The Emigrants book series: early Swedish settlers in the new world
As someone that teaches Swedish language and culture for a living I have a passion for the history of Swedish immigration to the US, and I covered this topic in one of my previous blogs (read it here). If you are interested in diving deeper into the life and experiences of the early Swedish immigrants to the United States I would highly recommend the fiction of Vilhelm Moberg (1898-1973), one of the best known and beloved Swedish authors of the 20th century. In today’s blog I wanted to share some facts about Moberg and his stories. And if you want to learn even more about Swedish culture, language and history please sign up for one of my free online trial lessons!
Vilhelm Moberg wrote the Emigrants book series published between 1949 and 1959 about a group of Swedish emigrants that in 1850 left hardship and poverty to find new lives in the United States. The first book, The Emigrants, describes the country and lives they leave behind and the challenges faced by many inhabitants of Småland (a region in the southeast of Sweden) during the time period. It also describes the journey by ship from Karlshamn in Sweden to New York. The title of the second book is the Immigrants, where the journey continues to Minnesota and the reader follows the difficulties faced by the group from Ljuders in Småland as they try to build their life in the new world. In the third installation of the series, Nybyggarna (The Settlers), we follow the main characters, Karl-Oskar and Kristina, as they build their house by Chisago Lake in Minnesota and the area around them develops into a small village. In this book we also get to follow Karl-Oskar’s brother, Robert, on his adventures on the California trail. The fourth and final installation of the series is more reflective in nature and includes events from the American Civil War as well as meetings between the migrants and the Native American population.
The author was himself from the region of Småland and many of his relatives emigrated to America in the 19th century. Having grown up in that part of Sweden he had a strong emotional connection to the stories he described, and he also did extensive research in Ljuders county in Sweden, studying church books and other material from the time of the great emigration. Between June 1948 and November 1949 he stayed in the US both to do research and to write the first book. He visited parts of Minnesota where some of the stories from the books take place, and also settled down in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA for several months to focus on writing. After his time in America Moberg returned to Sweden and continued his career as an author until his passing in 1973.
The stories about Karl-Oskar, Kristina and the others first made it onto the movie screen in 1971 with the release of The Emigrants, produced by Jan Troell and based on the first two books in the series. The year after, in 1972, another movie based on the second two books was released, called The Settlers. There is even a musical, Kristina från Duvemåla, produced by Björn and Benny of Abba fame, based on the book series. And as recently as 2021 a new film was released, this one also called The Emigrants, based on Moberg’s books. Gustav Skarsgård, of the famous Swedish family of actors, plays Karl-Oskar, and in this adaptation the director puts the focus on the women in the story. Trust me, I can’t wait for this film to become available for streaming!
So that is my literature recommendation for all of you out there with an interest in Swedish history and culture. And you can always explore more at Learn Swedish Now. We offer the most efficient way to learn Swedish: online private classes with a native speaker. Sign up and get started on your journey today!
