticism, Strömquist lives in Malmo, Sweden, with her family.
MELISSA BOWERS is a translator and editor living in Seattle, Washington. She is an ATA-certified Swedish-to-English translator and seasoned copy editor whose work spans picture books, graphic novels, poetry and academic manuscripts. Her recent literary translations include Emma AdBåge’s The Wound (Arctis Books, Oct 2025), Moa Romanova’s Buff Soul and Goblin Girl (Fantagraphics Books. She earned a 2021 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material for her translation of Goblin Girl.
Strömquist is the recipient of several comics prizes including the prestigious Max Und Moritz Prize in Germany, the Swedish Adamson Award, and the international EWK Award. A radio presenter and host of a podcast on cultural criticism, Strömquist lives in Malmo, Sweden, with her family.
MELISSA BOWERS is a translator and editor living in Seattle, Washington. She is an ATA-certified Swedish-to-English translator and seasoned copy editor whose work spans picture books, graphic novels, poetry and academic manuscripts. Her recent literary translations include Emma AdBåge’s The Wound (Arctis Books, Oct 2025), Moa Romanova’s Buff Soul and Goblin Girl (Fantagraphics Books. She earned a 2021 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material for her translation of Goblin Girl.