''Dreams of Roses and Fire'' ( sv, Drömmar om rosor och eld) is a novel by the Swedish author
Eyvind Johnson
Eyvind Johnson (29 July 1900 – 25 August 1976) was a Swedish novelist and short story writer. Regarded as the most groundbreaking novelist in modern Swedish literature he became a member of the Swedish Academy in 1957 and shared the 1974 Nob ...
published in 1949.
Set in 1600s
France, it is based on the events known as the
Loudun possessions and the historical person
Urbain Grandier
Urbain Grandier (1590 – 18 August 1634) was a French Catholic priest who was burned at the stake after being convicted of witchcraft, following the events of the so-called "Loudun possessions". Most modern commentators have concluded that Gra ...
, a
Catholic priest who was
burned at the stake after being convicted of
witchcraft. In the novel the spelling of Grandier's name is changed to Grainier.
The novel was published to critical acclaim in 1949 and remains one of Eyvind Johnson's most widely read books. It has been published in many Swedish editions and translated into over a dozen languages. An English translation of the novel was published in 1984.
Plot
In 1617, the handsome and eloquent Urbain Grainier comes to the city as a new
catholic priest. He soon gets enemies among the citizens, who are envious of his arrogance and success with women. Another reason for the conflict is
Cardinal Richelieu
Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...
's decision to demolish the city walls built by the
Huguenots, which some citizens including Grainier oppose. A group of
nuns settles in the city and is haunted by strange dreams. Their
confessor suspects that the nuns are possessed with
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, ani ...
s and calls for an
exorcist. The exorcist make the nuns confess that Grainier is responsible for the dreams. The enemies of Grainier take the opportunity to have the priest convicted for
witchcraft. He refuses to confess and his denunciators have him
burned at the stake as a
heretic
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
on the city square.
Translations
The novel has been translated into at least twelve languages including Danish, German, French, Dutch and English:
* ''Drømme om roser og ild'', Köpenhamn 1952
* ''Träume von Rosen und Feuer'', Hamburg 1952
* ''De roses et de feu'', Paris 1956
* ''Dromen van rozen en vuur'', Amsterdam 1981
* ''Dreams of roses and fire'', New York 1984
Libris
/ref>
References
Further reading
*Diana Aminoff Sandström ''En häxprocess på Richelieus tid : en jämförelse mellan Eyvind Johnsons roman "Drömmar om rosor och eld" och Aldous Huxleys "The devils of Loudun"'', Stockholms universitet litteraturvetenskapliga institionen 1985 (in Swedish)
*Anders Cullhed "Sova, kanske drömma: kring drömtemat i Eyvind Johnsons historiska romaner" chapter in ''Samlaren'', Svenska litteratursällskapet 1996 (in Swedish) ISSN 0348-6133
*Yrjö Hirn ''En fransk häxeriprocess år 1634 : några bibliografiska randanteckningar utomkring Eyvind Johnsons senaste roman'', Stockholm 1950 (in Swedish)
*Ole Meyer '' Eyvind Johnsons historiska romaner: analyser av språksyn och världssyn i fem romaner'' Akad. Forlag 1976 (in Swedish) ISBN 8750016865
*Gavin Orton ''Eyvind Johnson'', Twayne Publishing 1972
Novels by Eyvind Johnson
Novels set in France
1949 Swedish novels
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