Mobergland. Personligt och politiskt i Vilhelm Mobergs
utvandrarserie. This is a thesis on the Swedish writer Vilhelm
Moberg (1898–1973) and his renowned novel cycle about Swedish
emigrants to the U.S.: Utvandrarna (1949), Invandrarna (1952),
Nybyggarna (1956) and Sista brevet till Sverige (1959). The
novels, set in the mid 19th century, describe Swedish emigration
to North America through the main characters of Karl Oskar,
Kristina, Ulrika and Robert from the parish of Ljuder in
Småland. Starting with portrayals of the Swedish conditions that
caused the protagonists to emigrate, the novels continue with
their crossing from Karlshamn in Sweden to New York, their
journey across America, and their first year as settlers in the
area near Chisago Lake, north of Minneapolis. Based on archival
research by the author, the novels depict events such as the
American Civil War, the Gold Rush and the Panic of 1857 from the
viewpoint of the fictional characters. The novels have been
enormously popular in Sweden ever since