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Axel Munthe: The Road to San Michele
Axel Munthe: The Road to San Michele tells for the first time the riveting life-story of an extraordinary individual, who came to define the times he lived in.
The precociously bright son of a Swedish pharmacist, Axel Munthe worked under Jean Martin Charcot, and in 1880, became the youngest doctor in French history. By the 1890s, he was world-famous for his healing powers, believed by some to be supernatural. He moved in the most colourful and exalted circles of fin-de-siècle Europe, counting amongst his friends Henry James, Howard Carter, Rainer Maria Rilke, Lady Ottoline Morrell and Count Zeppelin. Though physician to the Swedish court, where he became the lover of the Crown Princess Victoria, Munthe was more at home with nature than with people. He travelled through remotest Lapland, as well as across Europe, and his great love was animals, which he went to great lengths to protect. In 1929 he published The Story of San Michele, an account of his life, shot through with his love for Italy and Capri, where he built a bird sanctuary and the house of his dreams, the Villa San Michele. The book became an international best seller, translated into 40 languages, and has become one of the classics of the last century. Bengt Jangfeldt is the first person to have gone through Munthe’s diaries, letters and notebooks to produce this definitive account of one of 20th Century Europe’s most vibrant figures.
Written with the verve and exuberance of its subject, Axel Munthe: The Road to San Michele evokes a lost time, a life of passions, and a man who believed in every sense in the power of dreams.
The precociously bright son of a Swedish pharmacist, Axel Munthe worked under Jean Martin Charcot, and in 1880, became the youngest doctor in French history. By the 1890s, he was world-famous for his healing powers, believed by some to be supernatural. He moved in the most colourful and exalted circles of fin-de-siècle Europe, counting amongst his friends Henry James, Howard Carter, Rainer Maria Rilke, Lady Ottoline Morrell and Count Zeppelin. Though physician to the Swedish court, where he became the lover of the Crown Princess Victoria, Munthe was more at home with nature than with people. He travelled through remotest Lapland, as well as across Europe, and his great love was animals, which he went to great lengths to protect. In 1929 he published The Story of San Michele, an account of his life, shot through with his love for Italy and Capri, where he built a bird sanctuary and the house of his dreams, the Villa San Michele. The book became an international best seller, translated into 40 languages, and has become one of the classics of the last century. Bengt Jangfeldt is the first person to have gone through Munthe’s diaries, letters and notebooks to produce this definitive account of one of 20th Century Europe’s most vibrant figures.
Written with the verve and exuberance of its subject, Axel Munthe: The Road to San Michele evokes a lost time, a life of passions, and a man who believed in every sense in the power of dreams.
- GenresNonfictionBiography
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
3 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Bengt Jangfeldt
56 books14 followersBengt Åke Jangfeldt, född 22 november 1948 i Stockholm, är en svensk författare och översättare från ryska, professor vid institutionen för slaviska studier, Stockholms universitet.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 16, 2013
An engrossing biography of the intriguing Axel Munthe, whose existence I discovered when visiting Anacapri. Wonderfully written and translated, this book completely absorbed me for several days after coming home, transporting me to a different time and place. Thank you so much, Bengt Jangfeldt!
February 16, 2025
Axel Munthe oli ristiriitainen persoona: eläinten ja köyhien ystävä, seurapiirien henkilääkäri ja maailmankansalainen. Bengt Jangfeldtin kirjoittama elämäkerta valottaa levottoman sielun mielenmaisemaa ja samalla tulee tehtyä aikamatka 1800-1900-luvun taitteen eurooppalaiseen elämään.
Munthe asui ja matkusti ympäriinsä ja oli liikkeessä koko ajan - syntyi Vimmerbyssä Ruotsissa, opiskeli Pariisissa lääkäriksi, matkusti ruton keskelle Napoliin ja Roomaan ja ihastui Capriin. Sinne hän rakennutti San Michelen huvilansa ja siellä hän isännöi vuosikymmenien aikana lähes kaikki Euroopan siniveriset ja silmäätekevät henkilöt. Englannista löytyi toinen vaimo, Saksasta myös arvovaltaisia ystäviä.
Sujuvasti kirjoitettu ja vetävästi suomennettu teos ei kaunistele Munthen persoonaa, eikä silottele oikukkaan päähenkilön narsistisia piirteitä. Mutta mikä elämä! Erikoinen elämäntarina ja viehättävä ja raivotuttava tyyppi. Kukaan ei uskoisi näitä juttuja, jos Munthe olisi romaanihenkilö.
Olen lukenut Huvilan meren rannalla ja käynyt Caprilla Munthen huvilassa. Silloin luulin tietäväni Munthesta jo aika paljon - no enpä tiennyt esimerkiksi hänen suhteestaan Ruotsin kruununprinsessa (ja myöhemmin kuningatar) Victoriaan. Ihmemies tämä Munthe! Mikä tässä kaikessa on lopulta totta, mikä silkkaa legendaa!
Munthe asui ja matkusti ympäriinsä ja oli liikkeessä koko ajan - syntyi Vimmerbyssä Ruotsissa, opiskeli Pariisissa lääkäriksi, matkusti ruton keskelle Napoliin ja Roomaan ja ihastui Capriin. Sinne hän rakennutti San Michelen huvilansa ja siellä hän isännöi vuosikymmenien aikana lähes kaikki Euroopan siniveriset ja silmäätekevät henkilöt. Englannista löytyi toinen vaimo, Saksasta myös arvovaltaisia ystäviä.
Sujuvasti kirjoitettu ja vetävästi suomennettu teos ei kaunistele Munthen persoonaa, eikä silottele oikukkaan päähenkilön narsistisia piirteitä. Mutta mikä elämä! Erikoinen elämäntarina ja viehättävä ja raivotuttava tyyppi. Kukaan ei uskoisi näitä juttuja, jos Munthe olisi romaanihenkilö.
Olen lukenut Huvilan meren rannalla ja käynyt Caprilla Munthen huvilassa. Silloin luulin tietäväni Munthesta jo aika paljon - no enpä tiennyt esimerkiksi hänen suhteestaan Ruotsin kruununprinsessa (ja myöhemmin kuningatar) Victoriaan. Ihmemies tämä Munthe! Mikä tässä kaikessa on lopulta totta, mikä silkkaa legendaa!
May 29, 2019
Quite a deep well of information on the somewhat mysterious Dr. Axel Munthe, whose "The Story of San Michele" is intriguing and quite hard to describe! See my review of THAT book for more information.
I ordered Jangfeldt's book because 1) I wanted more insight into Munthe and "The Story of San Michele" and 2) a trip to Capri was in the works and I thought the book might lead to some interesting discoveries there. Can't say I picked up much new or useful info about the island of Capri and the town of Anacapri, but the biography certainly helps one differentiate between the true and false, real or imagined, or the just plain exaggerated in Munthe's "The Story of San Michele."
Jangfeldt is a gentle and respectful biographer, and when (on many occasions) Munthe's behavior is bizarre, his biographer digs for reasons and explanations. Munthe was one strange character, with wildly vacillating temperament, but underneath he was extremely generous to the sick and poor of all sorts, including Lapps in the Arctic Circle, natives of Capri, and victims of natural disasters and epidemics.
When dealing with biographies of writers, I always wonder whether to read their works first or the biography first. In most cases, and certainly this case, better to read the works first. I'm not sure I would have stuck with this if I hadn't already read "The Story of San Michele." Well, I wouldn't even have looked for this if "The Story of San Michele" were not fascinating.
Stream-of-consciousness notes while reading the bio follow this review.
****
9/8/18 Looks fascinating. Have reviewed photos and contents. Will begin with intro material and then go to whatever is concerned with Capri.
9/11/18 Lots of details here, some perhaps trivial but all-in-all very revealing -- puts "The Story of San Michele" in a new light. Does not detract -- just clarifies. Still gleaning for Capri info -- on page 241 but probably have read about 20-25 percent of previous pages.
9/15/18 Have read to the end of the book, reading most of the material about the period post-publication "Story of San Michele," since the book became the most important thing in his life. Now, at leisure (?) will return to some of the sections I skipped early in the book. Probably will never read every word -- somehow I don't find the writing and/or translation compelling. Just looking for information.
10/9/18 Visited Villa San Michele last week— worth the trip. Now will review book again to spot info on particular areas.
12.2.18 Despite comment on 9/15 that I wouldn't read every word, I did, up to the point where I read every word the first time. More interesting info about his earlier days than I was expecting. All-in-all, very good idea to read this to get clearer picture of "The Story of San Michele." Am re-reading the last 40 pages or so, then will be finished with this.
1/1/19 Finished
I ordered Jangfeldt's book because 1) I wanted more insight into Munthe and "The Story of San Michele" and 2) a trip to Capri was in the works and I thought the book might lead to some interesting discoveries there. Can't say I picked up much new or useful info about the island of Capri and the town of Anacapri, but the biography certainly helps one differentiate between the true and false, real or imagined, or the just plain exaggerated in Munthe's "The Story of San Michele."
Jangfeldt is a gentle and respectful biographer, and when (on many occasions) Munthe's behavior is bizarre, his biographer digs for reasons and explanations. Munthe was one strange character, with wildly vacillating temperament, but underneath he was extremely generous to the sick and poor of all sorts, including Lapps in the Arctic Circle, natives of Capri, and victims of natural disasters and epidemics.
When dealing with biographies of writers, I always wonder whether to read their works first or the biography first. In most cases, and certainly this case, better to read the works first. I'm not sure I would have stuck with this if I hadn't already read "The Story of San Michele." Well, I wouldn't even have looked for this if "The Story of San Michele" were not fascinating.
Stream-of-consciousness notes while reading the bio follow this review.
****
9/8/18 Looks fascinating. Have reviewed photos and contents. Will begin with intro material and then go to whatever is concerned with Capri.
9/11/18 Lots of details here, some perhaps trivial but all-in-all very revealing -- puts "The Story of San Michele" in a new light. Does not detract -- just clarifies. Still gleaning for Capri info -- on page 241 but probably have read about 20-25 percent of previous pages.
9/15/18 Have read to the end of the book, reading most of the material about the period post-publication "Story of San Michele," since the book became the most important thing in his life. Now, at leisure (?) will return to some of the sections I skipped early in the book. Probably will never read every word -- somehow I don't find the writing and/or translation compelling. Just looking for information.
10/9/18 Visited Villa San Michele last week— worth the trip. Now will review book again to spot info on particular areas.
12.2.18 Despite comment on 9/15 that I wouldn't read every word, I did, up to the point where I read every word the first time. More interesting info about his earlier days than I was expecting. All-in-all, very good idea to read this to get clearer picture of "The Story of San Michele." Am re-reading the last 40 pages or so, then will be finished with this.
1/1/19 Finished
July 29, 2013
Munthe is worth learning about. He was a contemporary of Freud, and was probably in lectures and demonstrations by Charcot at the same time as Freud. He was not a supporter of Psychoanalysis, but spent his life as a healer for both general and psychological disorders. He wrote a book called The Story of San Michele, which was widely read. He was the personal doctor of Queen Victoria of Sweden, and spent time with the likes of William James and Henry James (he was apparently there when W. James was waiting to hear from F. Myers from the afterlife), Ottoline Morrell, Stefan Zweig (with whom he discussed suicide), and Charlie Chaplin. He was an animal lover, and collector of antiquities. There is another biography, by his cousin and a friend. He lived through both World Wars. San Michele was his villa on Capri. A quote from a letter to Georg Sibbern (pg 99 of book) "I have learned the great rule of wisdom that we ought not to try to satisfy our needs, but rather to reduce our needs. The old philosophers did this, and so did Christ."
March 12, 2014
Underbara fotografier (och stora sådana!) av Ingalill Snitt. Texten är informativ och gör att man verkligen lever sig in i Axel Munthes psyke; hur han tänkte, kände och vad som formade honom och gjorde honom till den man han blev.
Men boken är värd att tittas i, även om det så bara görs för fotografiernas skull. Om jag rekommenderar boken? Svar: ja!
Men boken är värd att tittas i, även om det så bara görs för fotografiernas skull. Om jag rekommenderar boken? Svar: ja!
January 13, 2023
Labsirdīgs ārsts, kā pats atzina, nevis labs taču veiksmīgs. Stāsts par mīlestību pret dzīvību, par vietu vārdā Sanmikela. Dziļa grāmata, kas bieži lika aizdomāties par vērtībām. Noteikti vērta pārlasīt vēlreiz.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews