My bagatelles are enigmatic mini novels in the tradition of Borges and Calvino. A bagatelle can also be a short piano piece, a trifle, or a story without a true beginning or end. I began writing them in 2009 on the backs of envelopes, after a particularly stubborn bout of writer’s block. The words just wanted out, I barely understood what I was writing, or who was writing it. It just happened.

In 2009, these envelope texts found their way online through a blog, which later became an Instagram account (2015–2020), GPS poetry (2015), an interactive website (2016, revived in 2026), and an exhibition (2019). A selection of the best bagatelles from those years can be found here (longer), here (shorter), and on the website Bagatellerna.se. All in Swedish, though.

Since February 2025, The Bagatelles has existed primarily as an English-language newsletter, sent at irregular intervals to your inbox. In a short time, it has reached subscribers in more than 115 countries. My writing and literary experiments have also been mentioned in Literary Hub, Compact Magazine, and Publishing Perspectives. I’ve been interviewed by Boktugg (English version) and featured in The Curious George Questionnaire.

“An intriguing glimpse of what a truly independent author might look like” – Carlo Carrenho, Publishing Perspectives.

In 2026, The Bagatelles won the Best Creative Newsletter award at the Inbox Awards. Read the jury’s citation here.

What readers say:

Alexandra Sarafidou: “Jörgen Löwenfeldt is on my personal list of ‘Why joining Substack was worth it.’ He’s also one of the best authors I’ve read, on Substack or elsewhere.”

Lisa Maguire: “Very short form fiction is an ideal way to get back into fiction for ‘broken readers’ – people who once read novels and had their attention span shredded by the internet.”

Kristine Benoit de Bykhovetz: “Enigmatic little stories that stay with you long after you’ve finished. I save them for quiet moments, with something good to drink at hand.”

Brooks Riley: “The best short fiction writing I’ve found on Substack.”

Some dispatches to start with:

1. Listen to a secret pianist: The second chance at a first
2. Real stories from everyday life: The Art of the Diary
3. The list for living: 93 notes to myself

You are welcome to join my journey by subscribing: