The Emigrants (Swedish novel)
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| The Emigrants | |
| Author | Vilhelm Moberg |
|---|---|
| Original title | Utvandrarna |
| Translator | Gustaf Lannestock |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Series | The Emigrants suite |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Bonniers (Swedish edition) |
| Publication date | 1949 |
| Published in English |
1951 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 444 (Swedish edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-87351-319-3 |
| Preceded by | None |
| Followed by | Unto a Good Land |
The Emigrants (Swedish: Utvandrarna) is a novel by Vilhelm Moberg from 1949. It is the first part of the The Emigrants suite.
[edit] Plot
The story takes place in the 1840s up to 1850. The first half of the novel covers the hardship for some Swedish farmers. Karl Oskar Nilsson and his wife, Kristina, own a farm in Ljuder Socken in Småland. During the 40s the pair gives birth to four children, but the conditions are poor and tales about people emigrating to the United States reach their ears. Karl Oskar and his brother Robert want to go, but Kristina doesn't want to leave her home country. After the death of their oldest child, she decides to agree with her husband's plans when she realizes that they are in just as much danger from their lives in Sweden as on the big sea and in a New World.
Several people follow with them:
- Robert, Karl Oskar's adventurous brother.
- Danjel Andreasson with family, Kristina's uncle, who had been banished from the country due to his religious "delusions". They bring their servant Arvid, who is a friend of Robert.
- Jonas Petter Albrektsson, who seeks to escape from his wife.
- Ulrika of Västergöhl, the whore, and her daughter.
The second part of the book tells how they board the ship in Karlshamn, and then how the life goes on during the 10 weeks they spend on the boat, before finally reaching New York City on midsummer of 1850.
| The Emigrants by Vilhelm Moberg | |
| Novels: The Emigrants | Unto a Good Land | The Settlers | The Last Letter Home | |
| Films: The Emigrants | The New Land Musical: Kristina från Duvemåla | |
