Emil of Maple Hills
Encyclopedia
Emil of Lönneberga is a series of children's novels by Astrid Lindgren
, covering twelve books written from 1963 to 1997. Emil, the title character, is a prankster who lives on a farm in the district of Lönneberga in Småland
, Sweden
. The books have been published in 44 languages. In most translations, the original illustration
s by the Swedish illustrator Björn Berg are used.
. His age ranges from about five to eight in the books.
He has fair hair and blue eyes and looks like an angel, but is not, as he also has a prodigious knack for getting into trouble. Contrary to what most people around him think, Emil is not malicious, but does not think about the consequences of his actions. He even states at one point that "you don't make up pranks, they just happen". The pranks come from kindly actions gone wrong, childish games, curiosity, bad luck and simple thoughtlessness. For example, he gives away food meant for visiting relatives to the poor because in his view they need it more. Other pranks involve his locking his father in the outhouse thoughtlessly when he was locking other doors, hoisting his willing little sister up a flag pole to see how far you could see from there or making everyone believe they are infected with typhus
while playing pretend. Most of the time Emil plays a prank, he escapes his choleric father's wrath by running away quickly and locking himself in a tool shed. Since the door can also be locked from the outside, his father responds by locking him in there for a while as punishment. Emil is usually embarrassed by what he has done, but it is not a severe punishment for Emil, who likes sitting in the shed and takes to carving a wooden figure during each of his stays. He eventually accumulates 369 of them, except for the one his mother buries because she claims it looks too much like the rural dean. Emil is extremely intelligent and creative, and tends to think in very unconventional ways, which the adults are more likely to misunderstand than to understand.
Emil is also very resourceful. He is very handy with any type of farm animal, especially horses. He is also brave, he saves farmhand Alfred's life when he had blood poisoning
. Alfred was near death and the road to the doctor was covered in snow from a severe blizzard. Emil defied the bad weather and traveled by horse and sleigh to the doctor, thus saving Alfred's life.
In the end, Emil is said to have grown up into a responsible and resourceful man, becoming eventually the Chairman of the Municipality Council.
Emil's father is portrayed as a stereotypical inhabitant of Småland - for example, he does not like spending money, to the point of being cheap. Church
is very important, and the pastor is a regular visitor. Alcohol and swearing
are strictly forbidden in the Svenssons' house. The books give a vivid impression of Swedish farmers' daily life in the beginning of the 20th century.
Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren , 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish author and screenwriter who is the world's 25th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide...
, covering twelve books written from 1963 to 1997. Emil, the title character, is a prankster who lives on a farm in the district of Lönneberga in Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. The books have been published in 44 languages. In most translations, the original illustration
Illustration
An illustration is a displayed visualization form presented as a drawing, painting, photograph or other work of art that is created to elucidate or dictate sensual information by providing a visual representation graphically.- Early history :The earliest forms of illustration were prehistoric...
s by the Swedish illustrator Björn Berg are used.
The character Emil in Lönneberga
Emil Svensson lives with his family on a farm called Katthult, set in the village of Lönneberga a few miles from the town of VimmerbyVimmerby
- External links :* - Official site* - Theme Park...
. His age ranges from about five to eight in the books.
He has fair hair and blue eyes and looks like an angel, but is not, as he also has a prodigious knack for getting into trouble. Contrary to what most people around him think, Emil is not malicious, but does not think about the consequences of his actions. He even states at one point that "you don't make up pranks, they just happen". The pranks come from kindly actions gone wrong, childish games, curiosity, bad luck and simple thoughtlessness. For example, he gives away food meant for visiting relatives to the poor because in his view they need it more. Other pranks involve his locking his father in the outhouse thoughtlessly when he was locking other doors, hoisting his willing little sister up a flag pole to see how far you could see from there or making everyone believe they are infected with typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
while playing pretend. Most of the time Emil plays a prank, he escapes his choleric father's wrath by running away quickly and locking himself in a tool shed. Since the door can also be locked from the outside, his father responds by locking him in there for a while as punishment. Emil is usually embarrassed by what he has done, but it is not a severe punishment for Emil, who likes sitting in the shed and takes to carving a wooden figure during each of his stays. He eventually accumulates 369 of them, except for the one his mother buries because she claims it looks too much like the rural dean. Emil is extremely intelligent and creative, and tends to think in very unconventional ways, which the adults are more likely to misunderstand than to understand.
Emil is also very resourceful. He is very handy with any type of farm animal, especially horses. He is also brave, he saves farmhand Alfred's life when he had blood poisoning
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
. Alfred was near death and the road to the doctor was covered in snow from a severe blizzard. Emil defied the bad weather and traveled by horse and sleigh to the doctor, thus saving Alfred's life.
In the end, Emil is said to have grown up into a responsible and resourceful man, becoming eventually the Chairman of the Municipality Council.
Other characters
Emil's parents are Anton and Alma Svensson; Ida, his little sister, is a very well-behaved child, unlike him. She has tried to pull pranks like her brother since she wanted to go to the shed, which she thinks is cozy, but she failed. His father, in particular, is often angry with his son, though it has been seen many times he still likes him a lot when he does not make pranks. His mother, however, adores her boy and tends to say, "Emil is a nice little boy, and we love him just the way he is." She also writes down every bad thing Emil does, in a blue book, although, that blue book expands to several blue books. Alfred is the family's farmhand, and Lina is their maid. Alfred, who is very fond of children, is Emil's best friend, whereas Lina dislikes the boy. She is in love with Alfred and pesters him with her wish to marry him, a subject which Alfred tends to avoid.Emil's father is portrayed as a stereotypical inhabitant of Småland - for example, he does not like spending money, to the point of being cheap. Church
Church of Sweden
The Church of Sweden is the largest Christian church in Sweden. The church professes the Lutheran faith and is a member of the Porvoo Communion. With 6,589,769 baptized members, it is the largest Lutheran church in the world, although combined, there are more Lutherans in the member churches of...
is very important, and the pastor is a regular visitor. Alcohol and swearing
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
are strictly forbidden in the Svenssons' house. The books give a vivid impression of Swedish farmers' daily life in the beginning of the 20th century.
Film adaptations
- Emil i LönnebergaEmil i Lönneberga (film)Emil i Lönneberga is a 1971 Swedish film, the first of three films based on the Emil i Lönneberga books written by Astrid Lindgren.-Cast:*Jan Ohlsson as Emil Svensson*Lena Wisborg as Ida Svensson*Allan Edwall as Anton Svensson...
(1971) - Nya hyss av Emil i LönnebergaNya hyss av Emil i LönnebergaNya hyss av Emil i Lönneberga is a 1972 Swedish film, the second of three films about the Emil i Lönneberga by Astrid Lindgren.-Cast:*Jan Ohlsson as Emil Svensson*Lena Wisborg as Ida Svensson*Allan Edwall as Anton Svensson*Emy Storm as Alma Svensson...
(1972) - Emil och griseknoenEmil och griseknoenEmil och griseknoen is a 1973 Swedish film, the third of three films based on the Emil i Lönneberga books written by Astrid Lindgren.-Cast:*Jan Ohlsson as Emil Svensson*Lena Wisborg as Ida Svensson*Allan Edwall as Anton Svensson*Emy Storm as Alma Svensson...
(1973) - Emīla nedarbiEmila nedarbiEmīla nedarbi is a 1985 Latvian TV-film about the Astrid Lindgren character, Emil i Lönneberga. It was produced by Rīgas kinostudija.The film was awarded the Latvian National Film Prize Lielais Kristaps in 1985.-External links:...
(1985), LatviaLatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n TV film