Customer Reviews

A History of the Swedish People: Volume II: From Renaissance to Revolution

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Vilhelm Moberg (1898-1973) was one of Sweden's leading men of letters, chiefly remembered today for his peerless emigrant tetralogy. His Min Svenska Historia was his life's work, and only completed after his death. Published in Swedish in two volumes, this book is the English translation of the second book, taking the history of Sweden from Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson and the dissolution of the Kalmar Union through to Gustav Vasa.

Unlike most history books of the era, though, this one is written with a definite slant. Moberg became disillusioned with the heroic history that he had been taught in his school days, finding that the great men and women of Swedish history actually had feet of clay that made their enshrining ludicrous. Embracing socialism in everything, he sought to write a book that reached past the kings and bigwigs of history, and told the story of the men and women that made the country everything that it was.

The book is quite iconoclastic, poking fun at many people who figure large in other history books - kings, soldiers, and magnates. In many ways it is a book ahead of its time, refusing to genuflect before anyone, and making for some humorous and fascinating reading. My one complaint against this book is that it contains no index, which limits its usefulness for everyday use (at least in the 1973 edition that I have access to).

So, if you are interested in reading a history of Sweden that is not like any other, or if you are interested in reading the thoughts of the great Vilhelm Moberg, then I highly recommend this book to you.

The book is a generally solid history of Sweden which tries to focus more on the common man. Moberg is successful in this aspect and his book is very readable. However, he even states that he was disillusioned with heroes of the Swedish state when he learned of thier darker side later in his schooling. This disillusionment colors his his book throughout. It is akin to recent books on Washington and Jefferson that focus on slavery and discard the enormous good they did for their country. Istead of writing a balanced asessment of figures throughout Swedish history, he takes sides, commiting the same error, though in the opposite direction, as the nationalistic historians. I learned much on Swedish history from this book, but realized early on that it all must be taken with a grain of salt.

From the Renaissance, to the modern era! Mr. Moberg continues the saga of the Nordic lands, describing the deeds of the heroic rebel Englebrecht Engelbrechtson, the suppression of the commoners by the king Gustaf Vasa, the rebellion of MY ANCESTORS the Smalanders, and many wars between Sweden and Norway for dominance of the Baltic region. This time period saw the arrival of Lutheran philosophy in the church. The careers of the great kings: Gustavus Adolphus, hero of the Thirty Years War; Charles XII, and his heroic but fatal struggle with Peter the Great of Russia. The advent of the Age of Enlightenment...to the Industrial Age, and massive emmigration to North America. All through this, the average Swede soldiered on...

I purchased this book as, there are so few books on swedish history. I recently went on a long journey to trace my grandparents roots back there. Now that I've found some of my family back there, I wanted to understand the history. I loved reading Mobergs Immigrant series also.

I found this book to be very interesting. The author has a different topic for each chapter, and puts in his own opinions on some of the historical events! I especially liked it because my ancestors lived in that part of the country during those times.

Again, an extremely important resource for those researching Swedish history, politics and culture. I learned a great deal. Moberg also examines the negative aspects of Swedish history as well as the positive events and culture.