The People of Hemso

“In my own life, my great literary experience was Strindberg. There are works of his which can still make my hair stand on end – The People of Hemsö, for example.” - Ingmar Bergman

Wonderful characters, evocative, detailed writing, and a slice of life in the 19th century Stockholm archipelago make this a lovely read. Ludvig Rasmussen called it the “Great Swedish Novel, just as Madame Bovary is the Great French Novel and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the Great American Novel,” and it does seem to capture a certain spirit while telling its tale. The writing is focused and comes across as very authentic, both in the knowledge Strindberg had picked up from his own time out on the islands, and also in its characters, who show more are balanced. One example at that are its pokes at religion via the character of the minister, but yet having the man speak a few words of wisdom. Strindberg is known for his highly misogynistic views, but mercifully none of that is here. There are many fantastic scenes but the ending chapter out on the ice is in particular memorable. This would be a great book to read while traveling in Sweden.

Just this quote, on desire:
“Out in the meadows and among the hillocks, however, couple after couple strolled through the dewy grass by the faint twinkling light of the starry sky and, to the song of the crickets among the scented hay, sought to quench the fires kindled by the heat of the cottage, the spirit of the barley and the rhythmic pulse of the music.” show less

It is easy to understand why Hemsöborna eventually became a classic, even if it apparently wasn’t particularly well received immediately by the general public when it was first printed. Critics praised it, the public was at first less enthusiastic. Strindberg’s character portrayals and landscape descriptions have always fascinated me. He quite simply brings his characters to life even more than 130 years after he wrote it. I really enjoyed reading it and recommend it.

Något underhållande men totalt obegriplig att läsa i originalutförande. Den s.k "skärgårdssvenskan" kan fara åt helvete.

"He himself could never be a farmer. Or could he?",, 25 October 2015

This review is from: The People of Hemso (Series B) (Paperback)
Set in the outer skerries off Sweden's south coast, this is the story of Carlsson who comes to work on a failing farm. Owned by Madam Flod, a widow, whose son is more interested in going off fishing, Carlsson is soon able to make himself indispensable, and start working his way up the career ladder...
The descriptions of the scenery are superb, from the beauties of Midsummer to the wintry icefields; and Strindberg brings his characters to life, with all their longings and aspirations.
Highly enjoyable read.

Humbug.

Realism is simply not my gernre, altough I should not judge too harshly a book I read almost ten years ago.

Jag läste Hemsöborna första gången för fem år sedan, och då gillade jag uppenbarligen den mer än jag gör idag. Det kan vara för att jag var mer fokuserad, eller så framstår tragiken bakom humorn som tydligare idag. När Carlsson idag kommer som ett yrväder en aprilafton så vet jag hur illa det kommer sluta för honom och madam Flod, och när jag läser om hans kärleksplaner framstår han mer som lysten och girig, än som bara överdrivet självsäker.

Historien med den unge lycksökaren (-erskan) och den äldre, rika änkan (-emannen) är ju inte ny, men skärgårdsmiljön och det strindbergska språkmästerskapet gör mycket till för att det skall framstå i nytt ljus. Blanda in dråpligheter som den under-bordet-druckne show more prästen på bröllopet, Carlssons försök till kärleksbrev – det är svårt att tänka sig något mer befängt i genren –och det blir mycket riktigt en slags fars, trots att det enligt de klassiska definitionerna är en tragedi.

Det enda som framstår som något underligt är den korta historien om gruvföretaget som köper en kobbe för en sommar, och hur de lurar Carlsson på pengar: förvisso välskrivet, men det känns som intryckt utan att tillföra något till helheten. Annars är det en mycket välskriven bok, med Strindberg på ovanligt gott humör, utan det mesta av den vanliga ilskan.
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Äldre recension.

Strindberg är rolig, även om de två sista kapitlen känns som om de skrivits var för sig och inte har så mycket med resten av boken att göra. Pluspoäng för Carlssons vanvettiga epistel, och det stundom briljanta bruket av liknelser. show less