Jan Fridegård (born Johan Fridolf Johansson, (14 June 1897 – 8 September 1968), also known as Fride Johansson, was a Swedish writer of the proletarian school. Fridegård grew up among in

Uppland Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea. The name literally ...

. He later held various jobs, including joining the Swedish

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

, before publishing his first books in the early 1930s. He changed his name formally to Fridegård in 1930, having published works under the names Fride Johansson, Fride Johannesson and Johan Magerman before. Fridegård's breakthrough was the socially critical, semi-autobiographical novel about ''Lars Hård'', first published in three volumes 1935-1936 and later in a single volume. Controversial at the time, it provoked criticism from contemporary critics for its depiction of the immoral protagonist and Fridegård's straightforward writing style, but it has since been regarded as a

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

in Swedish literature. A prolific author, Fridegård later wrote several

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

s, including a trilogy of novels about the

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

Era in Sweden: ''Trägudars land'' (1940; translated 1989 as ''Land of Wooden Gods''), ''Gryningsfolket'' (1944; translated 1990 as ''People of the Dawn'') and ''Offerrök'' (trans. 1991 as ''Sacrificial Smoke''), Lynda G. Adamson, ''World Historical Fiction: An Annotated Guide to Novels for Adults and Young Adults''. Greenwood Publishing Group (p. 34), and books with

spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...

themes.

Bibliography

* 1931 – ''Den svarta lutan'' * 1933 – ' * 1935 – ' * 1936 – ''Barmhärtighet'' * 1936 – ''Tack för himlastegen'' * 1937 – ''Offer'' * 1938 – ' * 1939 – ''Statister (bok), Statister'' * 1940 – ' * 1941 – ' * 1942 – ''Här är min hand'' * 1944 – ' * 1944 – ''Kvarnbudet'' * 1947 – ''Fäderna:stenåldern'' * 1948 – ''Johan From, Lars Hård och andra'' * 1949 – ' * 1950 – ''Kvinnoträdet'' * 1951 – ''Lars Hård går vidare'' * 1952 – ''Johan Vallareman och andra sagor'' * 1952 – ' * 1953 – ''Vägen heter smal'' * 1954 – ''Sommarorgel'' * 1955 – ' * 1955 – ''Lyktgubbarna'' * 1956 – ''Flyttfåglarna'' * 1956 – ''From och Hård'' * 1957 – ''Arvtagarna'' * 1958 – ''En bland eder'' * 1959 – ''Muren'' * 1959 – ''Svensk soldat'' * 1960 – ''Soldathustrun'' * 1961 – ''Mot öster - soldat!'' * 1962 – ''Soldatens kärlek'' * 1963 – ''Hemkomsten'' * 1963 – ''Den gåtfulla vägen'' * 1964 – ''På oxens horn'' * 1965 – ''Lättingen'' * 1965 – ''Noveller'' * 1966 – ''Det kortaste strået'' * 1967 – ''Tre stigar''

Posthumous releases

* 1968 – ''Hallonflickan'' * 1971 – ''Den blå dragonen. Självbiografiska berättelser'' * 1973 – ''Ängslyckan och andra berättelser''

References

1897 births 1968 deaths People from Enköping Municipality Swedish male writers Swedish historical novelists Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages Dobloug Prize winners Burials at Uppsala old cemetery {{Sweden-writer-stub