The Emigrants (novels)
Encyclopedia
The Emigrants is the collective name of a four novel suite by the Swedish
author Vilhelm Moberg
:
The Swedish
titles are: Utvandrarna, Invandrarna, Nybyggarna and Sista brevet till Sverige. All books have been translated to English
. The novels are generally considered to be among the best pieces of Swedish literature
.
The novel-series describes the long and strenuous journey for a group of people in Småland
, Sweden
as they emigrate to
Minnesota
, United States
, where they settle during the Swedish emigration to North America around the 1850s.
The reception was not all positive, though. At the time of their releases, the novels were criticised due to their use of profanity.
Additionally, a musical
by former ABBA
members Björn Ulvaeus
and Benny Andersson
, based on the four novels, was produced in the 90s: Kristina från Duvemåla
. It grew to become a great success in Sweden and abroad.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
author Vilhelm Moberg
Vilhelm Moberg
Karl Artur Vilhelm Moberg was a Swedish author and historian, most commonly associated with his four novels known as The Emigrants Series.-Early life:...
:
- The EmigrantsThe Emigrants (Swedish novel)The Emigrants is a novel by Vilhelm Moberg from 1949. It is the first part of the The Emigrants suite.- Plot :The story takes place in the 1840s up to 1850. The first part of the novel describes the hardships faced by rural families in Sweden. Karl Oskar Nilsson and his wife, Kristina, own a farm...
(1949) - Unto a Good LandUnto a Good LandUnto a Good Land is a novel by Vilhelm Moberg from 1952. It is the second part of the The Emigrants suite.-Plot:This novel describes the journey of the Emigrants from New York City, New York to Taylors Falls, Minnesota. They settle at the lake Ki-Chi-Saga in what is today Chisago County, and...
(1952) - The SettlersThe Settlers (novel)The Settlers is a novel by Vilhelm Moberg from 1956. It is the third and the longest part of the The Emigrants suite.- Plot :The book tells about the group's new life in America where most of them now have started to feel at home...
(1956) - The Last Letter HomeThe Last Letter HomeThe Last Letter Home is a novel by Vilhelm Moberg from 1959. It is the fourth and final part of the The Emigrants suite, the shortest book of the four, with a faster pace.-Plot:...
(1959)
The Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
titles are: Utvandrarna, Invandrarna, Nybyggarna and Sista brevet till Sverige. All books have been translated to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The novels are generally considered to be among the best pieces of Swedish literature
Swedish literature
Swedish literature refers to literature written in the Swedish language or by writers from Sweden.The first literary text from Sweden is the Rök Runestone, carved during the Viking Age circa 800 AD. With the conversion of the land to Christianity around 1100 AD, Sweden entered the Middle Ages,...
.
Plot
- For longer descriptions, see the individual pages of each novel.
The novel-series describes the long and strenuous journey for a group of people in Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
as they emigrate to
Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where they settle during the Swedish emigration to North America around the 1850s.
Recognition
The novels have to date been sold in nearly two million copies in Sweden and have been translated into more than twenty languages.The reception was not all positive, though. At the time of their releases, the novels were criticised due to their use of profanity.
Honours
- The series was in a poll conducted by Biblioteket i fokus in 1997 voted as the best Swedish book of the 20th century by 27,000 people.
- The series was in a poll conducted by Sveriges televisionSveriges TelevisionSveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
in 1998 voted as the most important Swedish book of all time by 17,000 people.
Adaptations
Two movies based on the books have been released:- The Emigrants, a 1971 adaption by Jan Troell, based on the first two novels.
- The New LandThe New LandNybyggarna is a 1972 Swedish film written by Bengt Forslund and directed by Jan Troell. It stars Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann and Eddie Axberg....
, a 1972 sequel to the first film, based on the last two novels.
Additionally, a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
by former ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
members Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Ulvaeus
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus is a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, writer, producer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
and Benny Andersson
Benny Andersson
Göran Bror "Benny" Andersson is a Swedish musician, composer, a former member of the Swedish musical group ABBA , and co-composer of the musicals Chess, Kristina från Duvemåla, and Mamma Mia!...
, based on the four novels, was produced in the 90s: Kristina från Duvemåla
Kristina från Duvemåla
Kristina från Duvemåla is a Swedish musical written by former ABBA members Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson , based on a series of four novels by Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg detailing a family's poverty-driven migration from Sweden to America in the mid-19th century: The Emigrants, Unto a Good...
. It grew to become a great success in Sweden and abroad.