Short Stories
Short Story Volume
"The Games of Night". Translation by Naomi Walford and introduction by Michael Meyer. Bodley Head, London, 1959; Lippincott, Philadelphia and New York, 1961; Quartet Encounters, London, 1986. ISBN 0-7043-0024-9. Out of print.
"Sometimes at night while his mother cries in her room … Håkan plays a little game to keep from crying himself… At night, all waking thoughts revolve around one thing, one moment…"
—"The Games of Night"
Short Stories in Literary Journals
"The Games of Night". Translation by Steven Hartman. Black Warrior Review 20:2. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama, 1994. 107-117.
"To Kill A Child". Translation by Steven Hartman. Grand Street 42. New York, NY, 1992. 96-100.
In his short stories, Dagerman often draws on memories from his childhood. "To Kill A Child" is one of the most read short stories in Sweden (Swedish Radio Survey, 2008). The British writer, Graham Greene said this about his stories: "Dagerman wrote with beautiful objectivity. Instead of emotive phrases, he uses a choice of facts, like bricks, to construct an emotion."
"It's a peaceful day as sunlight settles onto the fields of the plain. Soon bells will be ringing, because today is Sunday… This is the pleasant morning of an evil day…"
—"To Kill a Child"
"The Surprise". Translation by Steven Hartman. Southern California Anthology 8, Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California, 1996. 60-66.
"Men of Character". Translation by Steven Hartman. Southern Review 32:1. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University, 1996. 59-79.
"Salted Meat and Cucumber". Translation by Steven Hartman. Prism International 34:2. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia, 1996. 54-60.
"Sleet". Translation by Steven Hartman. Confrontation 54/55 (Double Issue). New York, NY: Long Island University, 1994. 53-62.
"In Grandmother's House". Translation by Steven Hartman. Quarterly West 38. Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah, 1994. 160-167.
"Bon Soir". Translation by Anne Born. The Swedish Book Review supplement. UK, 1984.