Novel
The Days of His Grace
Hans Nådes tid
Eyvind Johnson · 1960
Synopsis
Friuli, 775. A storm sweeps over the Adriatic coast while Bertoald Lupigis and his people keep watch at the castle of his cousin, Duke Rodgaud, who dreams of shaking Charlemagne. A year later, the Lombard revolt fails; Johannes, the youngest son, in love with Angila, who is promised to his elder brother, chooses study, enters the service of the empire and becomes imperial secretary. He goes through prison and remains for years without knowing what has become of his family. It is he who narrates, long afterwards, torn between his resigned politeness and the cries of the vanquished that he carries within him.
Context
Two extracts appeared in the journal Bonniers litterära magasin in 1959 and 1960, before publication in September 1960; in his prefatory remarks, the author acknowledges relying on history and having altered a few dates. The narrative, of modernist structure, made of recurring motifs and passages of lyrical prose, transposes to the time of Charlemagne the question of what absolute power does to those it employs. The novel appeared in English in 1968 and in French in 2000, in Charles Aubry's translation.
Who it is for
A long novel of more than four hundred pages, which can be read in Swedish, French or English. It is worth knowing that in 774-776 the Lombards of Italy lost their kingdom to the Franks.
Prizes and reception
First winner of the Nordic Council Literature Prize, in 1962; it is among the hundred books of the Världsbiblioteket.
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