The Emperor of Portugallia
The Emperor of Portugal Lien ( Original title: Kejsarn av Portugal Lien ) is a novel by the Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf. The novel was published in 1914 and deals with the excessive love of a father to his daughter, in order to repress the unpleasant reality that his daughter has become a prostitute, he invents an illusory world in which his daughter an empress, but he himself the " Emperor of Portugal Lien " is.
Action
The novel takes place in Värmland in the second half of the 19th century. - The Torpare January i Skrolycka is an unhappy man who feels nothing and joy is dissatisfied with himself and the world. Finally ( A Torpare was in Sweden, a small farmer, who possessed not own land, but settled on the land of another farmer, he sure owed days works. ) His wife Kattrina he did not marry for love, but only to a to establish their own households.
One day, Jan's life changed: When his daughter Clare Fina Gulleborg, called Klara Gulla, is born, flows through him at once a deep sense of happiness and love. Klara Gulla grows into a wise and beautiful girls. A very close bond of trust between her and her father.
When Klara Gulla is 18 years old, dies Jans Mr. Erik i Falla. Heir to the farm is his evil son Lars Gunnarsson. This requires of Jan 200 thalers, so January can keep his small estate. This sum, which is payable until October 1, Jan has not. Now threatened with the loss of the home, Klara Gulla offers to go to the city and to earn the money. Although in January noted that Klara Gulla is driven by the desire for the wide world, he agrees.
Klara Gulla goes to Stockholm. On October 1, she sends the necessary time 200 Taler enough, but returns itself not again. Over time, penetrate News and rumors about Jan and Kattrina, from which it follows that Klara Gulla has become a prostitute. January interprets these messages indeed quite different: his daughter has risen to undreamed-of power and glory and become empress. He himself is now Emperor John of Portugal Lien. Erik i Fallas widow gives him Erik's old rod and leather cap, care of a relative gets Jan a couple of sheet metal stars. This suggests Jan, sign of Klara Gulla and considers the gifts as Emperor insignia. Simultaneously with his exaltation to the Emperor jan acquired precognitive abilities that allow it, many people to do good.
After 15 - year absence Klara Gulla comes home. She has a new life built by a restaurant operates on the ferry from Malmö to Lübeck. She wants to get her parents to her Malmo. But when she her father in his " imperial " looks, she turns away in disgust. She worried her father for a property in the home community and he and his mother on a trip to Malmö. Just as the steamer, with the Clare Gulla and Kattrina want to move away from the home community, deposits from the Bridge Jan comes running. He believes that evil forces who kidnapped his daughter. He jumps into the water to nachzuschwimmen the ship and drowns.
Klara Gulla tried in vain to let recover the body of her father. After a short time the mother dies, and this for grief, because she wanted to leave JAN. When the mother is to be buried, the corpse of the father is found. Both are carried together to the grave. Now he realizes Klara Gulla how much her father loved.
Importance
Kejsarn av Portugal Lien heard as Gosta Berling and Liljecronas home to the works of Selma Lagerlöf, where it ties into the landscape and the memories of her childhood. The novel is set in Selma Lagerlof's home parish Östra Ämtervik, and many of Gosta Berling known place names ( Lövdala, Bro, Svartsjö etc. ) and even personal names ( Liljecrona ) reappear. Unlike Gosta Berling offers Kejsarn av Portugal Lien certainly no romantic legends and love adventure, but a realistic portrayal of life in particular of the little people. Many customs and traditions will be made alive, the poor lifestyle of Torpare is portrayed vividly.
The novel is partly based on real people and events. A Torpare named January i Skrolycka, who fancied himself to be Emperor of Portugal Lien, there really was in Selma Lagerlof's home community. Behind the figure of Lieutenant Liljecrona Selma Lagerlöf's own father hides (not to be confused with the Liljecrona of Gosta Berling and Liljecronas hem, which her grandfather 's paternal simulated ). Lövdala is a code name for Mårbacka, the estate of Selma Lagerlöf's family, and under the - unnamed - girl of Lövdala is even Selma Lagerlof to recognize himself as a young girl.
Content treated the novel despite its brevity ( 170 pages) a multi-faceted issue. First, it is, as so often in Selma Lagerlof, the love and power. Above all, Kejsarn av Portugal Lien intensive study by Jans psychosis. Ultimately, Selma Lagerlof reveals a general human behavior here, since everyone tends to some extent to self-deception and wishful thinking. At the same time, the novel is a treatise on the fourth commandment ( " Honour thy father and mother "), which always plays a big role in Selma Lagerlof. Klara Gulla has violated the fourth commandment, it has its father refused, and while she has forced her mother to leave the father. In the main plot of the novel several subplots are integrated, which all have something to do with the relationship of children to their parents, and in which each, Jan plays a role.
The fear of losing the home, Selma Lagerlöf own traumatic childhood experience and already discussed in Nils Holgersson, is an important subject. The same applies to Klara Gulla's longing for the departure from the narrow home, one also from Nils Holgersson, but also from Jerusalem known motif. Selma Lagerlof, even champion of women's emancipation, here shows some sympathy for Clare Gulla's request. The issue that someone who has become an outcast, do good, coming in at Selma Lagerlof common. In addition to Nils Holgersson to remember from Bannlyst here especially to Sven Elversson.
In a way i Jan Skrolycka also a hidden self-portrait Selma Lagerlöf: Both in terms of the ( literary ) alteration and embellishment of reality and in terms of the problematic role as a " public person " sees Selma Lagerlöf parallels between himself and Jan.
In linguistic terms Selma Lagerlof shows in Kejsarn av Portugal Lien at the height of her art. Your unique technique episode she has here brought to perfection. Each chapter is a small self-contained story with an ingenious construction, an ornate increase and often a well-placed, surprising punch line. Cleverly changes Selma Lagerlöf, the narrative perspective when she tells Jans Kaiser ideas from his own perspective ( and thus prevented him to ridicule ), Jans good deeds but still can be reproduced by third parties. The language itself is simple, easy, apparently (but only apparently! ) Naive.