Markurells in Wadköping - Hjalmar Bergman

Art. no. 216583967 24 Apr 2025

Markurells i Wadköping (1919) by Hjalmar Bergman is a comic and tragic novel set in the fictional small town of Wadköping over the course of a single day. With sharp character portraits and socially critical undertones, it has become a classic of Swedish literature.

In Markurells i Wadköping we follow the enterprising innkeeper Harald Hilding Markurell, who struggles to secure his son Johan's future at the matriculation examination. The story takes place on a single day, June 6, 1913, but contains flashbacks that reveal deep family secrets and complicated relationships. When Markurell learns that Johan is actually the son of the bankrupt county governor Carl-Magnus de Lorche, his life is turned upside down. The novel is full of humor, suspense and tragedy, and is a penetrating study of human vanity and ambition. With several dramatizations and film adaptations, Markurells i Wadköping is one of Bergman's most famous works.