Customer Reviews

The Wonderful Adventures Of Nils And The Further Adventures Of Nils Holgersson

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Selma Lagerlöf is best known in America and worldwide for her masterpiece children's' stories: The Wonderful Adventures of Nils and The Further Adventures of Nils. Originally commissioned by the Swedish National Teachers' Society to teach introductory geography to young Swedish schoolchildren, these adventures, first published in 1906-1907, take flight when Nils, a Swedish imp, is magically reduced to elfin size, gets astride a gander who joins a flock of wild geese that fly a route covering the significant geographical and historical sites of all of Sweden. Along the way, they encounter the consequential elements of survival, both socially and environmentally: predator and victim, friend and foe, the land and its users. Told in a series of narratives, these adventures demonstrate this Nobel-prize-winning author's skill at defining the sublime in simple, everyday existence.

Much of Selma Lagerlöf's work is rooted in her childhood experiences at the ancestral home, "Mårbacka." In her Memories of Mårbacka, she recounts the flight of one of Mårbacka's ganders who joins a flock of wild geese and returns during the next seasonal migration, proudly bringing new family and friends to share the domestic trough, only to come to a horrific end at the hands of the wicked housekeeper. The emergence of these childhood impressions coupled with adult wisdom suggests the appeal of the adventures of Nils to both children and adults. Life at Mårbacka might be noted as a modest-genteelness, holding casual acquaintance with the nobility and some deference from the peasantry. Family and household staff were a source of entertainment and amusement; the imaginative enchantment of storytelling was a main diversion.

Of the many concerns in these adventures still appropriate today is that of the environment expressed by the wild goose: "If you have learned anything at all from us, Thumbietot, you no longer think that the humans should have the whole earth to themselves," . . . "Remember you have a large country and you can easily afford to leave a few bare rocks, a few shallow lakes and swamps, a few desolate cliffs and remote forests to us poor, dumb creatures, where we can be allowed to live in peace."

This combined edition, from 1917 translations of the two adventures, is sixth in a series of reprints from Penfield Press of the works of Selma Lagerlöf. Others include: Invisible Links, Girl from the Marsh Croft, Memories of Mårbacks, Scandinavian Kings and Queens, and Gösta Berling's Saga. Forthcoming is Words of Love and Wisdom by Selma Lagerlöf, a book of selected excerpts from her major works.

I just finished the second volume of the Adventures of Nils this morning and feel it is worth a second review having digested the entire work. There are many levels at which this book is amazing, though it should not be thought of as being without faults (I have given it a 4/5 with good cause.) Nils is many things--at times it seems little more than an excuse for collecting various folklore, anecdotes, traditions and geography (some of which is fascinating, some of which is frustrating) while at other times Lagerlof displays a tremendous ability at story telling that can not help but compell even the least emotional of readers. Who, for instance, would not want to be able to communicate with animals or experience their adventures? But this is just where the second volume of the work becomes even more effective than the first as Nils tries to decide which world he wants to live in. Akka (the goose leader) even asks that the boy not forget to leave some quiet and undisturbed places for animals to live in peace, should Nils become a human being again (how's that for ecological relevancy?)

Nils is highly moralistic piece grounded in a more down to earth sensibility than we are accustomed to today, however I doubt anyone will find themselves unable to see the values and sentiments expressed here, for these are universal: Along Nils travels he learns about loyalty, benevolence, the value of friends, and perhaps more importantly the difficulty of having to part with friends.

In addition, as if some testiment to the author's emotional commitment to the story, she herself appears in the last chapters of the book and ties it in to her own love of the old country and her parents, now gone. While the faults in this book are very obvious, they are also superficial and they do not (nor could they) mar the great investment by the author in this truly skillful piece of children's literature.

I first stumbled accross this book many years ago, when i was 10. At that time, the book seem extremely thick and it was in Vietnamese, even though i read a lot, this book was so special to me, that i never forget the story. It is a very simple plot, but with amazing skill, the author made it a wonderful book to read, while some of the concept are very basic, it also promote peace, among all living things, not just human, promote awareness of the nature that surrounded us, and it will no doubt help many young boy to grow mentally, make them more mature and more understanding to other. Now, at age 20, 10 years after reading this book, i finally found the book again, in an English version, this book surely will help to cheer anyone up through a rainy day (perfect time to sit and read this book). Buy it for yourself, or your kid, they will love it.

When I was a young boy my Grandmother read the story of Nils' adventures and I still have the books. They are falling apart now so I read from the new book I received promptly from Amazon to my Grandsons. I am now 75 years old and The Wonderful Adventures of Nils and The Further Adventures of Nils Holgersson will live on in my family. Thanks

The plot may be a thin and rambling - a boy shrunk by an angry elf travels from one end of Sweden to the other and back, flying on a goose. However what sustains this travelogue throughout is the sheer quality of the writing - remarkably preserved in the translation. It is a vivid portrayal of the beauty and diversity of the Swedish landscape from the neat farms of Skane to the icy lakes and fells of Lappland. It is woven through with the life-stories of animals and people he meets, sympathetically told but with a harsh and haunting reality that sets the book apart from being a mere fairy story. I doubt if many children would be attracted to this book unless they had some link with Sweden. However for anyone with an interest in the country it provides a compelling back-drop to the Sweden of today.

I first stumbled accross this book many years ago, when i was 10. At that time, the book seem extremely thick and it was in Vietnamese, even though i read a lot, this book was so special to me, that i never forget the story. It is a very simple plot, but with amazing skill, the author made it a wonderful book to read, while some of the concept are very basic, it also promote peace, among all living things, not just human, promote awareness of the nature that surrounded us, and it will no doubt help many young boy to grow mentally, make them more mature and more understanding to other. Now, at age 20, 10 years after reading this book, i finally found the book again, in an English version, this book surely will help to cheer anyone up through a rainy day (perfect time to sit and read this book). Buy it for yourself, or your kid, they will love it.

"The Wonderful Adventures of Nils..." - is one of the best book written for children. I've red it when I was small, and now I am reading it to my children. I highly recommend this book. Selma Lagerlof got the Nobel Prize in Literatire in 1909. I wish Disney will make cartoon based on this book.

The most charming children book after Hans Andersen stories but much more informative and down to earth.
Its charm crosses age barriers anyway and I read it with great pleasure in my 20-ties, 30-ties 40-ties and so on and on.
True, it is very Swedish in its substance but at the same time conveys an universal message of love of someones coutry, respect to traditions and history, contact with nature, understanding of animals.
The story told with a magical power, even greatest sceptics may have a flight with wild goose.

This book is very much worth reading by young and old. An interesting journey through Sweden seen through the eyes of a little boy travelling on a goose. One can read this book over and over again since it is written so well by one of the world's best writers: Selma Lagerloef.

My grandmother gave me this book when I had my first child. It's the loveliest, funniest, most imaginative story, and I've already begun to relate it to my son. It simultaneously frustrates and delights me that this story exists. Frustrates because I wish, so badly, that this quality of entertainment was made readily available to children nowadays, instead of the frenetic, crass garbage in the theaters. But, I'm delighted that this book is still in print and translated for the whole world of children to read.

There is a company called Three Sisters who make a mobile for babies that is based on the legend of Nils. I purchased the mobile and this book for a friend who just had a little boy.