At the home of former President and Social Democratic Minister Birgitta Dahl, the rooms are filled with books with backs in all sorts of colors.

Since 1966 she has filled her home with everything from fiction to books on international politics. Once a bookshelf has been filled, a new shelf has been set up to make room for more. After fifty years of gathering, her entire home with seven rooms and kitchens has been transformed into a library.

- I think at this point there are about 15,000 books. There is no wall space left to put more bookshelves, she says.

The literature has followed Birgitta Dahl through life. Poetry has also been used in her work in her work.

- I finish every day late at night reading about an hour. I always carry books wherever I go and wherever I am, she says.

- Once you've learned how to read, you'll never be bored.

Seeking manager of the books

Her book collection has, like a library, been given different sections and rooms. In one room you will find biographies and art, in another literature on song and music. Now she feels it is time to find a new home for her large collection. She is therefore looking for someone who wants to keep the books.

- I've been thinking a lot about what will happen to our books when I die. I wouldn't want them scattered in the wind or fired up on a dump. I would like to find a school or institution that would benefit from a book collection - a library simply - and donate it to that institution or school. It would feel good to know, she says.

See a longer interview with Birgitta Dahl in Babel, Sunday 1 March in SVT2 at 20.00 or SVT play.