By the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, an historical tale set in eighteenth century Sweden, in which the action is dominated by a mysterious ring which seems to blight the lives of those who own it. It is a disturbing saga of superstition and the supernatural, of revenge from beyond the grave, and in many ways, is a forerunner of modern feminist writing. A rather exotic ghost story."" - Publishers Weekly. ""[An] immensely sensitive translation, which achieves both the deceptive simplicity and the reverberating dimensions of Lagerlöf's text."" - Swedish Book Review.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In payment for his participation in Charles XII of Sweden's campaigns of the Great Northern War, Bengt of Lowenskold was awarded the rank of major general and the gaudy ring of the title. In due course, "Big Bengt" is interred with his trinket, but barely is he in the grave when the ring is taken for "safekeeping" by a local farmer, thereby setting the stage for the Nobel laureate's 1925 novel of long-held grudges and revenge. The ring, of course, is accursed, bringing the dead general's wrath upon both guilty and unwitting possessors alike until one woman's selfless love breaks the cycle. Like her Norwegian contemporary Sigrid Undset, Lagerlof returned to the Scandinavian past for her subjects but she also indulged in a taste for the fabulous. Here, as in her best-known work, Gosta Berling's Saga , the supernatural figures prominently. But with little of the descriptive sense that marks an historical work like Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter , this first installment of Lagerlof's trilogy is less a Scandinavian epic than a rather exotic ghost story.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
In 1909, Selma Lagerlof became the first woman and the first Swede to win the Nobel Prize for literature; today, she is almost completely unknown in the United States. Only recently have present-day readers had access to an English translation of The Lowenskold Ring, a gripping, moving novel that combines a ghost story with political, cultural, and psychological analysis. The story is told by one of a long line of women who have sat round the fire, spinning, weaving, and telling stories. It begins with a splendid ring, given to General Lowenskold for service to King Charles XII. The General wants the ring buried with him, and even though it could feed many of the farmers left hungry by years of war, it is agreed - it will be buried. But the ring is stolen from the tomb, and from that point on, the General's ghost walks abroad, exacting revenge. There is far more to this story than the supernatural effects, however. Like one of the women sitting around the fire, combining work and stories, Selma Lagerlof maintains the tension of the ghost story, while at the same time giving us insight into eighteenth-century Sweden, life among the elite and working classes, the role and lot of women, and the essential question of certainty itself. How do we judge innocence? How do we know our own motives? And who, or what, makes us do what we do? -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Selma Lagerlof's elegant simplicity,
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This review is from: Lowenskold Ring (Norvic Press Series a) (Paperback)
Not many people read Selma Lagerlof any more, which is a pity - she won the Nobel Prize, after all. And if you read the "Ring" you'll understand why. Most of her books are aimed at least ostensibly at children; the "Ring" is one of her "adult" books, but like the children's books it has the same artless simplicity and uninvolved character of a fairy tale about it. The story at least initially is a sort of picaresque tale built around an old general's ring, but the center of attention keeps shifting as you read on. One episode effortlessly develops into another, and fifty pages later you realize how it all holds together, but it is so simple and delightful that you don't notice how far afield the story has taken you. A real gem.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Teenager's Fairy Tale,
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This review is from: Lowenskold Ring (Norvic Press Series a) (Paperback)
This is the first book I have read by the Nobel Prize-winning author, Selma Lagerlof. I found the book to be very easy and enjoyable reading and I look forward to reading more by this author. The problem for me with "The Lowenskold Ring" (a/k/a "The General's Ring") is that it was too brief. The author was able to mix some of the folk culture of rural Sweden of roughly 150 years ago with some morality lessons. The morality lessons tended to deal with greed, pride, and loyalty and they were well enough presented. However, I had the feeling that author squandered an opportunity to say more. Like a journey in which the main character encounters many different types of people, "Lowenskold's Ring" could have been a vehicle to give us several more personalities and issues to confront.
I also felt that the language of the author was written for either a younger or less enlightened audience. I can see where the author would do well with children's stories. However, I will end by saying that the book served as an enjoyable activity for the hour or so that it took to read.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Simple and interesting,
This review is from: Lowenskold Ring (Norvic Press Series a) (Paperback)
A Swedish fairy with layers of creativity. A simple and interesting middle-age fantasy story about a ring that inflicts evil upon it's holder until it is restored to it's proper owner. A closer look reveals deeper questions about loyalty, appearances, and morality.
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