The Emigrants
SynopsisPlot
Moberg's extensive research in the papers of Swedish emigrants in archival collections enabled him to incorporate many details of pioneer life. First published between 1949 and 1959 in Swedish, these four books were considered a single work by Moberg, who intended that they be read as documentary novels. These reprint editions contain introductions written by Roger McKnight of Gustavus Adolphus College, and they restore Moberg's bibliography not included in earlier English editions. The first book in the series, The Emigrants introduces Karl Oskar and Kristina Nilsson, their three young children, and eleven others who make up a resolute party of Swedes fleeing the poverty, religious persecution, and social oppression of Småland in 1850.
Story
About this book
In 1850, a group of fifteen people from the Swedish province of Småland set out to leave their country behind. Karl Oskar and Kristina Nilsson, along with their three young children, lead this small party of emigrants driven by poverty, religious persecution, and rigid social hierarchies. Vilhelm Moberg built their story from archival papers left by real Swedish emigrants, shaping what he called a documentary novel, a work grounded in historical detail but carried by fictional characters.
The Emigrants is the first of four books that Moberg published between 1949 and 1959. He regarded all four as parts of a single continuous work. The series follows Karl Oskar and Kristina from their decision to leave Sweden through the realities of starting over in America. Moberg drew heavily on letters, diaries, and official records to reconstruct the textures of daily pioneer life, from the practical struggles of farming to the emotional cost of cutting ties with home.
Later English reprints restored Moberg's original bibliography, which had been dropped from earlier translations. These editions also include introductions by Roger McKnight of Gustavus Adolphus College, providing context for readers encountering the series outside Sweden.
