För Alltid Svenska
'Forever Swedish'
the Amery Area Swedish Klubb
The Cottage watercolor about 1897
Carl writes: "It was an unattractive little structure situated on a pile of rubble. It was known as Little Hyttnäs to distinguish it from Big Hyattnäs that belongedto the nearest neighbor. The little bit of soil on which potatoes grew had been carted in from somewhere else and only a handful of loam enabled a few lilac bushes to waft the fragrance and splendor of their native Persia all around. the little shack is located not far from where the Sundborn creek makes a bend and broadens out a little. A narrow, steep path leads directly to the water and there stands an old skiff as a sign that this is the harbor. Nine slender birches had taken root unbidden in the rubble and as a matter of fact they didn't look as though they were suffering any...at this spot I was overwhelmed bt the splendid feeling of isolation from the noise and bustle of the outside world such as I had felt only once before.
Hilda, 1911 Watercolor
One of the Larsson children's English cousins, Hilda Bather, draws in the studio.
The Cholera
from Carl Larsson's autobiography-a story and his cure for all humanity...
The comfort I experience when I am sitting here becomes almost voluptous when I recall how hellishly dreadful my life when I was a child. One particularly horrid image just popped out from the caves of my memory, the cholera in Stockholm in the year 1866. Since I was born during the real cholera year, 1853, I was thirteen at the time.
As I have told you, my father cared for what was called "yard and street" for number seven and in the Grev Magni Alley--as it was so modestly called--but actually, Calle was the one who did all the work by himself, and because of that, we lived rent-free in a separate little structure in the corner of one yard. At five in the morning, I had to rise from the eiderdown bolsters to sweep and shovel, and in winter, I had to hack the ice on the sidewalk gutters with an iron bar.
For instance, there was one morning when the snow reached the eaves of the woodshed after a terrible blizzard during the night, and my father woke me up at four o'clock to shovel walks and ways. he himself left for a job somewhere in the city. And then about seven, when my mother crossed the yard to buy cream for the coffee, she found me unconscious in a snowdrift. But that wasn't the worst. No, I am almost ashamed to tell you the worst of it, but if I tell you that the people in "number five" and "number seven" were pigs, I am grossly unjust to that animal. And all this I had to poke around in and handle! I pinched my nose, I cried and I cursed.
Both houses had three stories, and particularly the one that was called number five contained innnumerable rooms, opening to long corridors, the way large hotels are often built. Imagine and shudder! Two or three families usually lived in each room. Misery, dirt and vice flourished there. They simmered and glowed quite cosily. They ate into and rotted bodies and souls.
Of course the cholera longed to go there, and it also arrived after having wreaked havoc in Mecca and in Egypt in a terrible manner on the way from its home land. Some Sailor!
I forgot to tell you that across from those houses there were the three large long lines of barracks intended for guard soldiers, but the conscripted men of that time were usually no longer young, and many of them had families. Usually they were on leave for the night and lived in the "five" and "the seven" with their own--and those of each other, for they were not too particular. But even though the military element dominated, there were other kinds of people there as well. You could really say that the company was very mixed, and it would not be hard to imagine that some round-the-world sailor had found a harbor in the arms of a little Ulla.
But the horrendous imvisible traveler accompanied him! And soon there was less fun and games. Soon the physician to the poor and the regiment, old Doctor Berlin, made daily visits there; he sniffed his snuff his snuff and looked at them over his glasses, but he could do nothing. He could only admonish my father to fumigate the stairwells and corridors with tar three times a day. My father was kind enough to let me do this, too. What happened wasthat I heated a large rock until it almost glowed, placed it in a tin bucket full of tar, and then I ran for my life up the three flights into the long and narrow corridors, and then downstairs again, and by that time, I was almost suffocated.
It was a terrible time! A whole family, recently arrived from the province of Småland, took sick and died within two days. I remembered that they had a long line of daughters, from tall grown up ones to little toddlers. Almost all of the children in the house died, and there were plenty of them, for this is usually one ressult of poverty.
Through rattling teeth, the old hags delivered their morning reports to my mother, and before evening they were often dead themselves. The hearses came several times a day, and they were jammed full with coffins, large and small. Soon they started making coffins in the small a large woodshed, and I will never forget the hammer banging on the nails. A poor old basket-maker who used the shed next to it for plaiting his baskets was finally so terrified that he started vomiting and feeling cramps. And although old Berlin shouted to him that he wasn't sick at all, his poor soul was rattled from his poor body, and when he was carried down the stairs my nose banged into his cold big toe. I could see and hear nothing in the heavy tar smoke.
Eventually it started slowing down, but before the epidemic had ceased completely, I felt sick one day, and soon I was throwing up and had diarrhea. Listless and resigned, I quietly slipped off, brought the key, and put it on the inside. I let things happen the way they wanted to, closed my eyes to die in peace--and awoke in the late evening, hale and sound as a bell!
As far as I can remember, and according to hearsay, these two buildings and some of the southern parts of Stockholm were the only ones that were seriously afflicted. But in the rest of the country, the sickness was supposedly quite widespread and serious.
Ye highly honored improvers of the world, try first and foremost to make people keep dirt and vermin away from their bodies and their homes! That would surely also lead to cleaner manners. The wretched ones would feel that they are worthy human beings. They would also get used to order and would practice thoughtfulmess and, as an additional result, social barriers would come tumbling down, there would be no lower class (of the kind I have shown you here), and the problems of society would be solved with soap and water.
In the depth of our own poverty, my mother was always clean and orderly, and I guess that is why I and the entire family escaped Cholera Asiatica.
(Cholera was rampant in Sweden in 1834, then again in 1850, and it culminated in 1853. In the late 1860's Sweden was afflicted with failed harvests, hunger and poverty, and new outbreaks then occurred in 1867 and 1868.) C.L.
About This Site
The purpose of this site is to provide a place for klubb members and friends to catch up on news and events in our area and also to learn more about our Swedish heritage, culture, customs, language, music and art. We welcome others with similar interests to join our site and our klubb.
Recent Photos
Newest Members
Upcoming Events
Recent Blog Entries
Larry's Page
Larry has a new CD: It can be ordered at the website www.rockabillyhall.com/LLPhilipson.html
"NO WELCOME HOME":
A TRIBUTE TO VIET NAM VETERANS!
CD TRACK LISTING
1. No Welcome Home
2. Rose of Yesterday
3. Old Enough to Worry
4. Charlene
5. Too Blue to Cry
6. Standing in the Shadows
7. Bitter Feelings
8. A Corner in My Heart
9. Absent Minded You
10. The Old Milwaukee Road
11. Give Love a Try
12. I'm Wondering Now
13. The Old Country Store
Recent Videos
The Ahlström Project
This page keeps us up to date on the work by Carolyn Wedin to perserve the interesting history of the Trade Lake area of Wisconsin as told by a Swedish pioneer Louis J Ahlström in his book Historiska Skildringar, or Historical Sketches. .
"I Go to America..."
"Swedish American Women and the Life of Mina Anderson"
If your great grand mother was Swedish she may have been among the 250,000 single women who came to America from Sweden between 1881 and 1920. Read more in a book by Joy K Lintelman, a history professor from Concordia College. The book was published in February of 2009 and was reviewed this past weekend in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "I go To America" is everything a popular history book should be--interesting, informative and lots of fun." Mary Ann Grossman
Folkdrakt
Anita's Pretty Rocks
Member Anita in Denver has been sending out these special little rocks that she made to Swedish klubbs around the country --thank you Anita
"The Birth of Hedesunda"
The following is sent to us from our member Judy Wester from very musical relatives in Sweden. The musical story is called“Lurberget”. It’s about the hills of Hedesunda that rose from the sea when the continental glacier, that covered great parts of northern Scandinavia, was melting. You can call it “the birth of Hedesunda” i. e. when the first people arrived, thousands of years ago, how they lived and worked. As I said, we composed the music and wrote the lyrics and manuscript. A lot of clips at www.lurberget.se (up to now in Swedish). At www.youtube.com you can also look at some trailers (search for “Lurberget”;)).
Swedish Music Page Dråm
With their fresh and unique take on Nordic music, the Swedish musicians Erik Ask-Upmark and Anna Rynefors - known as "Dråm" - have taken the roots music community by storm. With much charm and a big sense of humour, they perform traditional Nordic music in a captivating way that speaks to audiences everywhere. They are both "riksspelmän" (a distinction awarded to the best players of traditional music in Sweden) and have toured extensively in Europe as well as in America. The quietness of Sweden’s wide open spaces shows through in the fragile melodies of this talented duo. A wonderful flow of ear-caressing musical sounds, performed with great skill on instruments such as the harp, Nyckelharpa (Swedish keyed fiddle) and Swedish bagpipes. Dråm approaches Swedish music with respect and love, imparting a contemporary and passionate character to tradition, while maintaining the very soul of it!
The Nyckelharpa
The nyckelharpa is a traditional Swedish instrument that has been played, in one form or another as it evolved, for more than 600 years. At least four different versions of the nyckelharpa are still played today,an uncommon situation for most folk instruments. Also visit wwww.nyckelharpa.org
Carl Larsson
Featuring paintings and stories!
Döderhultarn
The wood carvings of Axel Petersson.
Axel Petersson Döderhultarn was born December 12, 1868 in the parish of Döderhult, Sweden,As a boy his primary interests was in whittling, and carving small figures. This activity was considered worthless by his friends and family in Sweden. His family decided the best thing for him to do as a young adult was to emigrate to the United States. Peterson did not emigrate to America, as his family had planned, and after a brief time away he moved back to help his now widowed mother in Oskarshamn, Sweden.Döderhultarn became know as one of Sweden's great artists. His work as well as photos of his work were circulated world wide. and he served as an inspiration to other woodcarvers, including Carl Johan Trygg, and H. S. "Andy" Anderson. His popularity was so great that "Döderhultarn figure" became the generic term for any small figure in the minimalist style.
Kaffe,Coffee, Fika
Fika usually refers to the Swedish coffee break. Fika, a social institution in Sweden, is both verb and noun in Swedish and has a broad definition. Essentially, it refers to a break from one's activities in order to drink coffee or other drinks with friends, family or acquaintances. This tradition of a coffee break with a snack is central to Swedish culture, and Swedes are one of the world's top coffee consumers.
Taste of Sweden
Smörgåstårta--A wonderful summer dish with layers of bread and creamy fillings along with ham and shrimp and smoked salmon spread, cucumbers and tomatoes and olives and dill and parsely and whatever else you can imagine. Find recipe on taste of Sweden page and treat yourself to something special this summer.
Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria Lind (October 6, 1820 – November 2, 1887), better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily popular concert tour of America beginning in 1850. The Swedish songstress and her appearance in the US along with her relationship with Chopin keeps this page very busy. Pictures of Castle garden and Chopin. Also a video of Elizabeth Parcells as Jenny singing "und ob die Wolke sie Verhulle" the aria that made her famous as a young girl. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3RMFGk7ndE
Greta Garbo Silent Films
Garbo was born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson in Stockholm, Sweden, the youngest of three children of Karl Alfred Gustafsson (1871–1920) and Anna Lovisa Johansson (1872–1944). The family lived in a small apartment at Blekingegatan No. 32 in Stockholm. When Gustafsson was 14 years old, her father, to whom she was extremely close, died. She was forced to leave school and go to work. From 1922 to 1924, Gustafsson studied at the prestigious Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. While there, she met director Mauritz Stiller. He trained her in cinema acting technique, gave her the stage name 'Greta Garbo', and cast her in a major role in the silent film Gösta Berlings Saga (The Story of Gösta Berling) in 1924, a dramatization of the famous novel by Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf.Added on the film page are a selection from the film, the Ice scene http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LjBkDvHNY4 :/ .
Recent Forum Posts
Swedish Folkdräkt
Swedish folk costumes are a wonderful way to connect with your Swedish heritage.
Kulning
Kulning, or herding calls, the song form is primarily used by women, as they were the ones tending the herds and flocks in the high mountain pastures.The song has a high-pitched vocal technique, i.e. a loud call using head tones, so that it can be heard or be used to communicate over long distances. It has a fascinating and haunting tone, often conveying a feeling of sadness, in large part because the lokks often include typical half-tones and quarter-tones (also known as "blue tones") found in the music of the region.
Nordic Walking
Nordic walking is defined as walking with specially designed poles. It evolved from an off-season ski-training activity known as ski walking, hill bounding or ski striding to become a way of exercising with poles year-round.
Nordic walking combines simplicity and accessibility of walking with simultaneous core and upper body conditioning similar to Nordic skiing. The result is a full-body walking workout that can burn significantly more calories without a change in perceived exertion or having to walk faster, due to the incorporation of many large core and other upper-body muscles which comprise more than 90% of the body's total muscle mass and do work against resistance with each stride.
www.nordicwalkingonline.com
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