Doctor Glas by Hjalmar Söderberg"Doctor Glas," a classic work of Swedish literature by Hjalmar Söderberg, is a profound and thought-provoking novel that delves into the moral complexities of human nature. Set in early 20th-century Stockholm, the story is told through the diary of Dr. Tyko Gabriel Glas, a lonely and introspective physician who grapples with deep ethical dilemmas and personal anguish.At the heart of the novel is Dr. Glas's growing obsession w...

A masterpiece of enduring power, Doctor Glas confronts a chilling moral quandary with gripping intensity. With an introduction by Margaret Atwood.Stark, brooding, and enormously controversial when first published in 1905, this astonishing novel juxtaposes impressions of fin-de-siècle Stockholm against the psychological landscape of a man besieged by obsession. Lonely and introspective, Doctor Glas has long felt an instinctive hostility toward the odious local minister. So ...

Henning Mankell described The Serious Game as one of Sweden's lost classics. 'Söderberg wrote a contemporary novel. He wants the reader to look upon that time and to understand that love is not a secluded island, it is always affected by the 'big' world; by society; politics, disasters and scandals. Arvid, an educated and ambitious young man, meets Lydia, the daughter of a landscape painter; it is summer, they are young, and they fall in love. Lydia, however, has other suitors, and Arvid i...

Narrated in a collection of vignettes, the start of Martin Birck's young life in Stockholm is filled with the joys and frustrations of children everywhere. As he ages, his idealism falls away in a series of small shocks: stories of local murders told by an older friend, having to hold his own in school, an encroaching disbelief in the Christian faith his mother has instilled in him. These, along with his perceived trajectory, lead to the shattering revelation: "So this is life." Written in...

Hjalmar Söderberg was a Swedish author, working from the end of the nineteenth century up until the 1930s. While most famous now for his novel Doctor Glas-a favorite of Margaret Atwood's-he also wrote other books, plays, and several collections of short stories.His stories have several common themes: human desire and self-deception, the inability for people to ever truly understand each other, and bittersweet reminiscences of the past. A Stockholm resident for most of his ...

A smorgasbord of Christmas stories by writers from Hans Christian Andersen to August Strindberg to Karl Ove Knausgaard.This collection brings together the best Scandinavian holiday stories, including classics by Hans Christian Andersen of Denmark; Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf, August Strindberg and Hjalmar Söderberg of Sweden; as well as the popular contemporary Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgaard. These Nordic tales—coming from the very region where so much ...

The Serious Game is Sweden's most celebrated and enduring love story.Arvid Stjärnblom meets Lydia Stille during a summer holiday and quickly falls in love. Lydia, the daughter of a landscape painter, returns his feelings, but Arvid hesitates. Afraid of commitment and unsure of his future, he lets the moment pass.They go on to marry other people, yet their connection never fades. Years later, their lives cross again, and the choices they once avoide...

Stark, brooding, and enormously controversial when first published in 1905, this astonishing novel juxtaposes impressions of fin–de–siècle Stockholm against the psychological landscape of a man besieged by obsession. Lonely and introspective, Doctor Glas has long felt an instinctive hostility toward the odious local minister. So when the minister's beautiful wife complains of her husband's oppressive sexual attentions, Doctor Glas finds himself contemplating murder. A masterpiece of enduri...