Krilon is a trilogy of novels 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 ...

, ''Grupp Krilon'' ("Group Krilon", 1941), ''Krilons resa'' ("Krilon's journey", 1942), ''Krilon själv'' ("Krilon himself", 1943), published in one volume as ''Krilon'' in 1948. Written and published during World War II, the novel is partly a realistic story set in contemporary

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 ...

and partly an

allegory As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

of the events during the war that criticises nazism and fascism as well as Sweden's neutrality during the war.

Plot summary

The main character is Johannes Krilon, a middle aged

real estate broker A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

. He has formed a conversation group with six middle class friends that regularly meet to discuss various topics. Krilon's business is eventually attacked by two real estate rivals and he struggles to keep his group united against the aggression.

Critical reception

The novel was generally praised by the leading contemporary Swedish critics.

Anders Österling Anders Österling (13 April 1884 – 13 December 1981) was a Swedish poet, critic and translator. In 1919 he was elected as a member of the Swedish Academy when he was 35 years old and served the Academy for 62 years, longer than any other member ...

wrote that it was "the most original achievement in our modern prose literature". In his 1990 Eyvind Johnson biography, Örjan Lindberger hailed it as an outstanding work in Johnson's production.

References

*Eyvind Johnson ''Krilon: en roman om det sannolika'', Bonniers 1948 *''Den svenska litteraturen 1920-1950: Modernister och arbetardiktare'', Bonniers 1989 *Örjan Lindberger ''Människan i tiden: Eyvind Johnsons liv och författarskap 1938-1976'', Bonniers 1990 *Gavin Orton ''Eyvind Johnson. En monografi'' Aldus 1974 Swedish novels Novels set during World War II Novels set in the 1940s Novels set in Stockholm 1941 Swedish novels 1942 novels 1943 Swedish novels 1948 Swedish novels Novels by Eyvind Johnson {{1940s-WWII-novel-stub