''The People of Hemsö'' ( sv, Hemsöborna) is an 1887 novel by
August Strindberg about the life of people of the island Hemsö in the
Stockholm archipelago. Hemsö is a fictional island, but it is based on
Kymmendö
Kymmendö () is an island in the south of the Stockholm archipelago. Kymmendö is the model for the fictional island Hemsö in August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, po ...
where Strindberg had spent time in his youth. Strindberg wrote the book to combat his
homesickness while living abroad in Germany and France.
Written during a difficult period in exile from Sweden, the novel paradoxically has a strong sense of place, and is a feat of straightforward folksy storytelling. Mrs. Flod, a widow of some means, hires Carlsson to run the farm on the island. As a newcomer and a landlubber among sailors and fishermen, Carlsson is implicitly distrusted by the locals as they try to discern whether Carlsson is a slippery confidence trickster preying on the lonely widow, or an honest, hard-working man revitalizing the neglected farm.
The 1944 film''
The People of Hemsö
''The People of Hemsö'' ( sv, Hemsöborna) is an 1887 novel by August Strindberg about the life of people of the island Hemsö in the Stockholm archipelago. Hemsö is a fictional island, but it is based on Kymmendö where Strindberg had spent t ...
'' was adapted from the novel. In 1955 a movie based on the novel was shown; it marked the first film appearance of the actress
Daliah Lavi.
In 1966 a
TV series based on the novel was produced.
Sources
* Meyer, Michael. 1985. ''Strindberg: A Biography''. Oxford Lives series. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:People of Hemso
1887 Swedish novels
Novels by August Strindberg
Stockholm archipelago
Novels set in Sweden
Swedish-language novels