Children's Books discussion

Selma Lagerlöf (the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature), her The Wonderful Adventures of Nils is considered a classic of Swedish children’s literature (and there are actually two volumes, with the first volume published in 1906 and the second in 1907), and yes, this will be our featured novel (and only one work of fiction) for March 2021.

It is available free of charge for downloading on Project Gutenberg (and thus of course in the public domain). And the only thing to rather watch out for in my opinion is that there seem to be quite a large number of abridged versions of the story, of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils available (but because many of the shortened editions also feature lavish and often wonderful illustrations, if you feel like reading these, go ahead, but just remember what they are, that they are abridgements and thus made shorter).

And with regard to language, since The Wonderful Adventures of Nils was originally penned in Swedish, in my opinion, you should read this story in any translation you desire (and of course in the original if you are in fact able to read Swedish), but if posting about it in the Fiction Club, please do use English.

Finally, since there are two parts to The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, if you feel like reading and commenting on both, do so (and yes, I am indeed planning on reading both parts in German and am also hoping to be able to obtain a copy in English that features both parts one and part two, as right now, I only have access to the first part, to volume one, in English).

And well, since the first of March is only a few days away, I will leave the thread for The Wonderful Adventures of Nils open now, since participants might have more time for reading and for posting on the weekend. Happy reading!

Yes, I also do believe that on Project Gutenberg, the English language download contains both volume one and volume two, so I will likely try to download this for myself as well.

Also, just to give a link to a version of the book that seems to feature both book one and book two in one edition, Nils: The Wonderful Adventures of Nils / The Further Adventures of Nils Holgersson, because the Dover Classics edition, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils only contains book one.

I believe that I tried to read this once before but dnf'd because, iirc, too much was lost in translation and in unfamiliarity with Swedish folklore traditions and culture.

But I will try to make time to give it another chance!

Cheryl wrote: "I believe that I tried to read this once before but dnf'd because, iirc, too much was lost in translation and in unfamiliarity with Swedish folklore traditions and culture.

But I will try to make ..."

This has been on my to read list for ages and I do hope that giving it another chance will work for you.

So according to Wikipedia, Selma Lagerlöf wrote The Wonderful Adventures of Nils not only as a fantastical adventure tale but also as a novel that could be used in the classroom to cover Swedish geography and Swedish folklore. So yes, I am definitely looking forward to being enlightened about the Swedish countryside and Swedish folklore and culture.

Considering that my ancestry is 3/8 Swedish, I look forward to the educational experience, too. We really didn't talk about anything in the past on either side of my family, in fact I barely know anything about my parents' childhoods. But surely my great-grandparents knew some of their heritage! I believe most our immigrant ancestors came to America about a generation before Nils was published.

Cheryl wrote: "Considering that my ancestry is 3/8 Swedish, I look forward to the educational experience, too. We really didn't talk about anything in the past on either side of my family, in fact I barely know a..."

Interesting that your family did not talk much about the past. My family is a bit like that as well, likely due to WWII etc. but some of family members are increasingly opening up.

I am trying to read both the German and the English translations concurrently, and while I have not managed to read all that much as of yet, so far, I am actually finding the German translation a bit more readable and not as much feeling like it is a translation, but just a story in and of itself, while the English translation does at times read a bit awkwardly with regard to the translator’s word choices, syntax and style.

As it happens, I am also learning a bit about Swedish history from a totally different book that I've just begun: The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia.

Cheryl wrote: "As it happens, I am also learning a bit about Swedish history from a totally different book that I've just begun: [book:The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia|..."

Thanks, am going to be adding this.

Thus far, the writing style is interesting, with a lack of emotion, with an objectivity and descriptiveness that at the same time also shows quite a lot of feeling both internal and external.

Nils has just been turned into a tomb thumb like gnome for his cruelty and his adventures look about ready to begin. Looking forward to this and am glad that the story up to Nils’ transformation did not take too long.

I have now read up to when Nils is turned into a gnome in both German and English and while both texts adequately show the contents of what is happening, in my opinion the descriptions of nature, of the weather etc. seem more flowing and more poetic in the German than in the English translation.

I'm interested so will see if I'm able to make time for it this month. Sounds intriguing and I do often enjoy Scandinavian folklore for children (the tom thumb aspect appeals).

Kathryn wrote: "I'm interested so will see if I'm able to make time for it this month. Sounds intriguing and I do often enjoy Scandinavian folklore for children (the tom thumb aspect appeals)."

There are also some abridged versions with illustrations.

I would have loved reading this as a child! I love the sense of adventure combined with being educated and that Nils is being punished for being cruel and nasty. And I also think the idea of turned into a miniature Tom Thumb like Nils travelling with a gaggle of wild geese would have appealed to me.

Manybooks wrote: "There are also some abridged versions with illustrations.."

Thank you! I wonder if my boys would enjoy that. I tend not to go for abridgements, but will see what we can get our hands on.

Kathryn wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "There are also some abridged versions with illustrations.."

Thank you! I wonder if my boys would enjoy that. I tend not to go for abridgements, but will see what we can get our h..."

Same here, but the full text seems pretty dense so for your boys and abridged version with illustrations might be fun.

Manybooks wrote: "Same here, but the full text seems pretty dense so for your boys and abridged version with illustrations might be fun. "

Good to know. Thank you! Glad you are enjoying the story :-)

I definitely am enjoying Nils “flying” with the wild geese and the airplane like visual perspective from above, from the back of Martin the gander, that what Nils at first takes to be a large checkered cloth is actually agricultural fields and meadows. And indeed, that the birds have descriptive monikers for both poor and wealthy farms but that with regard to farms run by the richest, by the nobility, even their domesticated chickens and geese are depicted by Lagerlöf as being quite as arrogant as the human inhabitants, that is all really quite delightful reading and also wonderfully enlightening.

Hope participants are alright with the running commentary. Will try to not include too many spoilers but am thus far enjoying the story, the descriptions and the message that being kind to animals is necessary and important.

I sometimes do not enjoy reading novels that are a mixture of reality and fantasy but with Nils Holgerson’s story, Selma Lagerlöf’s combination of the real and the fantastical work surprisingly smoothly and create a storyline that I am finding sufficiently believable, a story that makes sense as a story and does not feel awkward or as though the fantastic and the realistic exist and clash against each other.

I hope this is alright with the other moderators, but I have decided to edit the topic and to make the Nils Holgerson stories another two month read (both March and April). Because well, if participants are actually going to be reading both volume one and two (like I am), there is almost 700 pages to read and I think it will be easier and less stressful to have a two month and not just a one month window.

So I do appreciate that in the English translations, there appear to be pronunciation guides for the Swedish personal and place names and indeed I am also glad that the translations do not try to give place names etc. English equivalents as I do think that this would defeat the purpose since Nils Holgerson’s story is specifically about Sweden, about Swedish geography, about Swedish culture and lore and that would in my opinion be rather lost with translated place names.

So according to Wikipedia, the English language translation by Velma Swanston Howard of in particular the second part of Nils Holgerson’s story supposedly and unfortunately has many abridgements and even some chapters that were cut entirely (something that tends to make me rather annoyed). Now as far as I can tell, the German translation I am reading does not seem to have any major cuts and definitely no missing chapters and yes I do have to wonder why with English language translations of classic Swedish children’s literature there far too often are much too massive abridgements and deletions (for this does not just happen with Selma Lagerlöf, I have also noticed it with Astrid Lindgren and Gunnel Linde).

Just for fun, I guess Nils is called Nils Holgerson because he is the son of Holger and if he, if Nils later got married and had a son by the name of Ole his surname would then likely be Ole Nilsson.

Manybooks wrote: "So according to Wikipedia, the English language translation by Velma Swanston Howard of in particular the second part of Nils Holgerson’s story supposedly and unfortunately has many abridgements an..."

Bummer, good to know. Glad your German translation is more complete.

Kathryn wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "So according to Wikipedia, the English language translation by Velma Swanston Howard of in particular the second part of Nils Holgerson’s story supposedly and unfortunately has ma..."

It does look like the first volume of the English translation is less abridged, and the main storylines do seem to remain intact. But I just have issues with translators abridging and especially with removing entire chapters.

I do think considering that because Selma Lagerlöf was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature that I want and need to read more from her pen. And yes, I can also most definitely see with regard to how both poetically and deeply Lagerlöf describes both the Swedish landscape and Swedish folklore why and how she was a Nobel laureate.

It also seems as though the story proceeds seasonally, starting in early spring and moving with the wild geese northwards towards Lapland where the wild geese are supposed to probably be breeding.

And as the story progresses, Nils seems to become less self centred and with a ready tendency towards cruelty, but more interested in being helpful towards in particular the geese with which he is traveling and other animals (like helping to reunite a caged squirrel with her babies).

Am rather pleased that while the fox stealing the goose is still presented as the fox being a bit negative, Selma Lagerlöf also does not in my opinion depict the fox as only slyly evil (and how foxes are often shown in European culture and folklore) but as basically a predator stalking his prey (and taking advantage of the weather and that the ice on the lake shifts to grant the fox access to the resting geese). I did like how Nils runs after the fox to save the goose and how the geese help him by playing a kind of hide and seek game with the fox, but it is refreshing to read in a novel penned in 1906 an account of a fox hunting a goose that does not automatically show the fox as vile and that also does not end with the fox’s demise.

But I do wish that in the German translation, the fox had also been named Smirre like in Swedish (and also seemingly in the English translation) for calling the fox Reineke Fuchs (Reynard the Fox) is confusing and makes one think of the Reynard the Fox figure of European folklore and legend, which in my opinion Selma Lagerlöf’s fox most definitely is not.

Have read about eight percent of the novel thus far. Am finding the presented narrative engaging and interesting (with regard to both Swedish culture and lore and also the general storyline of Nils travelling with the wild geese). And it is intriguing that at eight percent in, Nils is definitely less nasty and more willing to help and not be cruel, but he is still rather selfish and still more concerned about his own pleasure (that travelling with the geese is both interesting for Nils and making him not have to do his farm chores) and that he, that Nils still has a lot to learn about learning to be kind especially to animals (and not for self centred reasons).

And while both my inner child and my adult self are enjoying reading about Nils and would definitely have enjoyed either reading or having Nils Holgerson read to me as a child, I do wonder if the descriptive, slow and steady, almost undulating writing style of Selma Lagerlöf’s words (with excitement and adventure present but not shown all too dramatically) would be equally engaging to and for today’s middle grade readers (or listeners) who do it seems often want and need more action.

By the way, has anyone watched the TV series?

I didn't know there was a TV series. How long ago did it air?

Beverly wrote: "I didn't know there was a TV series. How long ago did it air?"

I am trying to figure that out Beverly. It looks a bit like the series was European as all of the DVDs I could find are not the right region for the USA and Canada, which is too bad, because I would sure like to try watching this (seems to be some kind of animation).

Nils Holgersson both as a book and a character does appear to be much more universally well known and popular in Europe than in North America. From the story itself to television specials and that Nils’ story was also featured as the theme on some yearly Christmas plates, Nils’ story obviously is part of European children’s literature culture much more than in North America. And I do wonder why this is the case and it might well be that there is more of a cultural and folkloric affinity and bond between Scandinavia and countries like Germany, Holland, Russia and the like (for yes, Swedish children’s literature is in my opinion much more well known in Europe than for example in the USA and Canada).

Swedish children’s literature is in my opinion much more well known in Europe than for example in the USA and Canada). ..."

I am familiar with only a few Swedish authors such as Astrid Lindgren, Ulf Nilsson, Tove Jansson, and Eva Eriksson. In the US, we definitely have more imports from the UK than from other parts of Europe.

Beverly wrote: "Swedish children’s literature is in my opinion much more well known in Europe than for example in the USA and Canada). ..."

I am familiar with only a few Swedish authors such as Astrid Lindgren, ..."

I was kind of surprised when we moved to Canada from Germany that the only really popular Astrid Lindgren novel seemed to be Pippi Longstocking, for in Germany, Pippi Longstocking was just one popular Lindgren book of many and not even my personal favourite.

Manybooks wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Swedish children’s literature is in my opinion much more well known in Europe than for example in the USA and Canada). ..."

I am familiar with only a few Swedish authors such as A..."

Oh, I am following this discussion as I have wanted to read this for a while...

Karen wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Swedish children’s literature is in my opinion much more well known in Europe than for example in the USA and Canada). ..."

I am familiar with only a few Swedish..."

It is taking a while to read but so far I am rather enjoying reading about Nils and his adventures. And even though Nils is supposed to be rather mischievous and nasty, except for the first chapter, thus far I am finding Nils likeable enough (even if he is still pretty self centred).

But considering the travelling and the geographic theme, one thing that I do wish were included in the Nils Holgersson story are maps of Sweden.

And yes, those maps would not only in my opinion make The Wonderful Adventures of Nils more educational and easier to follow along with for the translations, considering that the original novel that Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige was written by Selma Lagerlöf for use in Swedish classrooms to teach Swedish geography, maps would really have made Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige much more of a teaching resource than a story like this without visual maps.

Kind of cool reading a book published the year my grandmother was born!

Hoping that not only geographic and folkloric points of interest will be featured but that some of the cuisine of Sweden in its different areas will also be shown (has not happened so far, but I am hoping it might).

Hopefully, I will be reading a large chunk this weekend. Enjoying Nils’ story and how descriptive it is but I do feel that one needs uninterrupted time for reading and while I think I would have loved Nils Holgersson as a child not so sure about today’s children who often crave non stop action etc.

I do love the many chapters. It makes reading in manageable chunks much easier and would of course make reading aloud to children easier and less guesswork.

Although not something that most European children (or indeed adults) would likely consider all that amazing and wonderful, since in continental Europe, there are of course many older castles etc. (some still inhabited but many also in ruins) I do appreciate that in Nils Holgersson’s story, the author, Selma Lagerlöf, depicts both the Swedish present and the Swedish past with equal positivity regarding the descriptions of castles, houses, churches etc.

And I do know that for me, living until the age of ten in Germany, ruined castles and buildings still in use (or used as museums etc.) which were many hundreds of years old were not something all that extraordinary, but once we moved to Canada, I began to realise that in North America, older buildings were often simply considered as something to be gotten rid of, that modern life and modern structures were somehow supposed to better than the past (and am glad this does not seem to be the case all that much with Selma Lagerlöf).

I do still hope to get to this. Just life stuff getting in the way as my family and I age.

Cheryl wrote: "I do still hope to get to this. Just life stuff getting in the way as my family and I age."

And you do need quiet time for this story. Hope things are not too too hectic for you.