''Doctor Glas'', an
epistolary novel
An epistolary novel is a novel written as a series of letters. The term is often extended to cover novels that intersperse documents of other kinds with the letters, most commonly diary entries and newspaper clippings, and sometimes considered ...
by
Hjalmar Söderberg
Hjalmar Emil Fredrik Söderberg (2 July 1869 – 14 October 1941) was a Swedish novelist, short story writer, playwright and journalist. His works often deal with melancholy and lovelorn characters, and offer a rich portrayal of contemporary Stoc ...
, tells the story of a physician in 19th-century Sweden who deals with moral and love issues.
Synopsis
The novel is about Dr. Tyko Gabriel Glas who is a respected physician in Stockholm. The story is told in the form of a diary and follows Doctor Glas as he struggles with depression. The antagonist is Reverend
Gregorius
Gregorius or ''The Good Sinner'' is a Middle High German narrative poem by Hartmann von Aue. Written around 1190 in rhyming couplets, it tells the story of a child born of the incestuous union of a brother and sister, who is brought up in a mona ...
, a morally corrupt clergyman. Gregorius' beautiful young wife confides in Dr. Glas that her sex life is making her miserable and asks for his help. Glas falls in love with her and agrees to help even though she already has another lover. He attempts to intervene, but the Reverend refuses to give up his "marital rights" — she must have sex with him whether she likes it or not. So, in order to make his love happy, he begins to plot her husband's murder. The novel also deals with issues such as abortion, women's rights, suicide, euthanasia, and eugenics. Not surprisingly, the book triggered a violent campaign against its author who was subsequently vilified in Swedish literary circles.
English translations
*In 1963, the first English edition of this novel was published. It featured an introduction by author
William Sansom
William Norman Trevor Sansom FRSL (18 January 1912 – 20 April 1976) was a British novelist, travel and short story writer known for his highly descriptive prose style.
Profile
Sansom was born in London, the third son of Ernest Brooks Sans ...
.
*In 2002, the latest edition was published by
Anchor Books
Vintage Books is a trade paperback publishing imprint of Penguin Random House originally established by Alfred A. Knopf in 1954. The company was purchased by Random House in April 1960, and a British division was set up in 1990. After Random ...
with an introduction by Canadian author
Margaret Atwood.
Prequel
*In 2004, Swedish author
Bengt Ohlsson wrote a book named
Gregorius using Söderberg's character Gregorius and expanded upon his background, explaining why he has become so morally corrupt when readers meet him in ''Doctor Glas''.
Film adaptations
* 1942: a black-and-white
Swedish adaptation directed by
Rune Carlsten
* 1968: a
Danish adaptation directed by
Mai Zetterling
Mai Elisabeth Zetterling (; 24 May 1925 – 17 March 1994) was a Swedish film director, novelist and actor.
Early life
Zetterling was born in Västerås, Sweden to a working class family. She started her career as an actor at the age of 17 at D ...
External links
Complete Review of ''Doctor Glas''Complete original Swedish text at Project RunebergAnnotations of ''Doctor Glas'' at NYU
Swedish novels adapted into films
1905 Swedish novels
Swedish romance novels
Swedish thriller novels
Epistolary novels
Adultery in novels
Works by Hjalmar Söderberg
Swedish-language novels
Novels set in Stockholm
Little, Brown and Company books
Chatto & Windus books
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