When we long for something, geographically or ideally, we often paint out the greatest things in our mind, if wanted or not. That happens to the swedish farmers in Selma Lagerlöf’s novel “Jerusalem“, that go to the holy land to find God. As so often in life, the pretty haze falls and dry grounds and disfavor in the people appear. The book from 1901 reads well for believers and nonbelievers. It portrays the life of the real American Colony in Jerusalem, completed by swedish farmers in 1896, and the fictive, venerable family Ingmarsson in Dalarna.
.
Every first son of the Ingmarssons gets named Ingmar and is the heir of the most splendid farm in the village. The protagonist Ingmar, Gerda who he loves, his father, his sister Karin who becomes the leader of the Jerusalem cult, the priest, the teacher and Stark-Ingmar are most important, until Hellgum appears. Hellgum convinces some farmers to join the american cult, to help the poor in Jerusalem until God reappears on earth and takes everyone with him to paradise. So the second part of the novel takes place in the old land, where the Swedes have a totally new life. They get terrified about how much anger and defiance are between the folks in the city. But truly, they found hospitals and accomplish many charities.
.
Lagerlöf’s language is, as usual, very simple and clear, but never flat. As simple as her language, as hand-knitted are the sympathic natures of her figures. Their problems and actions could be out of our time, if they weren’t much closer to nature and more undistracted. A home feeling comes to me in this soulful book, for a place I have never seen. But I confess “Gösta Berling’s saga“ had me a little more with his lightly fairytale character. This novel here is a successful monument for a time that was stamped by emigration and salvation.
.
#selmalagerlöf #lagerlöf #lagerlof #jerusalem #literature #nobelprizewinner #nobelprize #nobelprizeliterature #bookstagram #instabook #igreads #guyswhoread #gayswhoread #instagood #beautiful #photooftheday #visualsoflife #literatur #leseempfehlung #verlagurachhaus #dalarna #nobelpreisfürliteratur #nobelpreis #литерату́ра #СельмаЛагерлёф #Лагерлёф #букстаграм #книга https://www.instagram.com/p/B3kDeU-gSGQ/?igshid=tw5r3lx571u9