I asked a friend who grew up in Sweden to recommend some Swedish literature, as I couldn't remember ever reading any. Söderberg was the first writer they mentioned. I subsequently found a lovely 1963 Chatto & Windus edition of ‘Doctor Glas’ in the university library, which was a delight to the senses. It has that lovely old books scent, satisfyingly thick paper, and appealing typography. It reminded me that modern bindings are of such inferior quality by comparison. I very much doubt that most would survive more than fifty years in such excellent condition. Given the age of the edition, the introduction was a little dated in a quite amusing fashion, including this gem:

Söderberg - which translates simply as Southrock - comes up against an absurd but common prejudice in English hands, the fear of unfamiliar Swedish names and occasional Swedish words. [...] I have seen a book of Scandinavian short stories criticised pejoratively in a leading London literary paper for being spattered with names such as - well, Söderberg. Even these many decades of Ibsen and Strindberg do not seem to have bettered the distance and the nonsense. But the aeroplane will, and in the meantime we must adjust a stiff upper lip.

Personally, I have never felt that I had to be able to pronounce an author’s name in order to read their books. Apparently things were different in the early 1960s! Anyway, turning to the novel itself, ‘Doctor Glas’ is told in the form of a diary. A little like [b:The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge|93405|The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge|Rainer Maria Rilke|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348925210s/93405.jpg|314321], in fact, except Glas has a job and actually does things, rather than being such a flâneur. The narrative centres on his interference in an unhappy marriage. His perspective is quite progressive for the time of publication (1905) as he discusses abortion, adultery, and sex in a dispassionate fashion. He is himself celibate and lonely. I found his voice distinctive and largely interesting, especially in conversation with his friends. This speech by his friend Birck was a favourite:

"...And your answer reminds me for the hundredth time that all philosophy lives by, and wholly feed on, verbal ambiguities. Against the happiness-pancake so ardently desired by the mob, one person sets up his birthday-cake of salvation and another ‘his work’; and both deny that they so much as know what is meant by trying to find happiness. An enviable gift this, of being able to deceive oneself with words. Haven’t we all, always, a need to see ourselves and our efforts in the light of a certain ideality? Perhaps then in the last resort the deepest happiness lies in the illusion of not desiring happiness."

Although I appreciated this sort of byplay, the overall turn of the plot did not greatly move me. I can’t really say why without spoilers, however. The main event is, of course, Glas deciding to murder Rev. Gregorius and doing so remarkably easily. (A striking reminder that prior to forensic science, it must have been pretty easy to get away with murder.) I found the whole business rather unsatisfactory. Glas seemed to consider this murder ‘ethical’ without adequately considering the other options available. Obviously divorce would have been preferable if possible, but could he not have assisted Mrs. Gregorius in fleeing? Had she no family to take refuge with? Given that he was able to poison the reverend, why not give him a less severe poison that would debilitate but not kill him? I found the dichotomy of Do Nothing or Cold-blooded Murder rather forced. Glas also did not pause to reflect on his hippocratic oath, which does not exactly condone killing people because they are mistreating their wives. Gregorius certainly seems a repulsive and horrible character, however that doesn’t mean killing him without consequences is just fine. Who would trust a doctor that would do such a thing based entirely on their own supposed moral authority? This is not to say that the narrative invites unequivocal sympathy for Glas, just that the implications of his actions are not fully explored. Perhaps because it is quite a short book and much of it is taken up with scene-setting.

I read the introduction last as usual and agreed with a comment in it that ‘Doctor Glas’ has the feeling of a French novel of the same period. Slightly less melodramatic, perhaps, but only slightly. I enjoyed parts of it very much, but the narrative-by-diary put more pressure on Glas as as character than I felt he could really sustain. He spends a great deal of time alone, yet is most intriguing when interacting with others. Moreover, it’s frustrating that Mrs. Gregorius acts as the catalyst of events without being given her own voice or much in the way of identity. She remains rather an enigmatic cypher. Finally, Glas can be more than a little pretentious. In a way this is incongruous with his job, which requires a very visceral engagement with human bodies. At times he really needs someone to bring him down to earth. ( )

Revisiting classics is always an interesting experience.
I had read "Doctor Glas" when I was about fifteen, as a school assignment. I liked it then.
So, what did I think this time?
- Söderberg's writing is still marvellous. I found myself rereading certain sentences, just to savour them better. (I was reading the original, not the translation ;-))
- Every Söderberg novel I had read paints Stockholm beautifully. These glimpses of my city are very precious.
- I really liked the sense of time and place, and all those philosophical and not so philosophical conversations between friends.
- The moral dilemmas are going to be interesting to talk about in my book club...
- Doctor Glas is a masterfully created, and very disturbing character.
- It's interesting to see how far ahead of his time Söderberg was, discussing marital rape and euthanasia. Yet, there are things in this book that have not aged well. I wish Helga was more of a "real" character, instead of a symbol/catalyst/object of obsession. Sometimes I put the book down to say STOP.WRITING.ABOUT.WOMEN.THIS.WAY! (I wonder how many classics pass the Bechdel test? This one does not.)

Four stars, because I don't know what else to do. I have to confess that the last point made it more difficult for me to like "Doctor Glas". It doesn't happen with all the books I read, I CAN make allowances. This time, I had trouble doing that...
( )

Pubblicato nel 1905, suona come un romanzo dell'Ottocento debitore di Dostoevskj e Poe, anticipando al tempo stesso lo spirito intimista e psicologico di molto del romanzo novecentesco. La vicenda, ambientata a Stoccolma, tocca temi profondi legati al senso etico e al desiderio. Il dottor Glas è un personaggio immediatamente indimenticabile, che sfugge alle catalogazioni e offre molti spunti di riflessione. Libro che meriterebbe di essere più conosciuto (personalmente l'ho trovato per caso in aeroporto a Stoccolma). ( )

Doktor Glas är en dagboksroman av Hjalmar Söderberg som utkom 1905. Romanen skildrar en ensam läkares liv i Stockholm under några månader – från 12 juni till 7 oktober – i slutet av 1890-talet.

Having trashed Camilla yesterday, I’m going to try to redress the balance...

http://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/doktor-glas-by-hjalmar-sod...

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Book read, more to say here:

http://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/doktor-glas-by-hjalmar-sod... ( )

Having trashed Camilla yesterday, I’m going to try to redress the balance...

http://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/doktor-glas-by-hjalmar-sod...

---------------------------------------------------------------

Book read, more to say here:

http://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/doktor-glas-by-hjalmar-sod... ( )

Having trashed Camilla yesterday, I’m going to try to redress the balance...

http://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/doktor-glas-by-hjalmar-sod...

---------------------------------------------------------------

Book read, more to say here:

http://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/doktor-glas-by-hjalmar-sod... ( )

Read for one of my Nordic literature courses in University, it's a book that has stuck with me for some time. Written in first person from the perspective of Doctor Glas, the narrative is a steady, contemplative route through the doctor's thoughts and musings in a similar fashion to his going about his day. The book also contains one of my favourite literary quotes. If you're in the mood for a thinker, it's a good book to pick up. ( )

Another rare source for my voracious reading machine is the occasional mention in a novel of another novel. Most often these are made up, but every once in a while one turns out to be a published novel. Such was the case with Swedish author Hjalmar Söderberg mentioned several times by Fredrik Backman in My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. Söderberg’s short novel, Doctor Glas turned out to be a very popular novel by an acclaimed author. According to the blurb on the paper back version, Söderberg lived from 1869 to 1941, He is considered one of the greatest writers in the Swedish language. Doctor Glas, his third novel, was first published in 1905.

The novel has the expected Spartan language, along with a healthy amount of introspection, topped off with some serious angst. Doctor Glas is a young physician in Stockholm. One of his patients is a local parish priest, Gregorious, who is about 20 years older than his lovely young wife, Helga. She comes to Glas for a solution to her unhappy marriage. The doctor falls seriously in love with Helga. Meanwhile, a number of women come to the surgery for help with an abortion, which is illegal in Sweden at the time. He refuses each time, despite some pretty desperate pleas for help. When a couple of feeble attempts at freeing Helga, Glas begins to toy with the idea of “rescuing” Helga by murdering her ageing husband.

In this passage, Glas agonizes in his journal over failed love. He writes, “No, I don’t understand it. Why must it be? Why does it always have to be like this? Why does love have to be faerie gold that on the next day turns into withered leaves, or dirt, or gruel? From the human longing for love a whole branch of culture has sprung up – everything, indeed, that does not immediately pertain to quieting hunger of vanquishing enemies. Our sense of beauty has no other source. All art, all poetry all music has drunk from it. The tawdriest modern history painting no less than a Rafael Madonna and Steinlen’s little worker women, Dödens ängel no less than the “Song of Solomon” and the Buch der Lieder, church chorales and Vienna Waltzes, indeed every piece of ornamental plaster in this modest house where I live, every design on the wallpaper, the shape of the porcelain vase over there and the pattern on my cravat – everything that would decorate and embellish, whether it succeeds or fails, derives from it, though sometimes remotely and circuitously. And this notion is no nocturnal whimsy of mine, but has been demonstrated a hundred times. // But the true name of that source is not love, but the dream of love” (17-18).

Another example of his introspection is his musing on happiness. Glas writes, “And I often wonder what sort of environment I’d choose for myself if I’d never read a book and never seen a work of art – maybe then it’d never even occur to me to choose at all; maybe the archipelago with its little hillocks would be good enough for me. Most likely all my dreams and thoughts about nature are founded on impressions I’ve taken from art and fiction. From art I’ve learned my longing to wander aimlessly among old Florentine flower meadows and rock upon Homer’s wine-dark sea and bend my knee at Böcklin’s Sacred Grove. Oh, what would my own poor eyes see in the world, left to their own devices, without all these hundreds and thousands of teachers and friends from among those who’ve written and thought and seen for the rest of us! In my youth I often thought: But that I might join them! But that I might be capable of joining them, those who for once could give, not just forever receive! It is so desolate to walk alone with a fruitless soul; you never know how you might manage to feel that you are something, that you have some significance, and gain a little respect for yourself. It’s most likely a great boon that the majority are so undemanding in this regard. I wasn’t, and long has it pained me, though I think the worst is over now” (53-54).

I enjoyed this clever little novel. Now all I have to do is figure out how Söderberg’s Doctor Glas fits in with Backman. 5 stars

--Jim, 3/27/16 ( )

"Can a man allow the one he loves to be violated and defiled and trampled before his very eyes?", 8 September 2015

This review is from: Doctor Glas: A Novel (Paperback)
An extremely compelling read: a diary by the eponymous doctor, a 34 year old who has never been with a woman. One day he is approached by Helga Gregorius, the lovely young wife of the grotesque elderly pastor. She seeks the Doctor's assistance in somehow avoiding the attentions of her husband which are repugnant to her - especially as she has a lover...
As we read the Doctor's diary, we learn of his opinions - forward thinking for the time (1905) - on such matters as euthanasia and abortion, although he dismisses young woman who seek his help for the latter, thinking of his career. But there could be exceptions to the Doctor's professionalism: "Morality is made for man, not man for morality; and it is to be used with discretion, taken 'with a pinch of salt'. It is prudence to adopt to the customs of one's surroundings; it is a folly to do so with conviction."
We read too of his loneliness, and the emptiness of his life, as the weeks roll past in a hot Stockholm summer...
I read this in one sitting. Compulsive - but I would've liked a more definitive conclusion. ( )

Brooding. Creepy, but also quite poignant, like a philosophical version of "The Tell-Tale Heart".

Doctor Glas is a Swedish classic that I hated when I had to read in high school. Now I think it is absolutely fantastic with memorable quotes inserted in the text. The daydreaming doctor who take disgust towards his patient's husband. So bad that he plans to murder him so his wife can escape him. The novel is a unique classic with its melancholy, but thoughtful language. ( )

This short book deals with a doctor's obsession with a married woman abused by her husband. In his solitary life, his outlet for his thoughts and feelings is his diary, the medium by which we learn the story. It is a psychological story turning over moral issues and the effect they have in those tortured by them. Like Ibsen, feels modern for its time in its background of social change, but the ethical questions covered are timeless. ( )

I read this book for the Reading Globally Sweden theme read. This grim but haunting and beautifully written book takes the form of the private thoughts/diary of a Swedish doctor at the turn of the last century who becomes obsessed with the problems of a young female patient who is disgusted by her husband and comes to contemplate murder. Written at at a time when psychiatry was just becoming more widespread, this short novel, almost stream of consciousness, gives the reader deep insight into the narrator's mind, arguments with himself, and self-delusion. It was marred slightly for me by a few anti-Semitic remarks, which I took to be be (sadly) typical of the time and place.

Brilliant - convincing study of obsession and also thought-provoking about self-deception and the meaning of human life. ( )

Link to a review on my personal website. ( )

En roman som man bär med sig genom livet. ( )

http://dagensbok.com/index.asp?id=986 ( )

www.thebookpond.se ( )