What do you think?
Rate this book
Luciadagens legend
Den trettonde december i tidig morgontimma, då köld och mörker hade väldet över det värmländska landet, kom ännu i min barndom Sankta Lucia av Syrakusa intågande i alla de hem, som låg spridda mellan. Norges fjäll och Gullspångsälven. Hon bar ännu, åtminstone i de små barnens ögon, en dräkt, vit av stjärnljus, hon hade på håret en grön krans med brinnande ljusblommor och hon väckte alltjämt de sovande med en varm, doftande dryck ur sin kopparkanna.
Selma Lagerlöf, känd för att bättre än någon annan gestalta de värmländska bygderna och dess landsmän, skildrar här en ovanlig men klassisk helgonhistoria. En värmländsk luciasägen om en ung kvinna som kom med hjälp till fattiga och utsatta, och spred ljus i en mörk tid.
Selma Lagerlöf, känd för att bättre än någon annan gestalta de värmländska bygderna och dess landsmän, skildrar här en ovanlig men klassisk helgonhistoria. En värmländsk luciasägen om en ung kvinna som kom med hjälp till fattiga och utsatta, och spred ljus i en mörk tid.
38 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2022
About the author
Selma Lagerlöf
1,471 books733 followersSelma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (1858-1940) was a Swedish author. In 1909 she became the first woman to ever receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, "in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings". She later also became the first female member of the Swedish Academy.
Born in the forested countryside of Sweden she was told many of the classic Swedish fairytales, which she would later use as inspiration in her magic realist writings. Since she for some of her early years had problems with her legs (she was born with a faulty hip) she would also spend a lot of time reading books such as the Bible.
As a young woman she was a teacher in the southern parts of Sweden for ten years before her first novel Gösta Berling's Saga was published. As her writer career progressed she would keep up a correspondance with some of her former female collegues for almost her entire life.
Lagerlöf never married and was almost certainly a lesbian (she never officially stated that she was, but most later researchers believe this to be the case). For many years her constant companion was fellow writer Sophie Elkan, with whom she traveled to Italy and the Middle East. Her visit to Palestine and a colony of Christians there, would inspire her to write Jerusalem, her story of Swedish farmers converting into a evangelical Christian group and travelling to "The American Colony" in Jerusalem.
Lagerlöf was involved in both women issues as well as politics. She would among other things help the Jewish writer Nelly Sachs to come to Sweden and donated her Nobel medal to the Finnish war effort against the Soviet union.
Outside of Sweden she's perhaps most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige (The Wonderful Adventures of Nils).
Born in the forested countryside of Sweden she was told many of the classic Swedish fairytales, which she would later use as inspiration in her magic realist writings. Since she for some of her early years had problems with her legs (she was born with a faulty hip) she would also spend a lot of time reading books such as the Bible.
As a young woman she was a teacher in the southern parts of Sweden for ten years before her first novel Gösta Berling's Saga was published. As her writer career progressed she would keep up a correspondance with some of her former female collegues for almost her entire life.
Lagerlöf never married and was almost certainly a lesbian (she never officially stated that she was, but most later researchers believe this to be the case). For many years her constant companion was fellow writer Sophie Elkan, with whom she traveled to Italy and the Middle East. Her visit to Palestine and a colony of Christians there, would inspire her to write Jerusalem, her story of Swedish farmers converting into a evangelical Christian group and travelling to "The American Colony" in Jerusalem.
Lagerlöf was involved in both women issues as well as politics. She would among other things help the Jewish writer Nelly Sachs to come to Sweden and donated her Nobel medal to the Finnish war effort against the Soviet union.
Outside of Sweden she's perhaps most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige (The Wonderful Adventures of Nils).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 18, 2023
This is a beautiful short story centered around the Scandinavian tradition commemorating St. Lucia of Syracuse on 13th December. It is a festival of light celebrated at the darkest time of the year in Northern Europe. One can easily say that Selma Lagerlöf’s story, a legend, in a very real sense relates the real meaning of Christmas.
December 11, 2022
En otroligt vacker historia av Selma Lagerlöf.
December 27, 2022
Väldigt vacker och fin novell.
December 13, 2022
En vacker berättelse om legenden Lucia, placerad i de värmländska skogarna. Fint budskap om medmänsklighet som passar utmärkt i juletider.
Uppskattar också särskilt Selma Lagerlöfs språk, mycket fint skrivet.
Uppskattar också särskilt Selma Lagerlöfs språk, mycket fint skrivet.
December 13, 2022
En trollbindande berättelse som absolut påminner om bibelns gamla ”sagor”. Att läsa den på luciadagen kanske höjde mitt betyg något men det var oavsett väldigt passande och en njutfull läsning.
December 16, 2022
En klassisk julsaga, varken mer eller mindre. Mysig och passande i decembermörkret, med Selma Lagerlöfs vackra språk, men ingen större omvälvande läsupplevelse.
December 17, 2022
DNF @ page 25
December 9, 2023
En fin liten Lucia-novell. Perfekt att avnjuta vid brasan med en kopp kaffe inför Lucia.
December 20, 2023
Mysig!
December 26, 2023
Jamen lite mysig ändå. Tänk om Sankta Lucia hälsade på. Barmhärtighet är inne!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2023
Ännu en legend. Lagerlöf älskade att samla på dem - och jag antar att hon broderade ut dem och skapade eget i genren. Förlagd århundraden bakåt i tiden, Medeltid eller Renässans? Lite för trög för att få ett högre betyg, inte tillräckligt klar i konturerna. Bäst är slutet, där Lagerlöf förklarar hur härligt det var att ännu i hennes barndom varje 13 december, Lucia av Syrakusa trädde in i hemmets mörker i "en dräkt vit av stjärnljus" och "grön krans med brinnande ljusblommor" i håret. Hon önskar att Lucia "aldrig måtte upphöra at visa sig på de värmländska gårdarna. Ty hon är ljuset, som betvingar mörkret, hon är legenden som övervinner glömskan, hon är hjärtevärmen ... mitt i vintern."
Vid de orden ser jag, för första gången, verkligen helgonet i Lucia, inte bara en utklädd flicka.
Vid de orden ser jag, för första gången, verkligen helgonet i Lucia, inte bara en utklädd flicka.
January 16, 2026
Gullig. Lite tråkig i början men slutet men kändes överlag väldigt nostalgisk. Det var som om jag åter igen satt i ett mörkt rum på förskolan och lyssnade på fröken läsa sagor igen :)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews