Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige
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Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige (The Wonderful Adventures of Nils) is a work of fiction by Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf, published in two parts 1906 and 1907. The background for publication was a commission from the National Teachers' Association in 1902 to write a reader for the public schools.
"She devoted three years to Nature study and to familiarizing herself with animal and bird life. She has sought out hitherto unpublished folklore and legends of the different provinces. These she has ingeniously woven into her story." (From translator Velma Swanston Howard's introduction.)
Plot
The book is about a young lad, Nils Holgersson, whose "chief delight was to eat and sleep, and after that he liked best to make mischief". A run-in with a tomte (elf/gnome) sees him shrunken and able to talk with animals. Wild geese take him on a trip across the historical provinces of Sweden.
Trivia
A motif from the book, with Nils Holgersson on the back of a goose flying over the plains of Scania, is featured on the reverse side of the Swedish 20 krona banknote.
External links
- Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige (http://www.lysator.liu.se/runeberg/nilsholg/) - In Swedish
- The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/lagerlof/nils/nils.html) - English translation (abbr.)
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