Den allvarsamma leken by Hjalmar Söderberg

Many years later, when both are in loveless marriages, they meet again by chance. However, he is unable to commit himself to her, and they lose contact. Unfortunately, it has not been translated into any other language.It's summer in the Swedish archipelago at the very end of the nineteenth century, and a student and a young girl are in love. Modern Swedish writer, Gun-Britt Sundström, has written a novel giving Lydia’s point of view, called För Lydia. His earlier novel, Doktor Glas (Doctor Glas), had a modern novel written in response to it, giving another side to the story – Bengt Ohlsson‘s Gregorius (Gregorius). Sadly, though he lived another thirty years, it was his last novel. This novel is rightly considered one of the foremost Swedish classics of the twentieth century. Söderberg tells a very clever love story, even if Lydia does not come across as well as Arvid. However they soon get back together but this is a doomed relationship and, once Dagmar finds out, which she does, things clearly are not going to work out. She is furious and ends the relationship. Arvid forgives her but, in his letter, refers to her love affair. Lydia confesses that she has given herself to another man while he was away, though she did not love him. They nearly break up when Arvid has to spend some time away from Stockholm with his sick father (who dies soon after). The affair drags on for sometime, without Dagmar suspecting anything. She leaves her husband and later divorces him. She is still married but not very happily. They make a rendezvous for the next day at her hotel and end up in her bedroom. When the female friend leaves early, they hold hands. Then, one day, while he is at the opera to do a review, Lydia and a female friend sit next to him. He becomes the music critic for his paper. So, though he doesn’t choose her, he ends up marrying Dagmar. You get them, and you have them, and possibly you lose them. However, as one character comments, You do not choose your destiny, any more than you choose your wife, your lover or your children. He likes her and he finds her attractive but he does not love her, thinking often of Lydia. Arvid – the story is told from his perspective – pursues his career, first as a trainee teacher and then as a journalist.

Lydia’s father dies and she marries a much older, rich man. But, as happens in real life, things happen and they drift apart. Söderberg seems to have a grim view of love affairs, as they do not tend to be too happy in his novels. Home » Sweden » Hjalmar Söderberg » Den allvarsamma leken (The Serious Game) Hjalmar Söderberg: Den allvarsamma leken (The Serious Game)

Den allvarsamma leken by Hjalmar Söderberg