Carina Burman's first novel, Min salig bror Jean Hendrich (My Dear Departed Brother Jean Hendrich, 1993), was a success with both critics and the public. Enthusiastic reviewers praised the ingenious narrative technique, style, and solid grasp of history, particularly literary history, displayed in the novel. Min salig bror Jean Hendrich was reprinted twice in the autumn of 1993, and the paperback edition, which appeared the following year, also ran to three reprints.

Critics have compared Burman with the Swedish historian Peter Englund, whose first book, Poltava (1988), succeeded in awakening an interest in history by means of an initiated and accessible historical depiction of the Great Northern War conducted by Charles XII. Like Englund, Burman combines a solid academic training with a narrative talent that has brought her a large readership. Unlike Poltava, which is subtitled "Berättelse" (a story), in Burman's books historical fact is mixed with a fair...