Tom Buk-Swienty (born 1966 in Eutin, Germany) is a Danish historian, journalist and author, adjunct professor of history at the University of Southern Denmark and a former US correspondent for Weekendavisen. He is best known for his documentary narratives on Danish and European military history, built on previously unpublished primary sources and eyewitness accounts. His breakthrough came with the two-volume work on the 1864 war - 'Slagtebænk Dybbøl' (2008) and 'Dommedag Als' (2010) - both bestsellers that earned him several literary prizes. He has since published biographies of Wilhelm Dinesen and Karen Blixen, and most recently a two-part series on Danes in wartime Berlin.
The second book in the Berlin series, 'The Russians Are Coming', was released on November 4, 2025 by Politikens Forlag and received, among other things, top marks in Ekstra Bladet.
A retired history teacher raised criticism in Politiken against factual errors in 'Berlin Burns'; Buk-Swienty rejected the criticism and maintained the book's historical foundation.
Buk-Swienty gave a lecture on 'Berlin Burns' at Ubby Forsamlingshus on April 10, 2025 with a communal meal and subsequent lecture.
A lecture on 'Berlin Burns' and 'The Russians Are Coming' is planned for April 16, 2026 at Billund Library.
Tom Buk-Swienty recounts the final months of World War II through the eyes of four Danes caught in Berlin as the city falls and the Red Army approaches.
Author Tom Buk-Swienty discusses his Berlin books with literary critic Klaus Rothstein, drawing on ARoS' exhibition of German art from 1910-1945.