A History of the Swedish People: Volume II: From Renaissance to Revolution
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List Price: $16.95 $13.56 $ 3.39 ( 20% ) Univ Of Minnesota Press Vilhelm Moberg
Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 948.5EAN: 9780816646579ISBN: 0816646570Label: Univ Of Minnesota PressManufacturer: Univ Of Minnesota PressNumber Of Items: 1Number Of Pages: 288Publication Date: 2005-02-07Publisher: Univ Of Minnesota PressStudio: Univ Of Minnesota Press
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Editorial Reviews: In the second volume of his vivid history of the Swedes, Vilhelm Moberg brings his focus on the common people to bear on a period that included two dramatic revolts: the national insurrection under Engelbrekt and the last desperate attempt of the Smaland peasantry to retain their medieval liberties - a defiance bloodily crushed by King Gustav Vasa. Using a wide variety of local historical source materials, Moberg studies the ruthless monarch Vasa and his two tragic opponents: the psychopathic Christian II of Denmark and Nils Dracke, the leader of the Smalanders. Furthermore, he examines the enigmatic and wide appeal of the Swedish forest and investigates the origins of the Swedish hatred of Danes, which was implanted by propaganda through songs commissioned by Karl VIII's chancellery. Moberg's history has been widely hailed by the Swedish press as a masterpiece of popular history writing and has been an all-time best-seller in Swedish bookstores.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: The drama continues in Volume 2!Comment: From the Renaissance, to the modern era! Mr. Moberg continues the saga of the Nordic lands, describing the deeds of the heroic rebel Englebrecht Engelbrechtson, the suppression of the commoners by the king Gustaf Vasa, the rebellion of MY ANCESTORS the Smalanders, and many wars between Sweden and Norway for dominance of the Baltic region. This time period saw the arrival of Lutheran philosophy in the church. The careers of the great kings: Gustavus Adolphus, hero of the Thirty Years War; Charles XII, and his heroic but fatal struggle with Peter the Great of Russia. The advent of the Age of Enlightenment...to the Industrial Age, and massive emmigration to North America. All through this, the average Swede soldiered on...Customer Rating: Summary: A history of Sweden that is not like any otherComment: Vilhelm Moberg (1898-1973) was one of Sweden's leading men of letters, chiefly remembered today for his peerless emigrant tetralogy. His Min Svenska Historia was his life's work, and only completed after his death. Published in Swedish in two volumes, this book is the English translation of the second book, taking the history of Sweden from Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson and the dissolution of the Kalmar Union through to Gustav Vasa.
Customer Rating: Summary: jaded but basically good historyComment: The book is a generally solid history of Sweden which tries to focus more on the common man. Moberg is successful in this aspect and his book is very readable. However, he even states that he was disillusioned with heroes of the Swedish state when he learned of thier darker side later in his schooling. This disillusionment colors his his book throughout. It is akin to recent books on Washington and Jefferson that focus on slavery and discard the enormous good they did for their country. Istead of writing a balanced asessment of figures throughout Swedish history, he takes sides, commiting the same error, though in the opposite direction, as the nationalistic historians. I learned much on Swedish history from this book, but realized early on that it all must be taken with a grain of salt.
