''The Emperor of Portugallia'' (Swedish: ''Kejsarn av Portugallien'') is a novel by Nobel-laureate Selma Lagerlöf, published in 1914 with drawings by

Albert Engström Albert Engström (1869 – 1940) was a Swedish artist, author and member of the Swedish Academy from 1922. Albert Engström. ''sv.wikipedia.org''. Retrieved: June 27, 2013. Author and Artist Engström was born in Lönneberga, Kalmar County ( ...

. Lagerlöf called it a "Swedish

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

". The novel was a success with critics and readers, newspaper reviewers said the novel was at the same level as Lagerlöf's earlier novels '' Gösta Berling's Saga'' and the first part of ''

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

''. It has been filmed three times: 1925, 1944 and 1992. An English translation by Velma Swanston Howard was published in 1916.

Plot

The novel takes place in 1860 or 1870 in Lagerlöf's native Värmland and is about the tenant farmer Jan in Skrolycka and his daughter Glory Goldie Sunnycastle. He loves his daughter more than anything else, but after she moves to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

at age 18, she stops sending letters home. The father sinks into a dream world where he imagines she has become a noble empress of "Portugallia", and he thus also a great Emperor himself. His whole life is dominated by thoughts of her return, and what then will happen. In his role as Emperor residing in the poor countryside, he can challenge the area's social hierarchies: wearing his imperial regalia, he sits at the front of the church, takes place at the head table at parties and tries to socialize with local landlords.

Adaptions

The novel was adapted to silent film by MGM in 1925 as ''

The Tower of Lies ''The Tower of Lies'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Victor Sjöström. It was written by Agnes Christine Johnston and Max Marcin, based upon Selma Lagerlöf's 1914 novel '' The Emperor of Portugallia'' (MGM actually purchased ...

'', directed by

Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 20 September 1879 – 3 January 1960), also known in the United States as Victor Seastrom, was a pioneering Swedish film director, screenwriter, and actor. He began his career in Sweden, before moving to Hollywood in ...

and starring

Norma Shearer Edith Norma Shearer (August 11, 1902June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated ingénues. She appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O'N ...

and Lon Chaney. The film is believed to be lost, but still-shots survive. It was filmed again in 1944 as ''

The Emperor of Portugallia ''The Emperor of Portugallia'' (Swedish: ''Kejsarn av Portugallien'') is a novel by Nobel-laureate Selma Lagerlöf, published in 1914 with drawings by Albert Engström. Lagerlöf called it a "Swedish King Lear". The novel was a success with crit ...

'', directed by Gustaf Molander and starring

. In 1992, a television version was made which was written and directed by Lars Molin.Kejsarn av Portugallien
(1992), IMDB

References

External links

''The Emperor of Portugallia''
at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

(scanned books original editions) (plain text and HTML) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Emperor of Portugallia Novels set in Sweden 1914 Swedish novels Novels by Selma Lagerlöf Novels set in Värmland Swedish novels adapted into films Swedish-language novels