In this part of the series, the Bible’s influence on Nordic culture, we will take a closer look at Nordic authors’ relationship with the Bible.
We have also written articles on how Norway’s, Finland’s, and Denmark’s most famous authors have been influenced by the Bible, but in this part we will take a closer look at how the Swedish authors were influenced.
Selma Lagerlöf (1848-1949) Swedish author and teacher
Selma Lagerlöf is one of Sweden’s most famous authors. She received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909, and was the first Swede and first female to win this prize.
By the time Selma was only ten years old, she had already read the Bible from cover to cover. Selma Lagerlöf was undoubtedly inspired by the Bible in her authorship. There are numerous references to the Bible in several of her books. For example, there are many references to biblical themes such as sin, atonement, and forgiveness in her most famous novel, “The Wonderful Adventures of Nils”. A book that was used for many years as a geography textbook in Swedish schools.
Vilhelm Moberg (1898-1973) Swedish author, journalist and playwright
Vilhelm Moberg is best known for his series of four novels describing a group of Swedes who emigrated from Småland to Minnesota in the mid-19th century. Despite considering himself an atheist, Moberg had a close relationship with the Bible. A booklet published by the Vilhelm Moberg Society states:
“Mobergs knowledge of the Bible is well known – he read it cover to cover at the age of ten – we also know that he always kept his grandmother’s Bible available while writing a novel. That he is stylistically influenced by the language in the Old Testament is also a fact. He himself claimed that no one surpassed the author of the Five Books of Moses.”
Pär Lagerkvist (1891-1974) Swedish author and playwright
Pär Lagerkvist became a member of the Swedish Academy in 1940, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1951.
The Great Norwegian Encyclopedia writes about him: “With his background coloured by old church piety in rural Småland, Lagerkvist, more than any other Swedish poet, has expressed the shocking encounter with a modern, secularised world.” His frequent themes include the relationship between good and evil, free will, and God’s existence.
Åsa Larsson (1966-) Swedish author and lawyer
Åsa Larsson is a crime author who grew up in Kiruna, in northern Sweden. She debuted as an author in 2003 with the book “Solstorm” (Sunstorm), for which she was awarded the Swedish Academy of Crime Fiction’s prize for best Swedish crime debut. Over the years, she has published several award-winning books. Her books have sold over 1.2 million copies in Sweden alone, and have been translated into 23 languages.
She is known for beginning her crime novels with a Bible quote. In an interview with NRK, she discusses her relationship with the Bible:
“I read the Bible every day. I read four chapters … When people reflect on their lives, a Bible quote often comes to mind. We are only human, and in reality we have always been pretty much the same. It is therefore not surprising that the themes from the Bible are present in our popular culture today. It might be easier to see this connection in my books, since I read the Bible after all, she says.”
