The Torgny Lindgren Library

The Swedish author Torgny Lindgren has been translated to several other languages. He was born 1938 in the village of Raggsjö in the northwest corner of the province of Västerbotten, the coast part of the county of Västerbotten. A few kilometers north of the village, the hill of Åmliden is towering with the highest peak of the province and a superior view of surrounding shires. Close to the peak, on the south slope of the mountain, Källan Spa is located. The library of the spa was inaugurated as The Torgny Lindgren Room August 24, 2002. In addition to other readable, The Torgny Lindgren Room provides most of the writing of Lindgren in Swedish, with background material. The Rondel was present at the inauguration, a peak experience.

The communication between author and reader is a relation between sender and receiver. For instance, about each second reader finds Tolkien difficult and dull, although few are inclined to admit their personal preferences. Tolkien is a magnificent sender, acknowledged by many fascinated readers. Admittedly, he is not compatible with all potential receivers.

The reading of a few books by Torgny Lindgren has hitherto left me untouched. The inauguration of The Torgny Lindgren Room provided a bit of a conversion. The literature connoisseur Kjell Asplund introduced with short choice texts from the Lindgren works. Then the author read out an imaginary letter from uncle Lindgren at the sanitarium to father Lindgren in lumbering, with the puffing voice of the consumptive patient in the tongue of the shire and the words of the "readers".

The "readers" of Norrland formed from about 1850 several movements within or without the National Church of Sweden. They claimed to be able to read and interpret the Bible without assistance of priests and scholars. Corresponding movements were found in other parts of Sweden. Thus, the readers integrated Jew tradition and Christian tradition with their own folklore. To some degree, the religious turbulence resembled the formation of Islam (cf "Eye for eye"). However, the readers of the Bible held the cross of Christ high.

From a historical point of view, the readers appear to have shared some of the blessings of Abraham the Patriarch. Their descendants, the "grandchildren of God", have been successful in arts, science and business of contemporary Sweden. Torgny Lindgren has deep roots among the Bible readers of the past. Furthermore, when nature is vast and folk few, the structure of human conflicts appears evident and odd (cf "Society model"). It is reasonable to assume that roots in religion, existential problems, and a burlesque humor constitute major elements in the literary success of Lindgren.

Untouched by Torgny Lindgren? Well, Lindgren certainly has a talent for slitting the soul. Maybe I have avoided him because he hurts me, a reaction of repression or denial. In any case, I will have to address his books again.

For those who avoid traditional tourism during vacations, Källan Spa and The Torgny Lindgren Room provide an alternative. It is advisable for guests to bring their own copies of Lindgren books with them. Most copies of the library are in circulation.

Bo Norberg

Some major works of Torgny Lindgren:
Bathsheba (1988)
Way of a serpent (1990)
In praise of truth (1994)
The light (1994)
Merab´s beauty (1997)
Sweetness (2000)

Published October 17, 2002