num_pages: 219
description: Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1909 — the first woman to be so honored — Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940) was a gifted storyteller whose writings were often tinged with the supernatural and rooted in the sagas and legends of her homeland.She secured her reputation as a children's-book author with The Wonderful Adventures of Nils , long considered a masterpiece of children's literature. Written at the request of Swedish school authorities and first published in 1906, it is the enchanting and remarkably original tale of Nils Holgersson, a mischievous boy of 14 who is changed by an elf into a tiny being able to understand the speech of birds and animals.Brilliantly weaving fact and fiction into a breathtaking and beautiful fable, the story recounts Nils's adventures as he is transported over the countryside on the back of a goose. From this vantage point, Nils witnesses a host of events that provide young readers with an abundance of information about nature, geography, folklore, animal life, and more.Reset in easy-to-read type and enhanced with 10 new illustrations, this inexpensive, unabridged edition will bring new generations of readers under the magical spell of a timeless classic.
language: English
title: The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
titlecomplete: The Wonderful Adventures of Nils
characters: Lake Mälar, Kebnekaise, Smirre Fox, Crawlie, Rosenbom, Bataki, Thumbietot, Takern, Morten Goosey-gander, Dunfin, Clement Larsson, Mother Bear, Grayskin
genres: Fiction, Animals, Adventure, Classics, Nobel Prize, Childrens, Fantasy, Sweden, Swedish Literature, Scandinavian Literature
ratings_count: 11452
places: Karlskrona, Sweden, Västra Vemmenhög, Ottenby
series: Nils Holgersson
publisher: Dover Publications