Sarah and Albert - Carl Jonas Löwe Almqvist

Section : Translated novels

Translated by: Sameh Khalaf

Pages: 152 pages

publisher: Sameh Publishing House

This novel, "Sarah and Albert", was published in Sweden in 1839 and caused a sensation when it was published. This led to fierce debates among the cultural elite, and the author was subjected to social persecution, which eventually forced him to resign from his position as principal of a school in Stockholm.
Sarah and Albert revolves around the sergeant Albert and the girl Sarah Wedbeck, who fall in love during a steamboat trip from Stockholm to Arbuga. But Sarah does not want to get married, but rather wants them to live together without an official marriage, without living together permanently, and without sharing property. And at that time, this idea was amazing and advanced, because women did not have control over themselves, but rather remained under the guardianship of men until 1839. In fact, this idea became very influential in the current Swedish society, but it took more than 100 years before To make it acceptable for a woman and a man to live together without marriage. It is worth noting that the author himself remarried during his long exile without first divorcing his Swedish wife, and thus became accused of the crime of polygamy, which is still considered a crime in Sweden today. Following the publication of this book, an entire literary movement emerged that devoted itself entirely to attacking Almqvist's person, his works, and his ideas.