Synopses & Reviews
Sweden at the turn of the previous century. Arvid, an ambitious and educated young man, meets Lydia, the daughter of a landscape painter, one summer and falls in love. Lydia, however, has other suitors, and Arvid is frightened of being tied by his emotions. Years later, now trapped inside loveless marriages of convenience, the two struggle to rekindle the promise of their romance with bitter and tragic results. A work of tremendous insight, tenderness and gentle irony,
The Serious Game shows two young people struggling to free themselves from the snares of liberal society.
Set against the bustling cafes, newspaper offices, parks, and hotels of Sweden's capital city at the turn of the last century, The Serious Game tells a compelling story of love and delusion, passion, and despair.
Review
"Although the story...is relatively simple, Soderberg's thorough exploration of his characters' lives makes it satisfyingly complex....Soderberg creates psychological suspense worthy of Dostoyevski....Although the novel may be slow going in spots, its emotional intensity makes this translation a welcome occurrence." Publishers Weekly
Review
"In brisk, unadorned, sometimes almost telegraphic prose, Soderberg chronicles the two lovers' passage....Claeson has done a mostly fine job of rendering [Soderberg's prose] into English....Soderberg's lucidity and directness are, for the most part, admirable; yet his style is, admittedly, so plain at times...that one can have trouble understanding why some critics place his portrait of Stockholm right up there with Joyce's evocation of Dublin in Ulysses....In the end, perhaps the most important point to be made about this novel is that for all its apparent simplicity, there's more here than meets the eye." Bruce Bawer, The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
Sweden at the turn of the previous century. Arvid, an ambitious and well-educated young man, meets Lydia, the daughter of a landscape painter, during an idyllic summer vacation and falls in love. Lydia, however, has other suitors, and Astrid is frightened of being tied down by his emotions. Trapped inside loveless marriages of convenience, they struggle in later years to rekindle the promise of their romance with bitter and tragic results.
Hjalmar Soderberg, born in Stockholm, in 1869, was one Scandinavia's leading modernist writers. The Serious Game is Sweden's most celebrated and enduring love story.
Synopsis
Sweden's most celebrated and enduring love story.
About the Author
Hjalmar Soderberg, born in Stockholm, in 1869, was one Scandinavia's leading modernist writers. The Serious Game is Sweden's most celebrated and enduring love story.