Den tionde sånggudinnan

by Carina Burman

Uppsala 1909. En ung kvinnlig litteraturforskare slår vad med sin professor. Lyckas hon inte spåra upp något intressant arkivmaterial om en av våra första kvinnliga författare, Sophia Elisabeth Brenner (1659-1730), "den svenska Sappho", kommer hennes forskningskarriär att gå åt pipan och hon kanske får gifta sig och slå sig ner på landsorten som lektor, men går det vägen kommer den akademiska världen att ligga för hennes fötter. Forskningarna leder docent Elisabeth Gran och hennes båda väninnor Thea och Choice runt Europa vid tiden för första världskrigets utbrott. Vad vi inte får veta om arkivgömmor i Berlin och Vatikanen, om resandets vedermödor på tåg och båt och om hanterandet av snörliv är inte värt att veta. Och när sedan vadet avgörs i S:t Petersburg under pågående revolution har vår hjältinna med hjälp av chifferskrift och hemliga manuskript kommit ett hittills okänt tvåhundra år gammalt kvinnosaksförbund på spåren.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Swedish Literature

425 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think this novel is available in anything but the original Swedish; which is a shame, since it's definitely one of the best academic puzzles I've come across. The overt story is about a female Swedish researcher in the early part of the last century, who is following the trail of a historical mystery that takes her to various places around Europe. So far, so Dan Brown. But there were constant references to Dante, and it rapidly become clear to me that the book must have something to do with the Divine Comedy.

What I couldn't get straight was the nature of the relationship. Many episodes appeared to refer to Inferno, which I remembered quite well. But some of them didn't fit that model, and I started wondering whether I was not confused, and that perhaps she was actually referring to the Paradiso instead. I had never actually finished Paradiso - like thousands of other readers, I had got bored and lost interest somewhere around the orbit of Venus - but I was so intrigued that I took it out again and read all the way to the end, before resuming Ms Burman's book. After that, things rapidly came into focus.

The novel's clever conceit, it turns out, is that it is simultaneously a journey into Hell and a journey into Heaven; thus each chapter contains references to both the first and the third books of Dante. The author, herself a literary researcher, is making a comment here that I found quite perceptive. When you do research, you never really know which road you're on. As Dante would have expressed it, you may be ascending the heavenly spheres, reaching ever closer to the face of God; or, on the other hand, you may just be digging yourself deeper into a pit of selfishness and evil. The heroine of the story never finds out for certain in which direction she's been headed. In the final chapter, her quest takes her to wintry St. Petersburg, just as the Russian Revolution is breaking out. Maybe she is in the lowest circle of Hell, surrounded by the Traitors to their Lords and Masters; or maybe she has reached the Heaven of the Empyrean, and is finally able to see the truth she has spent so long searching for. Even at the end, she isn't sure.

I wondered if I was just fantasizing all of this, but found some solid clues to support my case. The clincher was when I noticed that each of the three divisions of the book ended, just as in Dante, with the word stjärnorna ("the stars"). That could hardly be a coincidence! I was sufficiently emboldened by my discovery that I wrote down my whole analysis and mailed it to the author. Her reply was suitably ambiguous, though I could see she was pleased with all the trouble I'd taken.

Apart from her, I don't know a single person who's read the book. Well, I added a spoiler warning, so if you're reading this review then maybe you've also come across Den tionde sånggudinnan. Do you agree with my interpretation?

[Estrelas · Rating 3 out of 5]

„Die Burschen wandten uns ihre anmutigen Gesichter zu und versuchten barsch auszusehen. Dazu waren sie viel zu zwanzigjährig.“ (das lustigste Zitat)

„Lieber, höchst unbekannter Leser! Du bist mir durch viele Bibliotheken und Archive gefolgt, hast Staub und Kataloge jedweder Art gesehen.“ (das Zitat, das den Inhalt am besten zusammenfasst)

Drei Damen am Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts, die durch Europa reisen, um die Briefe einer Schriftstellerin aufzustöbern. Mir gefielen besonders der literaturwissenschaftliche Aspekt, die Emanzipation und die Beschreibungen deutscher Fachwerkstädte.

[Elisabeth Holmertz · Rating 5 out of 5]

En av de böcker jag läst om flest gånger. Alltid en favorit. Tycker bättre och bättre om den för varje gång. Älskar hur Burman leker med språk och stil, historia och historieberättande. Smart och (!) rörande bok.

[Thea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книга довольно интересная. 2/3 прямо держит не то, что в напряжении, нет, но захватывает. Концовка - по мне, последняя треть - послабее, что ли. Поэтому 4 звездочки.

[Lisa Henningsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oväntat spännande i en ovanlig setting.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good novel and convincing story-line. I do love Carina Burman's books!