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Doktor Glas
Stark, brooding, and enormously controversial when first published in 1905, this astonishing novel juxtaposes impressions of fin-de-siècle Stockholm against the psychological landscape of a man besieged by obsession. Lonely and introspective, Doctor Glas has long felt an instinctive hostility toward the odious local minister. So when the minister’s beautiful wife complains of her husband’s oppressive sexual attentions, Doctor Glas finds himself contemplating murder. A masterpiece of enduring power, Doctor Glas confronts a chilling moral quandary with gripping intensity.
Doktor Glas förälskar sig i den unga vackra Helga, som är fast i ett hopplöst, kärlekslös äktenskap. Ständigt ser han den motbjudande pastor Gregorius och hans unga skyddslösa hustru och känner att han håller på att dras in i ett triangeldrama. Helga vänder sig till doktor Glas för att få hjälp och alltmer aktivt förbereder han lösningen. Har man rätt att döda en människa för att rädda en annan?
Hjalmar Söderbergs klassiker Doktor Glas utkom första gången 1905 och var då oerhört provocerande för sin samtid. Med sin psykologiska nerv, moralfilosofiska utläggningar och förälskade skildring av sekelskiftets Stockholm är den lika aktuell idag.
Doktor Glas förälskar sig i den unga vackra Helga, som är fast i ett hopplöst, kärlekslös äktenskap. Ständigt ser han den motbjudande pastor Gregorius och hans unga skyddslösa hustru och känner att han håller på att dras in i ett triangeldrama. Helga vänder sig till doktor Glas för att få hjälp och alltmer aktivt förbereder han lösningen. Har man rätt att döda en människa för att rädda en annan?
Hjalmar Söderbergs klassiker Doktor Glas utkom första gången 1905 och var då oerhört provocerande för sin samtid. Med sin psykologiska nerv, moralfilosofiska utläggningar och förälskade skildring av sekelskiftets Stockholm är den lika aktuell idag.
184 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1905
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About the author
Hjalmar Söderberg
138 books210 followersHjalmar Emil Fredrik Söderberg was a Swedish novelist, playwright, poet and journalist. His works often deal with melancholy and lovelorn characters, and offer a rich portrayal of contemporary Stockholm through the eyes of the flaneur. Söderberg is greatly appreciated in his native country, and is sometimes considered to be the equal of August Strindberg, Sweden's national author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,066 reviews
September 8, 2019
I wonder what it feels like to have a crime on one's conscience.
In less than 200 pages, this secret marvel of literature rivets, subverts, perturbs.
Originally published in Sweden in 1905, Doctor Glas is another frightening character unsuited to his profession - a man who has no business being anyone's doctor (see his buddies Lecter, Frankenstein, and Moreau over there in the corner). He finds bodies repulsive and regards most people with distainful disenchantment. Not surprising then, that he's isolated and introspective. He's also sexually stunted. At thirty something, Glas has never been with a woman, and judges intercourse to be undignified at best. Knowing all this makes reading his private diary highly interesting, turning the reader into a shameless rubber-necker.
When the wife of a despicable old clergyman comes to his office in need of help, Glas has the opportunity to act, to do something of importance. He's trapped in a quandary not unlike Raskolnikov's: rid the world of a thoroughly awful person, or not? If yes, why?
What was it that I had been dreaming? Always and the same thing. That I killed the clergyman.
As much as it is about "the act", it's even more about the "why". So, while you're pulled along by tension created by the voyeuristic experience of reading Glas' diary (will he or won't he?), you're also engaged in a philosophical argument good enough for readers of Dostoevsky - but in far fewer pages.
Despite that it's over a century old, Doctor Glas has a distinctively modern appeal. I was pulled into the stream-of-consciousness narrative from the first page. It's frank, dramatic, and controversial. Söderberg takes a close look at human nature, the desire to connect. He also makes a fascinating comparison between the pursuit of enduring happiness vs. the immediacy of pleasure.
What I wonder is why this book isn't gobbled up more, like the delicious, vicious delight that it is.
Brooding, dark, intellectual. Gimme gimme gimme.
In less than 200 pages, this secret marvel of literature rivets, subverts, perturbs.
Originally published in Sweden in 1905, Doctor Glas is another frightening character unsuited to his profession - a man who has no business being anyone's doctor (see his buddies Lecter, Frankenstein, and Moreau over there in the corner). He finds bodies repulsive and regards most people with distainful disenchantment. Not surprising then, that he's isolated and introspective. He's also sexually stunted. At thirty something, Glas has never been with a woman, and judges intercourse to be undignified at best. Knowing all this makes reading his private diary highly interesting, turning the reader into a shameless rubber-necker.
When the wife of a despicable old clergyman comes to his office in need of help, Glas has the opportunity to act, to do something of importance. He's trapped in a quandary not unlike Raskolnikov's: rid the world of a thoroughly awful person, or not? If yes, why?
What was it that I had been dreaming? Always and the same thing. That I killed the clergyman.
As much as it is about "the act", it's even more about the "why". So, while you're pulled along by tension created by the voyeuristic experience of reading Glas' diary (will he or won't he?), you're also engaged in a philosophical argument good enough for readers of Dostoevsky - but in far fewer pages.
Despite that it's over a century old, Doctor Glas has a distinctively modern appeal. I was pulled into the stream-of-consciousness narrative from the first page. It's frank, dramatic, and controversial. Söderberg takes a close look at human nature, the desire to connect. He also makes a fascinating comparison between the pursuit of enduring happiness vs. the immediacy of pleasure.
What I wonder is why this book isn't gobbled up more, like the delicious, vicious delight that it is.
Brooding, dark, intellectual. Gimme gimme gimme.
March 23, 2018
Η ιστορία του «Δρ. Γκλας» είναι ένα ενδιαφέρον και πρωτοποριακό για την εποχή του μυθιστόρημα.
Δημοσιεύτηκε το 1905 για πρώτη φορά, μα όπως αναφέρεται και στην εισαγωγή απο την Margaret Atwood
« στο μεγαλύτερο μέρος της γραφής του και σε μεγάλο μέρος της ειλικρίνειας της σκέψης του, θα μπορούσε να έχει γραφτεί αύριο».
Είναι γραμμένο με πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση σε μορφή ημερολογίου.
Ο Δρ. Γκλας γράφει τα γεγονότα που συμβαίνουν παράλληλα στην πλοκή της ιστορίας μας ενώ σκέφτεται, αναλύει, εξερευνά και συζητάει διάφορα θέματα και έννοιες που αποτελούν τον ηθικό κλοιό της φυλακής κάθε ανθρώπου.
Άμβλωση, ευθανασία, αυτοκτονία, δολοφονία, μοιχεία, έρωτας, σεξ, αγάπη, παιδικά κατάλοιπα, ερμηνεία ονείρων στο ασυνείδητο των ψυχών.
Όλα αυτά καταγράφονται αναλυτικά, εξηγούνται μονομερώς μα με αρκετή αξιοπιστία και δημιουργούν έναν τόνο διφορούμενης υπαρξιακής οντότητας.
Ο Γκάμπριελ Γκλας είναι ένας νέος Σουηδός γιατρός που θεωρείται κοινωνικά καταξιωμένος και επαγγελματικά επιτυχημένος επιστήμονας στις αστικές οικογένειες της Στοκχόλμης.
Στη ρίζα όμως της υπαρξιακής του αδιαθεσίας έχουν φωλιάσει πολλά δηλητηριώδη παράσιτα και έχουν μολύνει την ψυχή και το νου του με εμμονές, εφιάλτες, φόβους και φαντασιώσεις.
Αμφίσημοι φιλοσοφικοί στοχασμοί, αφορισμοί, αυτολύπηση και περιφρόνηση για όλα,
τον βουλιάζουν σε βάθη με συσπάσεις λογικής και παράνοιας,
ενώ προσπαθεί πυρετωδώς να βρει τη θέση που θα απαλύνει το βάρος της ζωής του, μα ταυτόχρονα θα είναι ηθική και συμφέρουσα.
Έντονες εσωτερικές συγκρούσεις αφήνουν τον Δρ. Γκλας έρμαιο ανάμεσα σε συνείδηση ηθικής και πνευματικές παρορμήσεις.
Είναι ένας νεαρός άνδρας απελπιστικά μόνος, απογοητευμένος και στερημένος απο σεξουαλική εμπειρία που κατανοεί σε μεγάλο βαθμό τις αποκλίσεις του και τις ανάγει στο ίδιο το νόημα της ζωής.
Κι ενώ επιφανειακά ακολουθεί κάθε στοιχειώδη κοινωνική συμπεριφορά με αξιοπρέπεια και ήθος, το πορτραίτο του μυαλού του όπως αξιοσημείωτα καταγράφεται απο τον ίδιο είναι σχεδιασμένο με ζοφερά χρώματα και απεικονίζει αδίστακτα και αδηφάγα τέρατα.
Η εμμονή του για τον τοπικό ιερέα και τη σύζυγο του τον οδηγούν σε αγανάκτηση παραφροσύνης για τον ιερωμένο και σε βαθιά αγάπη για τη σύζυγο του.
Κάπου εδώ εμφανίζεται η ουσία αυτού του τολμηρά πειραματικού βιβλίου για την εποχή του, παράλληλα με την απόλυτα αληθινή αίσθηση για τη ζωή που δημιουργείται σε κάθε σελίδα.
Ο Δρ. Γκλας θεωρεί πως τίποτα δεν μειώνει περισσότερο την ανθρώπινη ύπαρξη απο την έλλειψη αγάπης.
Ο ίδιος ωστόσο δεν αγάπησε και δεν αγαπήθηκε ποτέ.
Πιστεύει πως κάθε άνθρωπος θέλει, έχει ανάγκη να τον αγαπούν, αν όχι, να τον μισούν, αν όχι, να τον θαυμάζουν ή να τον φοβούνται ή να τον περιφρονούν, με κάθε τρόπο η ζωή μας τροφοδοτείται απο την αίσθηση που προκαλούμε στους άλλους.
Ο ίδιος όμως είναι γυάλινος, αποστειρωμένος απο εξάρσεις απόλαυσης, διάφανος, ψυχρός, καθαρός εξωτερικά, μα το γυάλινο κοίλο της ψυχής του περιέχει δηλητηριώδη ελιξίρια λύτρωσης.
Ίσως να λυτρώσει, ίσως και να λυτρωθεί.
Πάντα στο ενδιάμεσο, πάντα στο αμφίβολο, πάντα στο ανεξιχνίαστο.
Ζωή, δε σε καταλαβαίνω...το γράφει και το αισθάνεται.
Ζει μπερδεμένος ανάμεσα στα πρέπει που τηρεί και στα θέλω που δεν τολμάει.
Η αλήθεια είναι σαν τον ήλιο διατείνεται μέσα στην υπαρξιακή του μέθη.
Η αλήθεια είναι απαραίτητη στη ζωή φθάνει να βρίσκεται σε σωστή απόσταση απο τον άνθρωπο, ακριβώς όπως ο ζωογόνος ήλιος.
Και φυσικά καταλήγει να περιγράφει και να πιάνεται απο μια αρχαία αποκάλυψη. Μια μυστική σοφία υιοθετημένη ως στάση ζωής.
« Δεν θα ρωτήσετε».
Δεν είναι χρήσιμο να ψάχνουμε το βάθος, τη ρίζα, την αιτία και την λογική των πραγμάτων.
Δεν χρειάζεται να αναζητούμε την αλήθεια. Δεν θα τη βρούμε ποτέ. Το μόνο που θα καταφέρουμε είναι να χάσουμε τον εαυτό μας.
Επειδή ένιωσα μια ελάχιστη σχέση ανάμεσα στον Δρ. Γκλας και στον Μερσώ (Καμύ), ο Δρ. Γκλας χάνει ένα αστεράκι στη βαθμίδα αξιολόγησης.
Τον Μερσώ θα τον αγαπώ πάντα, τον Δρ. Γκλας δεν τον αγάπησα.
💉💉💉
Καλή ανάγνωση.
Πολλούς ασπασμούς.
Δημοσιεύτηκε το 1905 για πρώτη φορά, μα όπως αναφέρεται και στην εισαγωγή απο την Margaret Atwood
« στο μεγαλύτερο μέρος της γραφής του και σε μεγάλο μέρος της ειλικρίνειας της σκέψης του, θα μπορούσε να έχει γραφτεί αύριο».
Είναι γραμμένο με πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση σε μορφή ημερολογίου.
Ο Δρ. Γκλας γράφει τα γεγονότα που συμβαίνουν παράλληλα στην πλοκή της ιστορίας μας ενώ σκέφτεται, αναλύει, εξερευνά και συζητάει διάφορα θέματα και έννοιες που αποτελούν τον ηθικό κλοιό της φυλακής κάθε ανθρώπου.
Άμβλωση, ευθανασία, αυτοκτονία, δολοφονία, μοιχεία, έρωτας, σεξ, αγάπη, παιδικά κατάλοιπα, ερμηνεία ονείρων στο ασυνείδητο των ψυχών.
Όλα αυτά καταγράφονται αναλυτικά, εξηγούνται μονομερώς μα με αρκετή αξιοπιστία και δημιουργούν έναν τόνο διφορούμενης υπαρξιακής οντότητας.
Ο Γκάμπριελ Γκλας είναι ένας νέος Σουηδός γιατρός που θεωρείται κοινωνικά καταξιωμένος και επαγγελματικά επιτυχημένος επιστήμονας στις αστικές οικογένειες της Στοκχόλμης.
Στη ρίζα όμως της υπαρξιακής του αδιαθεσίας έχουν φωλιάσει πολλά δηλητηριώδη παράσιτα και έχουν μολύνει την ψυχή και το νου του με εμμονές, εφιάλτες, φόβους και φαντασιώσεις.
Αμφίσημοι φιλοσοφικοί στοχασμοί, αφορισμοί, αυτολύπηση και περιφρόνηση για όλα,
τον βουλιάζουν σε βάθη με συσπάσεις λογικής και παράνοιας,
ενώ προσπαθεί πυρετωδώς να βρει τη θέση που θα απαλύνει το βάρος της ζωής του, μα ταυτόχρονα θα είναι ηθική και συμφέρουσα.
Έντονες εσωτερικές συγκρούσεις αφήνουν τον Δρ. Γκλας έρμαιο ανάμεσα σε συνείδηση ηθικής και πνευματικές παρορμήσεις.
Είναι ένας νεαρός άνδρας απελπιστικά μόνος, απογοητευμένος και στερημένος απο σεξουαλική εμπειρία που κατανοεί σε μεγάλο βαθμό τις αποκλίσεις του και τις ανάγει στο ίδιο το νόημα της ζωής.
Κι ενώ επιφανειακά ακολουθεί κάθε στοιχειώδη κοινωνική συμπεριφορά με αξιοπρέπεια και ήθος, το πορτραίτο του μυαλού του όπως αξιοσημείωτα καταγράφεται απο τον ίδιο είναι σχεδιασμένο με ζοφερά χρώματα και απεικονίζει αδίστακτα και αδηφάγα τέρατα.
Η εμμονή του για τον τοπικό ιερέα και τη σύζυγο του τον οδηγούν σε αγανάκτηση παραφροσύνης για τον ιερωμένο και σε βαθιά αγάπη για τη σύζυγο του.
Κάπου εδώ εμφανίζεται η ουσία αυτού του τολμηρά πειραματικού βιβλίου για την εποχή του, παράλληλα με την απόλυτα αληθινή αίσθηση για τη ζωή που δημιουργείται σε κάθε σελίδα.
Ο Δρ. Γκλας θεωρεί πως τίποτα δεν μειώνει περισσότερο την ανθρώπινη ύπαρξη απο την έλλειψη αγάπης.
Ο ίδιος ωστόσο δεν αγάπησε και δεν αγαπήθηκε ποτέ.
Πιστεύει πως κάθε άνθρωπος θέλει, έχει ανάγκη να τον αγαπούν, αν όχι, να τον μισούν, αν όχι, να τον θαυμάζουν ή να τον φοβούνται ή να τον περιφρονούν, με κάθε τρόπο η ζωή μας τροφοδοτείται απο την αίσθηση που προκαλούμε στους άλλους.
Ο ίδιος όμως είναι γυάλινος, αποστειρωμένος απο εξάρσεις απόλαυσης, διάφανος, ψυχρός, καθαρός εξωτερικά, μα το γυάλινο κοίλο της ψυχής του περιέχει δηλητηριώδη ελιξίρια λύτρωσης.
Ίσως να λυτρώσει, ίσως και να λυτρωθεί.
Πάντα στο ενδιάμεσο, πάντα στο αμφίβολο, πάντα στο ανεξιχνίαστο.
Ζωή, δε σε καταλαβαίνω...το γράφει και το αισθάνεται.
Ζει μπερδεμένος ανάμεσα στα πρέπει που τηρεί και στα θέλω που δεν τολμάει.
Η αλήθεια είναι σαν τον ήλιο διατείνεται μέσα στην υπαρξιακή του μέθη.
Η αλήθεια είναι απαραίτητη στη ζωή φθάνει να βρίσκεται σε σωστή απόσταση απο τον άνθρωπο, ακριβώς όπως ο ζωογόνος ήλιος.
Και φυσικά καταλήγει να περιγράφει και να πιάνεται απο μια αρχαία αποκάλυψη. Μια μυστική σοφία υιοθετημένη ως στάση ζωής.
« Δεν θα ρωτήσετε».
Δεν είναι χρήσιμο να ψάχνουμε το βάθος, τη ρίζα, την αιτία και την λογική των πραγμάτων.
Δεν χρειάζεται να αναζητούμε την αλήθεια. Δεν θα τη βρούμε ποτέ. Το μόνο που θα καταφέρουμε είναι να χάσουμε τον εαυτό μας.
Επειδή ένιωσα μια ελάχιστη σχέση ανάμεσα στον Δρ. Γκλας και στον Μερσώ (Καμύ), ο Δρ. Γκλας χάνει ένα αστεράκι στη βαθμίδα αξιολόγησης.
Τον Μερσώ θα τον αγαπώ πάντα, τον Δρ. Γκλας δεν τον αγάπησα.
💉💉💉
Καλή ανάγνωση.
Πολλούς ασπασμούς.
June 13, 2020
In this short strong novel we get debates about light pollution (you can’t see the stars any more), tourism (there are just too many), assisted dying (it should be legal), abortion (likewise) and, because of the fear of germs, we also get an interesting discussion about whether communion wine should be administered in church by capsules rather than unhygienic shared chalices.
And then the main arc of the plot is all about marital rape which became illegal in the UK in 1991.
So I kept checking if this book was written in 1990, or 1980, or 1970 but no, the copyright page kept saying 1905. I guess Hjalmar Soderberg must’ve had a fully functioning crystal ball.
This then is the diary of Dr Glas over the summer months of a single traumatic year. Into the labyrinth of his self torment you will go, his beautiful frightening voice spooling out all the darkness of a man teetering on the edge.
Recommended! Can be read in one day, easy.
Say, would you look at that - a short review, finally.
And then the main arc of the plot is all about marital rape which became illegal in the UK in 1991.
So I kept checking if this book was written in 1990, or 1980, or 1970 but no, the copyright page kept saying 1905. I guess Hjalmar Soderberg must’ve had a fully functioning crystal ball.
This then is the diary of Dr Glas over the summer months of a single traumatic year. Into the labyrinth of his self torment you will go, his beautiful frightening voice spooling out all the darkness of a man teetering on the edge.
Recommended! Can be read in one day, easy.
Say, would you look at that - a short review, finally.
July 23, 2022
رواية كلاسيكية من الأدب السويدي نُشرت عام 1905
الرواية مكتوبة على شكل يوميات يدون فيها دكتور كلاس تأملاته وأفكاره, أحلامه وذكرياته
شخصية كلاس مثيرة للاهتمام فهو مُحب للعزلة ولا مُبالي ومُلاحظ جيد للآخرين
قادر على قراءة ذاته ورصد وتحليل الضعف والرغبات والتناقضات الانسانية
يكتب سودربيري بأسلوب فلسفي عن الأفكار والمشاعر, القناعات والأخلاقيات ما بين الخفاء والعلن
وأجاد في عرض مفردات الوجود.. الحياة والموت والدين, الحب والسعادة والمتعة, الوهم والحقيقة
الرواية مكتوبة على شكل يوميات يدون فيها دكتور كلاس تأملاته وأفكاره, أحلامه وذكرياته
شخصية كلاس مثيرة للاهتمام فهو مُحب للعزلة ولا مُبالي ومُلاحظ جيد للآخرين
قادر على قراءة ذاته ورصد وتحليل الضعف والرغبات والتناقضات الانسانية
يكتب سودربيري بأسلوب فلسفي عن الأفكار والمشاعر, القناعات والأخلاقيات ما بين الخفاء والعلن
وأجاد في عرض مفردات الوجود.. الحياة والموت والدين, الحب والسعادة والمتعة, الوهم والحقيقة
August 30, 2019
MeToo Anno Domini 1905 in Stockholm, delivering a male solution to a female problem, a stylistically perfect execution!
Is it justifiable to kill a man to save his wife from repeated marital rape? Doctor Glas feels no guilt. Kill the monster, become the monster, live on. A woman would probably have carried the scars of guilt and shame after committing an act of violence, even though she is the victim of the absurdity of "marital" rights as shown in this tale of disgust, lust, passion and sober reflection, acted out in front of a wonderful view of the most beautiful city...
The story of Adam and Eve, as told by the snake who rescued Eve from the oppressive Eden.
Is it justifiable to kill a man to save his wife from repeated marital rape? Doctor Glas feels no guilt. Kill the monster, become the monster, live on. A woman would probably have carried the scars of guilt and shame after committing an act of violence, even though she is the victim of the absurdity of "marital" rights as shown in this tale of disgust, lust, passion and sober reflection, acted out in front of a wonderful view of the most beautiful city...
The story of Adam and Eve, as told by the snake who rescued Eve from the oppressive Eden.
October 9, 2013
This book has become quite well-known recently due to the theatre production starring Krister Henriksson. We saw it in London a few months ago, and it is indeed very good; but I was surprised to discover that the book is substantially different.
The eponymous Glas, as most people now know, is a doctor in late 19th century Stockholm who kills the husband of one of his patients. Fru Gregorius is young and beautiful; her husband is a hypocritical old priest whose very presence makes Glas feel physically sick. Gregorius's wife is secretly unfaithful to him, and Glas is the only person she has told. She cannot stand the fact that her husband still insists on having sex with her, and asks Glas if he can do anything.
In the play, Glas's motivation seems clear. A lonely person with no one to love, he falls for the beautiful wife's charm and agrees to everything she asks for; he came across as rather like M. Hire in Patrice Leconte's film, though things work out better for him.
But I experienced the book in another way. The central puzzle is why Glas murders the priest. The clear lines of the play are blurred; he is indeed very taken with the wife, but he could equally well have responded to Fröken Mertens, who is also young and beautiful, and clearly loves him. He chooses to ignore her, and there are more factors in play. Glas has always found sex disgusting. The girl he loved as a young man died in a tragic accident shortly after he kissed her for the first time. And so many of his female patients have begged him for abortions. He has consistently turned them down, but he's wondered more and more often if he's been right to do that.
Somehow, sex and death have got mixed up in Glas's cold, analytical mind. The book is the diary he starts keeping as he tries to disentangle things. He scrupulously weighs up the pros and cons of his various choices, discusses the morality of the situation, plans carefully to minimize the chance of being discovered, considers whether he's likely to suffer pangs of remorse. But after he's killed Gregorius, he still doesn't really know why he's done it. He rereads his notes, and decides he probably did the right thing, but he's not sure. All he can see is an infinite web of cause and effect stretching out into the past. He wishes he hadn't investigated it so carefully.
The book, too, has its own web of causes and effects. Several of the characters come from earlier Söderberg novels. The hunchbacked watch-maker who sells Glas the case in which he keeps the cyanide pills also appears in Förvillelser, Söderberg's first book; there, he marries the shop-girl that Thomas Weber gets pregnant. Martin Birck, a character that Glas often meets, is the hero of Martin Bircks Ungdom, written four years earlier, where he is pretty clearly Söderberg himself.
And although people at the time hated Doktor Glas and called it implausible and immoral, it has aged well. The edition I read has a postscript briefly explaining how it was chosen in 2002 to be the first book in the series Stockholm läser - "Stockholm reads". I think Söderberg would have been touched by this gesture of appreciation from the city he loved so much, and I am sure Swedes, and in particular people from Stockholm, will carry on reading it for a long time to come.
The eponymous Glas, as most people now know, is a doctor in late 19th century Stockholm who kills the husband of one of his patients. Fru Gregorius is young and beautiful; her husband is a hypocritical old priest whose very presence makes Glas feel physically sick. Gregorius's wife is secretly unfaithful to him, and Glas is the only person she has told. She cannot stand the fact that her husband still insists on having sex with her, and asks Glas if he can do anything.
In the play, Glas's motivation seems clear. A lonely person with no one to love, he falls for the beautiful wife's charm and agrees to everything she asks for; he came across as rather like M. Hire in Patrice Leconte's film, though things work out better for him.
But I experienced the book in another way. The central puzzle is why Glas murders the priest. The clear lines of the play are blurred; he is indeed very taken with the wife, but he could equally well have responded to Fröken Mertens, who is also young and beautiful, and clearly loves him. He chooses to ignore her, and there are more factors in play. Glas has always found sex disgusting. The girl he loved as a young man died in a tragic accident shortly after he kissed her for the first time. And so many of his female patients have begged him for abortions. He has consistently turned them down, but he's wondered more and more often if he's been right to do that.
Somehow, sex and death have got mixed up in Glas's cold, analytical mind. The book is the diary he starts keeping as he tries to disentangle things. He scrupulously weighs up the pros and cons of his various choices, discusses the morality of the situation, plans carefully to minimize the chance of being discovered, considers whether he's likely to suffer pangs of remorse. But after he's killed Gregorius, he still doesn't really know why he's done it. He rereads his notes, and decides he probably did the right thing, but he's not sure. All he can see is an infinite web of cause and effect stretching out into the past. He wishes he hadn't investigated it so carefully.
The book, too, has its own web of causes and effects. Several of the characters come from earlier Söderberg novels. The hunchbacked watch-maker who sells Glas the case in which he keeps the cyanide pills also appears in Förvillelser, Söderberg's first book; there, he marries the shop-girl that Thomas Weber gets pregnant. Martin Birck, a character that Glas often meets, is the hero of Martin Bircks Ungdom, written four years earlier, where he is pretty clearly Söderberg himself.
And although people at the time hated Doktor Glas and called it implausible and immoral, it has aged well. The edition I read has a postscript briefly explaining how it was chosen in 2002 to be the first book in the series Stockholm läser - "Stockholm reads". I think Söderberg would have been touched by this gesture of appreciation from the city he loved so much, and I am sure Swedes, and in particular people from Stockholm, will carry on reading it for a long time to come.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2013
This short novel is a melancholic guide of Stockholm. It is a compendium of thoughts and reflections upon life from a peculiar character. It is a story of alienation and unrequited love. And it is also the story of a planned murder.
Although more than a hundred years old, this novel feels as fresh as if written yesterday. The only hint of its age are depictions of places in Stockholm that no longer exist and some obsolete debates (on abortion, for example), but otherwise the language doesn't fell dated and the ideas are as universal as ever.
Tyko Gabriel Glas is a young doctor in Stockholm. He is intelligent and well-off, but his cynical view of life has made him a solitary man. He has a habit of falling for women that are already in love with other men, as only they seem to spark his interest. But he is painfully aware that no woman can truly get to know and accept him.
He spends his evenings alone, strolling through the city streets and writing in his diary. His nature is that of a spectator, he prefers to observe people from afar, rather than spend time in their company. On the other hand, he doesn't have a high opinion of himself, either.
I'm going through grey days and dark moments. I'm not happy. But I wouldn't take the place of anybody else; my heart cringes at the thought that I could be one of my acquaintances.[...] I don't particularly like myself, neither the shell, nor the core. But I wouldn't want to be anybody else.
Pastor Gregorius is the man he despises and dreads the most and, after the preacher's beautiful wife asks for his help in a delicate matter, Doctor Glas abandons his reserved position and decides to interfere. But how far is he willing to go for the woman who gradually becomes the object of his affection, he who used to hide behind the screen of duty when it came to breaking the law?
I can see why this novel was considered controversial in 1905 - Hjalmar Söderberg touches some sensitive topics: abortion, assisted suicide (which he envisions as a human right in the future), sexuality, morality and religion. In my opinion, the novel hasn't lost its flavor, so it's totally worth reading it.
Although more than a hundred years old, this novel feels as fresh as if written yesterday. The only hint of its age are depictions of places in Stockholm that no longer exist and some obsolete debates (on abortion, for example), but otherwise the language doesn't fell dated and the ideas are as universal as ever.
Tyko Gabriel Glas is a young doctor in Stockholm. He is intelligent and well-off, but his cynical view of life has made him a solitary man. He has a habit of falling for women that are already in love with other men, as only they seem to spark his interest. But he is painfully aware that no woman can truly get to know and accept him.
He spends his evenings alone, strolling through the city streets and writing in his diary. His nature is that of a spectator, he prefers to observe people from afar, rather than spend time in their company. On the other hand, he doesn't have a high opinion of himself, either.
I'm going through grey days and dark moments. I'm not happy. But I wouldn't take the place of anybody else; my heart cringes at the thought that I could be one of my acquaintances.[...] I don't particularly like myself, neither the shell, nor the core. But I wouldn't want to be anybody else.
Pastor Gregorius is the man he despises and dreads the most and, after the preacher's beautiful wife asks for his help in a delicate matter, Doctor Glas abandons his reserved position and decides to interfere. But how far is he willing to go for the woman who gradually becomes the object of his affection, he who used to hide behind the screen of duty when it came to breaking the law?
I can see why this novel was considered controversial in 1905 - Hjalmar Söderberg touches some sensitive topics: abortion, assisted suicide (which he envisions as a human right in the future), sexuality, morality and religion. In my opinion, the novel hasn't lost its flavor, so it's totally worth reading it.
April 24, 2020
Hep o son hamleyi yapmamış olmak. Böylece bir başkasının kendisini sevmesinin önünde barikat kurmak. Hamle yapma yerine sonrasındaki ihtimaller üzerinde durmak. Toplumun değer yargıları ve ahlaki normları ile birlikte ilişkinin doğasını, ve bunun muhtemel ilişkiye etkisi üzerine kafa yormak. Bu sebeple hareketsiz kalmak. Aynı sahnenin defalarca aynı şekilde tekerrür etmesi. Bir daha aynı fırsatı yakalayamayacağının sıkıntısı. Sonrası kitabın başlığı.
Not: Romanın orjinal adının Dr. Glass olduğunu hatırlatalım. Önyargısı olan arkadaşlar için: İyi bir Türkçesi var kitabın, rahat okunuyor. Arka kapaktaki bir iki yazım hatasını saymazsak ve içerideki okunmasına engel olmayan küçük sürprizi saymazsak roman editöryal bir başarı. Özetle bu güzel kitabı kaçırmayın derim...
Not: Romanın orjinal adının Dr. Glass olduğunu hatırlatalım. Önyargısı olan arkadaşlar için: İyi bir Türkçesi var kitabın, rahat okunuyor. Arka kapaktaki bir iki yazım hatasını saymazsak ve içerideki okunmasına engel olmayan küçük sürprizi saymazsak roman editöryal bir başarı. Özetle bu güzel kitabı kaçırmayın derim...
July 25, 2017
When I finished this book I didn't feel much impressed however it grew on me in time. There are some passages that I came back to read again and again.
Its a strange, insightful and interesting book written at the beginning of 20th century. The story is about a young doctor who either pities or despises his patients and plays the judge and the jury and the executioner sometimes.
The book makes you question fundamental issues such as morals, ethics and faith.
Its a strange, insightful and interesting book written at the beginning of 20th century. The story is about a young doctor who either pities or despises his patients and plays the judge and the jury and the executioner sometimes.
The book makes you question fundamental issues such as morals, ethics and faith.
April 25, 2017
Πάρα πολύ δυνατό βιβλίο! Με ξάφνιασε ευχάριστα η προσέγγιση του συγγραφέα αλλά και η φιλοσοφία που ανέπτυξε γύρω από τα κεντρικά θέματα του βιβλίου. Συνδυάζει Dostoyevsky και Camus με έναν ιδιαίτερα όμορφο τρόπο!
Προτείνεται ανεπιφύλακτα :)
Προτείνεται ανεπιφύλακτα :)
May 1, 2020
"What is moonshine? Secondhand sunshine. Diluted, counterfeit."
Extremely thought-provoking, especially regarding views on abortion, euthanasia, marital rights and morally justified murder. No wonder it had the crowd roaring in protest at the time it was published.
November 15, 2020
Ο κόσμος του δόκτωρ Γκλας προσωπικός, μουσικός και διάφανος όπως και το όνομά του, θέτει τολμηρά ερωτήματα και μας δείχνει πόσο χαμένος και μόνος μπορεί να είναι μέσα στο σύγχρονο αστικό περιβάλλον. Σε ημερολογιακή μορφή και γραμμένο με υπέροχη δεξιοτεχνία, ο γιατρός Τύκο Γκλας σε τραβά στην κρυστάλλινη άβυσσό του.
"Μάλλον είμαι ο τυπικός οικογενειακός γιατρός με τη μεγάλη εμπειρία και την ήρεμη καθησυχαστική ματιά. Οι άνθρωποι θα μου είχαν λιγότερη εμπιστοσύνη αν ήξεραν πόσο ανήσυχος είναι ο ύπνος μου.
"Η αλήθεια είναι σαν τον ήλιο. Η αξία της για την ύπαρξή μας εξαρτάται αποκλειστικά και μόνο από τη σωστή απόσταση που πρέπει να κρατήσουμε απέναντί της"
"Θέλουμε να τα έχουμε όλα, θέλουμε να είμαστε τα πάντα. Θέλουμε τη χαρά της ευτυχίας και την άβυσσο της θλίψης. Θέλουμε την ίδια στιγμή να είμαστε η μοναχική σκέψη και η φωνή του πλήθους"
¨Εμείς οι άνθρωποι ξέρουμε τόσο λίγα ο ένας για τον άλλον. Αγκαλιάζουμε μια σκιά και αγαπάμε ένα όνειρο"
"Μάλλον είμαι ο τυπικός οικογενειακός γιατρός με τη μεγάλη εμπειρία και την ήρεμη καθησυχαστική ματιά. Οι άνθρωποι θα μου είχαν λιγότερη εμπιστοσύνη αν ήξεραν πόσο ανήσυχος είναι ο ύπνος μου.
"Η αλήθεια είναι σαν τον ήλιο. Η αξία της για την ύπαρξή μας εξαρτάται αποκλειστικά και μόνο από τη σωστή απόσταση που πρέπει να κρατήσουμε απέναντί της"
"Θέλουμε να τα έχουμε όλα, θέλουμε να είμαστε τα πάντα. Θέλουμε τη χαρά της ευτυχίας και την άβυσσο της θλίψης. Θέλουμε την ίδια στιγμή να είμαστε η μοναχική σκέψη και η φωνή του πλήθους"
¨Εμείς οι άνθρωποι ξέρουμε τόσο λίγα ο ένας για τον άλλον. Αγκαλιάζουμε μια σκιά και αγαπάμε ένα όνειρο"
April 4, 2017
Το βιβλίο κυκλοφόρησε στα ελληνικά πριν λίγες μέρες, εγώ το αγόρασα σήμερα, το ξεκίνησα άμεσα και πριν λίγα λεπτά το τελείωσα κιόλας! Εντάξει, δεν είναι και κάνα τούβλο, άνετα διαβάζεται σε λίγες ώρες, αλλά πραγματικά με συνεπήρε και ουσιαστικά το διάβασα σε δυο "καθισιές". Πως κι έτσι; Απλά μου φάνηκε εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρον, πολύ καλογραμμένο και ευκολοδιάβαστο, η προσωπική ημερολογιακή αφήγηση του ιδιαίτερου πρωταγωνιστή με βύθισε στον μελαγχολικό κόσμο της ιστορίας και σε μια Στοκχόλμη που χάθηκε ανεπιστρεπτί.
Πρωταγωνιστής είναι ο Γκλας, ένας γιατρός τριάντα και κάτι χρονών, που ζει μόνος και που ποτέ δεν είχε ερωτικές σχέσεις με γυναίκες. Το μόνο που κάνει είναι να εξετάζει ασθενείς, να κάνει βόλτες, να σχολιάζει από μέσα του τα μέρη και τους ανθρώπους που βλέπει τριγύρω του, έχοντας μια κυνική άποψη για τα περισσότερα πράγματα. Δεν πρωταγωνιστεί, αλλά είναι ένας θεατής. Κάτι κενό υπάρχει μέσα του. Όμως του δίνεται η ευκαιρία να κάνει επιτέλους κάτι σημαντικό, όταν μια νεαρή ασθενής του ζητάει την βοήθειά του σχετικά με τον μεσήλικα ιερέα σύζυγό της, τον οποίο και απεχθάνεται. Η γυναίκα αυτή έχει εραστή και ουσιαστικά θέλει να διώξει μακριά τον σιχαμένο άντρας της. Τι θα κάνει ο Γκλας;
Το βιβλίο γράφτηκε πριν από εκατό δέκα χρόνια και βάλε, οπότε σίγουρα δείχνει την ηλικία του σε ορισμένα πράγματα, όπως π.χ. η αργή εξέλιξη της πλοκής, τα αρκετά φιλοσοφικά κομμάτια που καθυστερούν τα γεγονότα, και πάει λέγοντας. Όμως θα ήταν άδικο να διαβάσει κανείς το βιβλίο για την πλοκή ή την όποια δράση του. Εδώ μιλάμε για κάτι κλασικό, για ένα βιβλίο που η πλοκή δεν είναι αυτοσκοπός αλλά βοηθάει τον συγγραφέα να θίξει ζητήματα όπως η μοναξιά, η αγάπη, η ζωή και ο θάνατος. Και την διαφορά στο βιβλίο την κάνει ο ημερολογιακός τρόπος εξιστόρησης, που κάνει τον αναγνώστη ένα με τα προβλήματα και τις σκέψεις του πρωταγωνιστή. Και είμαι σίγουρος ότι εκείνα τα χρόνια το βιβλίο θα έκανε αρκετή αίσθηση, μιας και θίγονται εν συντομία και δύσκολα θέματα όπως οι εκτρώσεις και η ευθανασία. Η γραφή είναι πολύ καλή και αυτό που λέμε κλασική, όπως επίσης και κάπως μελαγχολική. Σίγουρα δεν είναι ένα βιβλίο για να περάσει κανείς ευχάριστα την ώρα του.
Υ.Γ. Όσον αφορά την ελληνική έκδοση, θα την χαρακτήριζα άψογη από κάθε άποψη, με προσεγμένη μετάφραση και πολύ χρήσιμο επίμετρο, γεμάτο με στοιχεία για το βιβλίο και τον συγγραφέα, αλλά και με ωραίες ασπρόμαυρες φωτογραφίες.
Πρωταγωνιστής είναι ο Γκλας, ένας γιατρός τριάντα και κάτι χρονών, που ζει μόνος και που ποτέ δεν είχε ερωτικές σχέσεις με γυναίκες. Το μόνο που κάνει είναι να εξετάζει ασθενείς, να κάνει βόλτες, να σχολιάζει από μέσα του τα μέρη και τους ανθρώπους που βλέπει τριγύρω του, έχοντας μια κυνική άποψη για τα περισσότερα πράγματα. Δεν πρωταγωνιστεί, αλλά είναι ένας θεατής. Κάτι κενό υπάρχει μέσα του. Όμως του δίνεται η ευκαιρία να κάνει επιτέλους κάτι σημαντικό, όταν μια νεαρή ασθενής του ζητάει την βοήθειά του σχετικά με τον μεσήλικα ιερέα σύζυγό της, τον οποίο και απεχθάνεται. Η γυναίκα αυτή έχει εραστή και ουσιαστικά θέλει να διώξει μακριά τον σιχαμένο άντρας της. Τι θα κάνει ο Γκλας;
Το βιβλίο γράφτηκε πριν από εκατό δέκα χρόνια και βάλε, οπότε σίγουρα δείχνει την ηλικία του σε ορισμένα πράγματα, όπως π.χ. η αργή εξέλιξη της πλοκής, τα αρκετά φιλοσοφικά κομμάτια που καθυστερούν τα γεγονότα, και πάει λέγοντας. Όμως θα ήταν άδικο να διαβάσει κανείς το βιβλίο για την πλοκή ή την όποια δράση του. Εδώ μιλάμε για κάτι κλασικό, για ένα βιβλίο που η πλοκή δεν είναι αυτοσκοπός αλλά βοηθάει τον συγγραφέα να θίξει ζητήματα όπως η μοναξιά, η αγάπη, η ζωή και ο θάνατος. Και την διαφορά στο βιβλίο την κάνει ο ημερολογιακός τρόπος εξιστόρησης, που κάνει τον αναγνώστη ένα με τα προβλήματα και τις σκέψεις του πρωταγωνιστή. Και είμαι σίγουρος ότι εκείνα τα χρόνια το βιβλίο θα έκανε αρκετή αίσθηση, μιας και θίγονται εν συντομία και δύσκολα θέματα όπως οι εκτρώσεις και η ευθανασία. Η γραφή είναι πολύ καλή και αυτό που λέμε κλασική, όπως επίσης και κάπως μελαγχολική. Σίγουρα δεν είναι ένα βιβλίο για να περάσει κανείς ευχάριστα την ώρα του.
Υ.Γ. Όσον αφορά την ελληνική έκδοση, θα την χαρακτήριζα άψογη από κάθε άποψη, με προσεγμένη μετάφραση και πολύ χρήσιμο επίμετρο, γεμάτο με στοιχεία για το βιβλίο και τον συγγραφέα, αλλά και με ωραίες ασπρόμαυρες φωτογραφίες.
October 22, 2020
Dugo sam mislila da su svi lekari iz manjih gradova poput Dr Hejvarda iz Tvin Piksa, prepuni razumevanja, topli, ma bolji od vrućih uštipaka. I onda se pojavi hladni Dr Glas, još neobljubljen sa svojih skoro trideset godina, koga poprilično zabole za svoje sudbinske sapatnike, što i priznaje, ali ne i za sam život (jedno desetak uzvika “Živote, ja tebe ne razumem”) i etičke principe.
Knjiga je napisana 1905, a već u njoj mladi Dr Glas postavlja odlična pitanja i vezi eutanazije, abortusa, silovanja u braku i gde je tu njegova uloga (pa čak i moć) kao lekara; ima čak i deo kad svesno zatvori svoj kabinet par dana “da ne bi preneo grip od koga je oboleo svojim pacijentima” i redovno pere ruke i dezinfikuje površine, što čini ovu knjigu TOTALNO AKTUELNOM i avaj, pokazuje da ni po kom pomenutom osnovu baš i nismo mnogo odmakli.
Knjiga je napisana 1905, a već u njoj mladi Dr Glas postavlja odlična pitanja i vezi eutanazije, abortusa, silovanja u braku i gde je tu njegova uloga (pa čak i moć) kao lekara; ima čak i deo kad svesno zatvori svoj kabinet par dana “da ne bi preneo grip od koga je oboleo svojim pacijentima” i redovno pere ruke i dezinfikuje površine, što čini ovu knjigu TOTALNO AKTUELNOM i avaj, pokazuje da ni po kom pomenutom osnovu baš i nismo mnogo odmakli.
November 18, 2020
“Queremos ser amados; à falta de amor, queremos ser admirados; à falta de admiração, ser temidos; à falta de sermos temidos, odiados e desprezados. Queremos suscitar nos outros esta ou aquela espécie de sentimento. A alma tem horror ao vazio, e quer a todo o custo manter os seus contactos."
Com a excepção de algumas entradas com introspeções demasiado metafísicas e debates morais ligeiramente ridículos em que quase se imagina um diabinho num ombro e um anjinho no outro, este romance profundamente existencialista em forma de diário é admirável. Pelos temas tão actuais e polémicos que aborda, como o aborto, o suicídio e a eutanásia, custa a acreditar que foi publicado em 1905, no entanto, as questões éticas e morais são postas em segundo plano quando temos um protagonista dúbio como o Dr. Glas. Aquele que de início parece um médico sensato e racional começa aos poucos a revelar o seu estado de alineação e a mostrar que está, acima de tudo, interessado em usar os conhecimentos médicos para atingir os seus pérfidos intentos pessoais e amorosos.
“São muitos os infelizes que vi a que teria administrado, sem o mínimo remorso, uma destas pílulas, não fora em mim, como noutras pessoas decentes, o interesse próprio e o respeito pela lei terem falado mais alto do que a compaixão. (...) Porque haveria eu de me tornar mártir em defesa de uma opinião que, mais tarde ou mais cedo, será a de toda a humanidade civilizada, mas que hoje é tida ainda por criminosa? (...) Terá de chegar, e chegará, o dia em que o direito a morrer seja considerado muito mais importante e inalienável do que o direito a introduzir um boletim numa urna eleitoral.
Com a excepção de algumas entradas com introspeções demasiado metafísicas e debates morais ligeiramente ridículos em que quase se imagina um diabinho num ombro e um anjinho no outro, este romance profundamente existencialista em forma de diário é admirável. Pelos temas tão actuais e polémicos que aborda, como o aborto, o suicídio e a eutanásia, custa a acreditar que foi publicado em 1905, no entanto, as questões éticas e morais são postas em segundo plano quando temos um protagonista dúbio como o Dr. Glas. Aquele que de início parece um médico sensato e racional começa aos poucos a revelar o seu estado de alineação e a mostrar que está, acima de tudo, interessado em usar os conhecimentos médicos para atingir os seus pérfidos intentos pessoais e amorosos.
“São muitos os infelizes que vi a que teria administrado, sem o mínimo remorso, uma destas pílulas, não fora em mim, como noutras pessoas decentes, o interesse próprio e o respeito pela lei terem falado mais alto do que a compaixão. (...) Porque haveria eu de me tornar mártir em defesa de uma opinião que, mais tarde ou mais cedo, será a de toda a humanidade civilizada, mas que hoje é tida ainda por criminosa? (...) Terá de chegar, e chegará, o dia em que o direito a morrer seja considerado muito mais importante e inalienável do que o direito a introduzir um boletim numa urna eleitoral.
August 3, 2018
Νομίζω πως ο Δόκτωρ Γκλας μπήκε στη λίστα με τα αγαπημένα μου βιβλία!
Ήταν μεγάλη έκπληξη για μένα, το πόσο κοντινές ένιωσα σκέψεις και ιδέες του πρωταγωνιστή (με δεδομένο ότι ο Γκλας "έζησε" πριν περίπου 100 χρόνια) και υπήρχαν στιγμές κατά την ανάγνωσή του, που ξεχνιόμουν ότι διάβαζα κάτι γραμμένο τόσο παλιά και όχι κάτι σημερινό. Ένα βιβλίο βαθιά φιλοσοφικό, με μια γραφή που κυλάει σα νεράκι και με ζητήματα επίκαιρα και πανανθρώπινα.
Θα 'θελα να το ξαναδιαβάσω σίγουρα κάποια στιγμή!
Ήταν μεγάλη έκπληξη για μένα, το πόσο κοντινές ένιωσα σκέψεις και ιδέες του πρωταγωνιστή (με δεδομένο ότι ο Γκλας "έζησε" πριν περίπου 100 χρόνια) και υπήρχαν στιγμές κατά την ανάγνωσή του, που ξεχνιόμουν ότι διάβαζα κάτι γραμμένο τόσο παλιά και όχι κάτι σημερινό. Ένα βιβλίο βαθιά φιλοσοφικό, με μια γραφή που κυλάει σα νεράκι και με ζητήματα επίκαιρα και πανανθρώπινα.
Θα 'θελα να το ξαναδιαβάσω σίγουρα κάποια στιγμή!
July 1, 2018
مثال حيّ على كيف تخلق شخصيات روائية جيدة تردد من خلالها أفكارك الفلسفية وأسئلتك الوجودية وتحليلاتك المتأرجحة بين المنطق واللا معقول، مع قدر لا بأس به من التأملات في الكون والبشر والذات، ثم تفسد كل هذا بأسلوب توثيقي جاف وسرد يكاد يقتل القارئ من فرط الملل.
تمت
November 22, 2020
"Η αλήθεια είναι σαν τον ήλιο: η αξία της για την ύπαρξή μας εξαρτάται αποκλειστικά και μόνο από τη σωστή απόσταση που πρέπει να κρατήσουμε απέναντι της." Κι ευτυχώς υπάρχουν βιβλία, θα προσθέσω εγώ, που παίρνουν την ευθύνη να μας κάψουν.
November 14, 2021
Originally published in 1905, this is a dark novel written in the form of a diary and doesn’t seem out of date. The doctors thoughts are disturbing and hard to look away from. A man who probably shouldn’t have been a doctor as he seems disgusted by bodily functions and acts (his description of childbirth is grotesque!), he’s lonely and isolated and misanthropic. It’s definitely reminiscent of Zola and Dostoevsky, he mentions Raskolnikov and Therese Raquin himself and similar to those books, Doctor Glas makes decisions about life and death (abortion, euthanasia, murder etc). It reads quite modern and in this edition, Margaret Atwood’s introduction is also worth reading.
September 1, 2013
I rather fell in love with this book. It’s concise—more a novella than a novel—and the plot is extremely simple, hardly more than a vehicle for the first person narrator’s dark philosophical meditations. But that doesn’t prevent it from being a compelling read.
The novel’s great strength is its voice. It takes the form of a series of diary entries over a few summer months in Stockholm, in an unidentified year close to the time of composition (it was published in 1905, apparently much to the épatement of the bourgeois, touching as it does on scandalous subjects such as abortion). The diarist is a thirty-something doctor, Tyko Gabriel Glas, whose smooth social surface conceals a turbid inner life, compounded of thwarted romanticism, sexual phobia, and a proto-existentialist consciousness of the meaningless of the universe. Glas is unhappy and self-hating, yet at the same time half in love with his outsiderdom, as his astute and cynical alter-ego journalist friend Markel remarks at one point.
There are people who lack all talent for happiness and know it with painful, inescapable clarity. Such people don’t strive for happiness, but to bring a little order and distinction to their unhappiness … Glas is one of them.
Glas’s attempt to bring order to his unhappiness takes a peculiar form, arising from his half-chivalric, half-erotic obsession with a pastor’s young wife, and his corresponding feeling of repulsion for her much older husband, who clearly embodies for him much of what he loathes in his culture. The meetings with husband and wife that punctuate the novel are beautifully handled, especially those with the wife, whose attitude to the doctor is intriguingly ambiguous. (Does she feel the genuine admiration and meeting of souls she suggests? Or has she intuited his infatuation and decided to exploit it?) I shan’t go into the way in which this situation is resolved—or not resolved—as it would be difficult to do so without spoilers. Suffice to say I thought the ending superb.
Dr Glas is one of those books with nominally dark subject-matter that is far from depressing to read. It’s a delight, in fact. The protagonist’s diaristic meanderings are fresh and eccentric and unpredictable, and the writing is wonderful (in so far as one can tell in translation). I found the Stockholm setting evocative as well.
As a sample, here is Dr Glas, at a dramatic moment in the novel, distracted by his consciousness streaming off in an unexpected direction:
Suppose I allow her to love me? I’m so lonely. Last winter I had a tabby cat, but he ran off come spring. I’m put in mind of him now, as the light of the first autumn hearth fire dances over the flame-red rug. He’d lie there, just in front of the hearth and purr. In vain I exerted myself to win his affection. He lapped up my milk and warmed himself by my fire, but his heart remained cold. What became of you, Smutter? You had decadent tendencies. I fear you may have fallen into dissolute ways, if you are still roaming the earth. Last night I heard a cat’s cry in the churchyard and I was sure I recognized your voice.
I love those rhythms. There’s an edition of this novel by Harvill Press with what sounds like an excellent introduction by Margaret Atwood, to judge from this sample:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2002/...
The novel’s great strength is its voice. It takes the form of a series of diary entries over a few summer months in Stockholm, in an unidentified year close to the time of composition (it was published in 1905, apparently much to the épatement of the bourgeois, touching as it does on scandalous subjects such as abortion). The diarist is a thirty-something doctor, Tyko Gabriel Glas, whose smooth social surface conceals a turbid inner life, compounded of thwarted romanticism, sexual phobia, and a proto-existentialist consciousness of the meaningless of the universe. Glas is unhappy and self-hating, yet at the same time half in love with his outsiderdom, as his astute and cynical alter-ego journalist friend Markel remarks at one point.
There are people who lack all talent for happiness and know it with painful, inescapable clarity. Such people don’t strive for happiness, but to bring a little order and distinction to their unhappiness … Glas is one of them.
Glas’s attempt to bring order to his unhappiness takes a peculiar form, arising from his half-chivalric, half-erotic obsession with a pastor’s young wife, and his corresponding feeling of repulsion for her much older husband, who clearly embodies for him much of what he loathes in his culture. The meetings with husband and wife that punctuate the novel are beautifully handled, especially those with the wife, whose attitude to the doctor is intriguingly ambiguous. (Does she feel the genuine admiration and meeting of souls she suggests? Or has she intuited his infatuation and decided to exploit it?) I shan’t go into the way in which this situation is resolved—or not resolved—as it would be difficult to do so without spoilers. Suffice to say I thought the ending superb.
Dr Glas is one of those books with nominally dark subject-matter that is far from depressing to read. It’s a delight, in fact. The protagonist’s diaristic meanderings are fresh and eccentric and unpredictable, and the writing is wonderful (in so far as one can tell in translation). I found the Stockholm setting evocative as well.
As a sample, here is Dr Glas, at a dramatic moment in the novel, distracted by his consciousness streaming off in an unexpected direction:
Suppose I allow her to love me? I’m so lonely. Last winter I had a tabby cat, but he ran off come spring. I’m put in mind of him now, as the light of the first autumn hearth fire dances over the flame-red rug. He’d lie there, just in front of the hearth and purr. In vain I exerted myself to win his affection. He lapped up my milk and warmed himself by my fire, but his heart remained cold. What became of you, Smutter? You had decadent tendencies. I fear you may have fallen into dissolute ways, if you are still roaming the earth. Last night I heard a cat’s cry in the churchyard and I was sure I recognized your voice.
I love those rhythms. There’s an edition of this novel by Harvill Press with what sounds like an excellent introduction by Margaret Atwood, to judge from this sample:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2002/...
January 31, 2020
Изненађујуће свеж и модеран роман иако написан почетком ХХ века (тачније 1905. године). Пратимо дневничке записе младог стокхолмског лекара Тика Габријела Гласа. Занимљива је етиологија имена (али о томе више у поговору Доријана Хајдуа!). Др Глас је тридесеттрогодишњак, идеалиста, интроверт, али и интелигентни и реални посматрач друштва и света око себе. Иако има добар друштвени и материјални статус, Глас није задовољан својим животом; он жели да се нешто деси, да нешто у свом животу промени. Та промена доћи ће у виду госпође Грегоријус, супруге цењеног свештеника, која долази у његову ординацију једнога дана и поверава му се о својим брачним проблемима. Глас се у својим забелешкама дотиче и „контроверзних“ тема, попут права на абортус, религије и њених ограничења, сексуалности, морала, све до одузимања живота.
Седерберг нам врло вешто преноси Гласова размишљања, у почетку одмерена и рационална, да би, како се догађаји нижу, записи постали краћи, искрзанији, хаотичнији, што све одражава и само психичко стање главног јунака. Види се да је Седерберг подробно проучавао и психолошке тенденције свог времена.
Код нас је преведен још један његов роман, такође у издању Агоре, тако да свакако и он иде на листу за читање.
Седерберг нам врло вешто преноси Гласова размишљања, у почетку одмерена и рационална, да би, како се догађаји нижу, записи постали краћи, искрзанији, хаотичнији, што све одражава и само психичко стање главног јунака. Види се да је Седерберг подробно проучавао и психолошке тенденције свог времена.
Код нас је преведен још један његов роман, такође у издању Агоре, тако да свакако и он иде на листу за читање.
February 27, 2022
وقت القراءة الرسمي اسبوعين وكام يوم
وقت القراءة الفعلي يومين مكثفين
رواية جميلة أجلت قرائتها كتير. مدهشة في رقتها وقدرتها على إبراز الهشاشة الانسانية بوضوح وقسوة استثنائيين في آن واحد، من خلال عالم كلاس الموحش والكئيب والمثير للشفقة.
وقت القراءة الفعلي يومين مكثفين
رواية جميلة أجلت قرائتها كتير. مدهشة في رقتها وقدرتها على إبراز الهشاشة الانسانية بوضوح وقسوة استثنائيين في آن واحد، من خلال عالم كلاس الموحش والكئيب والمثير للشفقة.
July 22, 2022
I wanted to read this again because the first time I read it translated into English. This time I read it untranslated, in its original language, Swedish. I felt this was important because the lyrical prose is an essential element of the reading experience. My hunch was right. My reaction toward the book was this time much better.
The prose captures time and place wonderfully. Stockholm is both accurately and movingly drawn. The city itself as well as the prevalent social mores are the story’s focus. Men are the ones who decide. Abortion is illegal. Wives hold a subordinate position to their husbands. We observe the consequences. The story is set at the end of the 19th century. We read the diary entries of the story’s eponymous Doctor Glas.
The prose is an essential component of the tale. Why? Because we are in the head of Doctor Glas. His thoughts, as we read them, must feel real. His distress must come through. The story is first and foremost a psychological study.
Doctor Glas is in his 30s. The young and beautiful wife of Reverend Gregorius asks Doctor Glas for help. She is repulsed by her husband’s sexual demands, but what rights does she have? What is morally right? How does love fit into the picture? What does Doctor Glas do? Does he follow the rules set by society or does he do that which he thinks is best?
The book, when it first came out, caused an uproar. Hjalmar Söderberg dared to speak out against the illegality of abortion. He dared to support the rights of women, and that the story’s prime antagonist is a despicable preacher upset many. Some even claimed the story condoned !
I love how Hjalmar Söderberg speaks of moonlight. He draws it in reference to both the young and the old--for the first it holds promise but for the latter proof of disappointments and missed opportunities. The moonlight seen in Stockholm is not the moonlight of Uppsala, nor that in Viktor Rydberg's Tomten which every Swede has an indelible picture of in their head. The picture book is a Swedish classic loved by all.
The writing is lyrical and captures precisely the doctor’s state of mind. The prose is moving. Sections read as prose poetry. It’s a pleasure to read. It’s why the book is best read in Swedish.
Emil Rhenström narrates the Swedish rendering of the tale very well. The narration I have given four stars. He captures Doctor Glas’ mental and psychological state. I did turn down the speed a bit.
************************
*Den allvarsamma leken 4 stars
*Doktor Glas 4 stars in Swedish (3 stars translated version)
*Gertrud TBR
The prose captures time and place wonderfully. Stockholm is both accurately and movingly drawn. The city itself as well as the prevalent social mores are the story’s focus. Men are the ones who decide. Abortion is illegal. Wives hold a subordinate position to their husbands. We observe the consequences. The story is set at the end of the 19th century. We read the diary entries of the story’s eponymous Doctor Glas.
The prose is an essential component of the tale. Why? Because we are in the head of Doctor Glas. His thoughts, as we read them, must feel real. His distress must come through. The story is first and foremost a psychological study.
Doctor Glas is in his 30s. The young and beautiful wife of Reverend Gregorius asks Doctor Glas for help. She is repulsed by her husband’s sexual demands, but what rights does she have? What is morally right? How does love fit into the picture? What does Doctor Glas do? Does he follow the rules set by society or does he do that which he thinks is best?
The book, when it first came out, caused an uproar. Hjalmar Söderberg dared to speak out against the illegality of abortion. He dared to support the rights of women, and that the story’s prime antagonist is a despicable preacher upset many. Some even claimed the story condoned !
I love how Hjalmar Söderberg speaks of moonlight. He draws it in reference to both the young and the old--for the first it holds promise but for the latter proof of disappointments and missed opportunities. The moonlight seen in Stockholm is not the moonlight of Uppsala, nor that in Viktor Rydberg's Tomten which every Swede has an indelible picture of in their head. The picture book is a Swedish classic loved by all.
The writing is lyrical and captures precisely the doctor’s state of mind. The prose is moving. Sections read as prose poetry. It’s a pleasure to read. It’s why the book is best read in Swedish.
Emil Rhenström narrates the Swedish rendering of the tale very well. The narration I have given four stars. He captures Doctor Glas’ mental and psychological state. I did turn down the speed a bit.
************************
*Den allvarsamma leken 4 stars
*Doktor Glas 4 stars in Swedish (3 stars translated version)
*Gertrud TBR
June 13, 2017
Vita, proprio non ti capisco
Qualche giorno fa, causa un malanno che non vuole passare, sono andato da un medico che mi hanno consigliato (la mia dottoressa della ASL la equiparo per competenza a un pasticcere di scarsa qualità).
Mi siedo e inizia l'anamnesi, il solito fuoco di domande e risposte.
A un certo punto squilla il telefono e il medico, scusandosi, risponde. Dall'altro capo del filo capisco esserci la segretaria. Oggetto della conversazione: una signora ha chiamato e insiste con foga per avere supporto del medico per problemi del marito.
Il dottore prima risponde con calma, poi, ridendo, dice: "il punto è che lei non sopporta più lui! Inutile girarci intorno. Dobbiamo solo decidere se sopprimere lui o lei!"
Mi guarda, lo guardo. Sorride, sorrido.
Quando mette giù il telefono dice: "a volte purtroppo è questo il problema. Non ci si sopporta più."
Quale sorpresa ho provato quando, leggendo il libro Il dottor Glas, mi sono ritrovato esattamente la stessa situazione; solo che nel libro il medico non scherza e decide che per "curare" una signora, sia necessario eliminare il suo problema, ossia il marito.
Un libro di rara profondità, questo.
Veloce, breve, coinvolgente, inquietante, efficace, affilato come una lama, chirurgico.
Un libro che si basa sul concetto di morale.
Cos'è? Esiste? Ha senso parlare di morale comune?
Esistono dei diritti e dei doveri nel matrimonio?
E' moralmente corretto l'aborto?
E l'eutanasia?
Ha senso parlare di rispetto per la vita umana?
"Il rispetto per la vita umana – cos’altro è sulla mia bocca se non una squallida ipocrisia, e cos’altro può essere per chi di tanto in tanto abbia trascorso un momento libero a pensare. Il mondo brulica di vite umane. E nessuno, forse con l’eccezione di qualche filantropo davvero ridicolo, ha mai dato seriamente il minimo peso a vite umane estranee, sconosciute, ignorate. Lo dimostrano i fatti. Tutti i governi e i parlamentari del mondo lo dimostrano."
Soffermandosi poi nel dettaglio: se il matrimonio è indissolubile "finché morte non ci separi" e non si sopporta più il coniuge e se questi avanza in continuazione diritti in merito a richieste cui non vogliamo o possiamo più sottostare quale può essere l'unica via di uscita?
Ognuno ha la sua visione personale su queste cose. Visione che dipende dalla sua cultura, dal contesto in cui vive, dalle sue convinzioni politiche e religiose, dalla sua età e consapevolezza. E' soggetta a convenzioni e cambia in continuazione.
"La morale è uno degli utensili domestici, non una divinità. Deve essere adoperata, non deve dominare. E deve essere adoperata con buon senso, con un granellino di sale. È saggio far proprie le usanze di dove ci si reca; è sciocco farlo con convinzione. Io sono un viandante nel mondo, guardo le usanze degli uomini e scelgo ciò che mi serve. E morale viene da mores, costumi; si basa interamente sul costume, sull’usanza; non ha nessun altro fondamento."
Incredibilmente avanti Soderberg. Pensare e scrivere queste cose nel 1905 non era affatto facile. Mi domando come mai questi temi scomodi vengano affrontati e discussi in modo così diretto e senza giri di parole. Mentalità o assenza di condizionamenti religiosi?
October 6, 2018
O Doutor Glas foi publicado, pela primeira vez, na Suécia em 1905, altura em que gerou polémica pela ousadia com que Hjalmar Söderberg fala de sexo e morte, tendo sido entendido como a apologia do aborto, eutanásia e assassínio.
Glas é um homem melancólico e solitário, que vive em conflito entre o dever como médico e o que ele pensa como pessoa. É um homem culto e uma alma sensível, que ama a Beleza, potenciada pelo seu amor à música e à literatura, e que abomina tudo o que é carnal, sujo, doente; tudo aquilo que torna o mundo Feio e que deveria ser eliminado.
É um romance incómodo que nos obriga a despojar da capa de hipocrisia e, libertos de ideias preconcebidas e politicamente correctas, ir ao fundo de nós mesmos procurar o que verdadeiramente pensamos sobre assuntos que apenas ligeiramente afloramos.
"Queremos ser amados; à falta de amor, queremos ser admirados; à falta de admiração, ser temidos; à falta de sermos temidos, odiados e desprezados. Queremos suscitar nos outros esta ou aquela espécie de sentimento. A alma tem horror ao vazio, e quer a todo o custo manter os seus contactos."
"Terá de chegar, e chegará, o dia em que o direito a morrer seja considerado muito mais importante e inalienável do que o direito a introduzir um boletim numa urna eleitoral. E quando os tempos estiverem maduros para esse dia, todo o doente incurável terá direito à assistência do médico, caso deseje a libertação."
Glas é um homem melancólico e solitário, que vive em conflito entre o dever como médico e o que ele pensa como pessoa. É um homem culto e uma alma sensível, que ama a Beleza, potenciada pelo seu amor à música e à literatura, e que abomina tudo o que é carnal, sujo, doente; tudo aquilo que torna o mundo Feio e que deveria ser eliminado.
É um romance incómodo que nos obriga a despojar da capa de hipocrisia e, libertos de ideias preconcebidas e politicamente correctas, ir ao fundo de nós mesmos procurar o que verdadeiramente pensamos sobre assuntos que apenas ligeiramente afloramos.
"Queremos ser amados; à falta de amor, queremos ser admirados; à falta de admiração, ser temidos; à falta de sermos temidos, odiados e desprezados. Queremos suscitar nos outros esta ou aquela espécie de sentimento. A alma tem horror ao vazio, e quer a todo o custo manter os seus contactos."
"Terá de chegar, e chegará, o dia em que o direito a morrer seja considerado muito mais importante e inalienável do que o direito a introduzir um boletim numa urna eleitoral. E quando os tempos estiverem maduros para esse dia, todo o doente incurável terá direito à assistência do médico, caso deseje a libertação."
April 2, 2013
Sexual obsession and oppression, along with
abortion, euthanasia, murder, the tyranny of
religion and other condiments that make up Life,
are vividly explored in this startling psychological
novel first published in 1905. The solitary young
Dr. Glas must advise a woman whose minister husband
is a boor. Has he too much or too little carnal
knowledge?
abortion, euthanasia, murder, the tyranny of
religion and other condiments that make up Life,
are vividly explored in this startling psychological
novel first published in 1905. The solitary young
Dr. Glas must advise a woman whose minister husband
is a boor. Has he too much or too little carnal
knowledge?
November 26, 2024
خیلی کتاب جالبی بود و از کتابهایی که منو به فکر ببره خیلی خوشم میاد، تو لایه های کتاب وضعیت گیر افتاده زنان رو در بستر زناشویی و بچه داری و فقر و قدرت مردان و مذهب در صد سال پیش جامعه سوئد میشه دید. و همینطور چی درسته و چی غلط؟ عدالت رو کی تعریف میکنه؟ مرز اخلاقیات کجاست؟
September 6, 2013
"I'm sitting at my open window now and writing this - for whom? Not for any friend or girlfriend, scarcely even for myself, for I don't read today what I wrote yesterday, and I won't be reading this tomorrow [...]
What I'm writing on these pages isn't a confession; to whom should I confess? I don't relate everything about myself. I relate only what it pleases me to relate, but I never say anything untrue. Not that I can lie away my souls misery, if miserable it must be."
Synopsis
Doctor Glas, an epistolary novel by Hjalmar Söderberg, tells the story of a physician in 19th-century Sweden who deals with moral and love issues. Published in 1905, it takes the form of a journal over the course of a sultry summer. Doctor Glas is the main character, while the antagonist is Reverend Gregorius, a morally corrupt clergyman. Gregorius' beautiful young wife confides in Doctor Glas that her sex life is making her miserable and asks for his help. Glas, in love with her, agrees to help even though she already has another adulterous lover. He attempts to intervene, but the Reverend refuses to give up his "marital rights" - she must have sex* with him whether she likes it or not. So, in order to make his love happy, he begins to plot her husband's murder.
*A husband's right to sexual intercourse was assured by law in several ways. It was impossible for a husband to be tried for rape, because by marrying the wife had 'given herself up' sexually to her husband; cohabiting with her husband meant he could rape her with impunity. A woman's pleasure was supposed to be derived purely and entirely from making him happy and her only sex-related desire was for motherhood. Any women who went outside of this rigid boundary (e.g. those who admitted to sexual desires, had sex with men outside of marriage, unmarried mothers, lesbians and prostitutes) were labelled 'immoral', 'impure', 'scandalous', 'fallen' or 'mentally ill'. A woman who left her husband or was divorced would find herself outcast from respectable society, although she did nothing wrong.
Author
Hjalmar Söderberg (1869-1941) was one of the most distinguished of Scandinavian novelists. He was born and raised in Stockholm and spent the last twenty-five years of his life in Copenhagen. After working as a civil servant, he turned to journalism and eventually devoted himself full-time to a literary career. In addition to novels he wrote short stories and plays as well as literary criticism and philosophical works about religion. He has been praised for his fictional vignettes of Stockholm life and for being a forerunner in the use of psychoanalytic theory and stream-of-consciousness in his fiction. Söderberg's novels include Confusions, Martin Birck's Youth, and The Serious Game; Doctor Glas is regarded as his masterpiece.
My review
Stark, brooding, and enormously controversial when first published in 1905, this astonishing novel juxtaposes impressions of fin-de-siècle Stockholm against the psychological landscape of a man besieged by obsession. Lonely and introspective, solitary and melancholy, Dr Glas is a sad, tragic figure and a tortured soul.
Loneliness, in one form or another, provides the leitmotif of this book.
"It makes me feel as if there's no one in the world lonely at this moment but I. I, doctor of medicine Tyko Gabriel Glas, who sometimes helps others but has never been able to help himself, and who, on entering his thirty-fourth year of life, has never yet been with a woman."
"Nothing diminishes a man and drags him down so much as the consciousness of not being loved."
"People want to be loved; failing that admired; failing that feared; failing that hated and despised. They want to evoke some sort of sentiment. The soul shudders before oblivion and seeks connection at any price."
I found the emotional pull of Dr. Glas's loneliness to be very strong, especially during his grey days and black hours. I felt so bad for him I just wanted to take him in my arms. Equally there were times when my repulsion of him were as tenacious as those he held for Reverend Gregorius.
Doctor Glas is one of those marvellous books that appears as fresh and vivid now as on the day it was published. And even in translation, the integrity of the writing compels. It deals with issues such as abortion, women's rights, suicide, euthanasia, and eugenics. This is a powerful novel.
As the English writer William Sansom has said, "In most of its writing and much of the frankness of its thought, it might have been written tomorrow."
An impressive book and certainly recommended.
Postscript: In 2012 a restaurant called Doktor Glas was opened in Gothenburg in recognition of the book's place in Swedish literature.
I am dedicating this review to another Goodreads reader Richard because he very kindly and patiently assisted a fellow reader and non-techhead in learning the tricks of adding a photo. Thanks Richard!
What I'm writing on these pages isn't a confession; to whom should I confess? I don't relate everything about myself. I relate only what it pleases me to relate, but I never say anything untrue. Not that I can lie away my souls misery, if miserable it must be."
Synopsis
Doctor Glas, an epistolary novel by Hjalmar Söderberg, tells the story of a physician in 19th-century Sweden who deals with moral and love issues. Published in 1905, it takes the form of a journal over the course of a sultry summer. Doctor Glas is the main character, while the antagonist is Reverend Gregorius, a morally corrupt clergyman. Gregorius' beautiful young wife confides in Doctor Glas that her sex life is making her miserable and asks for his help. Glas, in love with her, agrees to help even though she already has another adulterous lover. He attempts to intervene, but the Reverend refuses to give up his "marital rights" - she must have sex* with him whether she likes it or not. So, in order to make his love happy, he begins to plot her husband's murder.
*A husband's right to sexual intercourse was assured by law in several ways. It was impossible for a husband to be tried for rape, because by marrying the wife had 'given herself up' sexually to her husband; cohabiting with her husband meant he could rape her with impunity. A woman's pleasure was supposed to be derived purely and entirely from making him happy and her only sex-related desire was for motherhood. Any women who went outside of this rigid boundary (e.g. those who admitted to sexual desires, had sex with men outside of marriage, unmarried mothers, lesbians and prostitutes) were labelled 'immoral', 'impure', 'scandalous', 'fallen' or 'mentally ill'. A woman who left her husband or was divorced would find herself outcast from respectable society, although she did nothing wrong.
Author
Hjalmar Söderberg (1869-1941) was one of the most distinguished of Scandinavian novelists. He was born and raised in Stockholm and spent the last twenty-five years of his life in Copenhagen. After working as a civil servant, he turned to journalism and eventually devoted himself full-time to a literary career. In addition to novels he wrote short stories and plays as well as literary criticism and philosophical works about religion. He has been praised for his fictional vignettes of Stockholm life and for being a forerunner in the use of psychoanalytic theory and stream-of-consciousness in his fiction. Söderberg's novels include Confusions, Martin Birck's Youth, and The Serious Game; Doctor Glas is regarded as his masterpiece.
My review
Stark, brooding, and enormously controversial when first published in 1905, this astonishing novel juxtaposes impressions of fin-de-siècle Stockholm against the psychological landscape of a man besieged by obsession. Lonely and introspective, solitary and melancholy, Dr Glas is a sad, tragic figure and a tortured soul.
Loneliness, in one form or another, provides the leitmotif of this book.
"It makes me feel as if there's no one in the world lonely at this moment but I. I, doctor of medicine Tyko Gabriel Glas, who sometimes helps others but has never been able to help himself, and who, on entering his thirty-fourth year of life, has never yet been with a woman."
"Nothing diminishes a man and drags him down so much as the consciousness of not being loved."
"People want to be loved; failing that admired; failing that feared; failing that hated and despised. They want to evoke some sort of sentiment. The soul shudders before oblivion and seeks connection at any price."
I found the emotional pull of Dr. Glas's loneliness to be very strong, especially during his grey days and black hours. I felt so bad for him I just wanted to take him in my arms. Equally there were times when my repulsion of him were as tenacious as those he held for Reverend Gregorius.
Doctor Glas is one of those marvellous books that appears as fresh and vivid now as on the day it was published. And even in translation, the integrity of the writing compels. It deals with issues such as abortion, women's rights, suicide, euthanasia, and eugenics. This is a powerful novel.
As the English writer William Sansom has said, "In most of its writing and much of the frankness of its thought, it might have been written tomorrow."
An impressive book and certainly recommended.
Postscript: In 2012 a restaurant called Doktor Glas was opened in Gothenburg in recognition of the book's place in Swedish literature.
I am dedicating this review to another Goodreads reader Richard because he very kindly and patiently assisted a fellow reader and non-techhead in learning the tricks of adding a photo. Thanks Richard!
March 15, 2018
http://diavazontas.blogspot.gr/2018/0...
Εάν δεν είχα από την αρχή στον νου μου πως ο «Δόκτωρ Γκλας» του Γιάλμαρ Σέντερμπεργκ είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα γραμμένο το 1905, δεν θα δίσταζα να πιστέψω πως πρόκειται για ένα έργο της εποχής μας. Πρωτοποριακό, τόσο όσο προς την τεχνική της αφήγησης, όσο και ως προς τα θέματα που πραγματεύεται, ο «Δόκτωρ Γκλας» είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα που καταφέρνει δύο πράγματα ταυτόχρονα: να μιλήσει για όλα όσα απασχολούν τους ανθρώπους από καταβολής κόσμου, και να μην αφήσει τον αναγνώστη να το αφήσει από τα χέρια του.
Ο Τύκο Γκλας είναι ένας τριαντάχρονος γιατρός. Εξωτερικά πρόκειται για έναν καλογυαλισμένο εστέτ που του αρέσουν τα ωραία ρούχα, το καλό φαγητό. Εσωτερικά έχουμε έναν άνθρωπο μάλλον σε κατάθλιψη, με μεγάλα ζόρια και αντικειμενική δυσκολία στις διαπροσωπικές σχέσεις- δεν είναι τυχαίο πως σε αυτή την ηλικία παραμένει παρθένος. Ο γιατρός τρέφει σφοδρότατη αντιπάθεια για κάθε τι άσχημο, αλλά κυρίως για τον ιερέα του χωριού, τον πάστορα Γκρεγκόριους, που του είναι τόσο αντιπαθής ώστε δεν θέλει καν να τον χαιρετίσει στον δρόμο. Όταν η νεαρή όμορφη σύζυγος του πάστορα έρθει στο ιατρείο του και του ζητήσει τη βοήθειά του σε σχέση με τις σεξουαλικές ορμές του εν λόγω απεχθούς ιερέα, τότε ο Γκλας, θα τη βοηθήσει. Και θα μπει σε έναν κυκεώνα ηθικών διλημμάτων.
Κάθομαι μπροστά στο ανοιχτό παράθυρο και γράφω- για ποιον όμως; Όχι για κάποιον φίλο ή φίλη, ούτε καν για τον εαυτό μου, αφού δεν διαβάζω σήμερα αυτό που έγραψα χθες και ούτε πρόκειται να το διαβάσω αύριο. Γράφω για να κουνάω το χέρι μου, η σκέψη μου κινείται μόνη της· γράφω για να σκοτώσω τις ώρες της αγρύπνιας μου. Μα γιατί δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ; Δεν έχω κάνει τίποτα κακό.
Το μυθιστόρημα είναι γραμμένο σε μορφή ημερολογιακών καταγραφών του Γκλας, πράγμα που βοηθάει να διεισδύσουμε στη σκέψη του, αλλά κρατάει τον ρυθμό και την ατμόσφαιρα του νουάρ. Ο Δόκτωρ Γκλας αναρωτιέται για την ηθική, για τον έρωτα- τον αηδιάζει η ιδέα της σωματικότητας, πως κ��νουμε έρωτα με τα ίδια περίπου όργανα που ουρούμε-, αλλά έχει εμμονή με την αγνή μορφή του- ερωτεύεται κυρίως την λάμψη των γυναικών που είναι ερωτευμένες με έναν άλλο άντρα. Για τη ζωή και το θάνατο· την ευθανασία, την έκτρωση, την αυτοκτονία. Στο πρόσωπο του Γκρεγκόριους βλέπει τόσο μια μισητή πατρική φιγούρα, όσο και όλα όσα σιχαίνεται από αρχή. Όμως αυτό του δίνει το δικαίωμα να πράξει ανήθικα; Του δίνει το δικαίωμα να έχει λόγο στη ζωή και τον θάνατο;
Ποια σκέψη είχα άραγε πιο έντονη στο μυαλό μου όταν έφτιαχνα αυτά τα μικρά μαύρα χάπια για μένα; Να αυτοκτονήσω εξαιτίας ενός άτυχου έρωτα είναι κάτι που δεν θα μου περνούσε από το μυαλό. Πιο πιθανό θα ήταν να το έκανα εξαιτίας της φτώχειας. Η φτώχεια είναι φριχτή. Από όλα τα κακά που εντάσσονται στην κατηγορία της επιφανειακής δυστυχίας, η φτώχεια είναι αυτή που περισσότερο από όλα τα άλλα σου τρώει τα σωθικά.
Ο Γκλας είναι ένας γιατρός που σιχαίνεται το σώμα, είναι ένας γιατρός που αναρωτιέται για τον όρκο του Ιπποκράτη, για το τι είναι κακό και τι όχι. Είναι ένας άνθρωπος που έχει διαμορφώσει το δικό του αξιακό σύστημα · παράλληλα είναι ένας αντικοινωνικός παρίας παρά το καλογυαλισμένο παρουσιαστικό του. Το πιο σοκαριστικό είναι πως ταυτίστηκα σε τόσα σημεία με τη σκέψη του που όταν έρχεται η ανατροπή του βιβλίου ένιωσα σαν να υπήρχε πιθανότητα να πράξω κι εγώ όπως αυτός. Αυτό φυσικά είναι η ηθική δύναμη του κειμένου, είναι ο λόγος που ο «Δόκτωρ Γκλας» θεωρείται κλασικό αριστούργημα. Πρόκειται για ένα μυθιστόρημα ιδεών που όμως επιβάλλεται στον αναγνώστη, δεν τον αφήνει χαλαρό, τον κάνει μέτοχο των πράξεων. Και δεν θα σταματήσει να με εντυπωσιάζει πως όλα αυτά που μοιάζουν τόσο επίκαιρα σήμερα, τα σκέφτονταν οι άνθρωποι εκατό και βάλε χρόνια πριν -και μπορούσαν να τα εκφράσουν με τέτοιο τρόπο που να μας ταρακουνήσουν τώρα.
Όλοι μας θέλουμε να μας αγαπούν· εάν αυτό δεν γίνεται, τότε έστω ας μας θαυμάζουν· εάν κι αυτό δεν γίνεται, τότε να μας φοβούνται· εάν ούτε αυτό γίνεται, τότε να μας μισούν και να μας περιφρονούν. Θέλουμε οι άλλοι να νιώθουν κάτι για μaς. Η ψυχή μας τρέμει το κενό. Θέλει την επαφή, χωρίς να λογαριάζει το τίμημα.
Εάν δεν είχα από την αρχή στον νου μου πως ο «Δόκτωρ Γκλας» του Γιάλμαρ Σέντερμπεργκ είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα γραμμένο το 1905, δεν θα δίσταζα να πιστέψω πως πρόκειται για ένα έργο της εποχής μας. Πρωτοποριακό, τόσο όσο προς την τεχνική της αφήγησης, όσο και ως προς τα θέματα που πραγματεύεται, ο «Δόκτωρ Γκλας» είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα που καταφέρνει δύο πράγματα ταυτόχρονα: να μιλήσει για όλα όσα απασχολούν τους ανθρώπους από καταβολής κόσμου, και να μην αφήσει τον αναγνώστη να το αφήσει από τα χέρια του.
Ο Τύκο Γκλας είναι ένας τριαντάχρονος γιατρός. Εξωτερικά πρόκειται για έναν καλογυαλισμένο εστέτ που του αρέσουν τα ωραία ρούχα, το καλό φαγητό. Εσωτερικά έχουμε έναν άνθρωπο μάλλον σε κατάθλιψη, με μεγάλα ζόρια και αντικειμενική δυσκολία στις διαπροσωπικές σχέσεις- δεν είναι τυχαίο πως σε αυτή την ηλικία παραμένει παρθένος. Ο γιατρός τρέφει σφοδρότατη αντιπάθεια για κάθε τι άσχημο, αλλά κυρίως για τον ιερέα του χωριού, τον πάστορα Γκρεγκόριους, που του είναι τόσο αντιπαθής ώστε δεν θέλει καν να τον χαιρετίσει στον δρόμο. Όταν η νεαρή όμορφη σύζυγος του πάστορα έρθει στο ιατρείο του και του ζητήσει τη βοήθειά του σε σχέση με τις σεξουαλικές ορμές του εν λόγω απεχθούς ιερέα, τότε ο Γκλας, θα τη βοηθήσει. Και θα μπει σε έναν κυκεώνα ηθικών διλημμάτων.
Κάθομαι μπροστά στο ανοιχτό παράθυρο και γράφω- για ποιον όμως; Όχι για κάποιον φίλο ή φίλη, ούτε καν για τον εαυτό μου, αφού δεν διαβάζω σήμερα αυτό που έγραψα χθες και ούτε πρόκειται να το διαβάσω αύριο. Γράφω για να κουνάω το χέρι μου, η σκέψη μου κινείται μόνη της· γράφω για να σκοτώσω τις ώρες της αγρύπνιας μου. Μα γιατί δεν μπορώ να κοιμηθώ; Δεν έχω κάνει τίποτα κακό.
Το μυθιστόρημα είναι γραμμένο σε μορφή ημερολογιακών καταγραφών του Γκλας, πράγμα που βοηθάει να διεισδύσουμε στη σκέψη του, αλλά κρατάει τον ρυθμό και την ατμόσφαιρα του νουάρ. Ο Δόκτωρ Γκλας αναρωτιέται για την ηθική, για τον έρωτα- τον αηδιάζει η ιδέα της σωματικότητας, πως κ��νουμε έρωτα με τα ίδια περίπου όργανα που ουρούμε-, αλλά έχει εμμονή με την αγνή μορφή του- ερωτεύεται κυρίως την λάμψη των γυναικών που είναι ερωτευμένες με έναν άλλο άντρα. Για τη ζωή και το θάνατο· την ευθανασία, την έκτρωση, την αυτοκτονία. Στο πρόσωπο του Γκρεγκόριους βλέπει τόσο μια μισητή πατρική φιγούρα, όσο και όλα όσα σιχαίνεται από αρχή. Όμως αυτό του δίνει το δικαίωμα να πράξει ανήθικα; Του δίνει το δικαίωμα να έχει λόγο στη ζωή και τον θάνατο;
Ποια σκέψη είχα άραγε πιο έντονη στο μυαλό μου όταν έφτιαχνα αυτά τα μικρά μαύρα χάπια για μένα; Να αυτοκτονήσω εξαιτίας ενός άτυχου έρωτα είναι κάτι που δεν θα μου περνούσε από το μυαλό. Πιο πιθανό θα ήταν να το έκανα εξαιτίας της φτώχειας. Η φτώχεια είναι φριχτή. Από όλα τα κακά που εντάσσονται στην κατηγορία της επιφανειακής δυστυχίας, η φτώχεια είναι αυτή που περισσότερο από όλα τα άλλα σου τρώει τα σωθικά.
Ο Γκλας είναι ένας γιατρός που σιχαίνεται το σώμα, είναι ένας γιατρός που αναρωτιέται για τον όρκο του Ιπποκράτη, για το τι είναι κακό και τι όχι. Είναι ένας άνθρωπος που έχει διαμορφώσει το δικό του αξιακό σύστημα · παράλληλα είναι ένας αντικοινωνικός παρίας παρά το καλογυαλισμένο παρουσιαστικό του. Το πιο σοκαριστικό είναι πως ταυτίστηκα σε τόσα σημεία με τη σκέψη του που όταν έρχεται η ανατροπή του βιβλίου ένιωσα σαν να υπήρχε πιθανότητα να πράξω κι εγώ όπως αυτός. Αυτό φυσικά είναι η ηθική δύναμη του κειμένου, είναι ο λόγος που ο «Δόκτωρ Γκλας» θεωρείται κλασικό αριστούργημα. Πρόκειται για ένα μυθιστόρημα ιδεών που όμως επιβάλλεται στον αναγνώστη, δεν τον αφήνει χαλαρό, τον κάνει μέτοχο των πράξεων. Και δεν θα σταματήσει να με εντυπωσιάζει πως όλα αυτά που μοιάζουν τόσο επίκαιρα σήμερα, τα σκέφτονταν οι άνθρωποι εκατό και βάλε χρόνια πριν -και μπορούσαν να τα εκφράσουν με τέτοιο τρόπο που να μας ταρακουνήσουν τώρα.
Όλοι μας θέλουμε να μας αγαπούν· εάν αυτό δεν γίνεται, τότε έστω ας μας θαυμάζουν· εάν κι αυτό δεν γίνεται, τότε να μας φοβούνται· εάν ούτε αυτό γίνεται, τότε να μας μισούν και να μας περιφρονούν. Θέλουμε οι άλλοι να νιώθουν κάτι για μaς. Η ψυχή μας τρέμει το κενό. Θέλει την επαφή, χωρίς να λογαριάζει το τίμημα.
May 20, 2015
Hjalmar Söderberg (1869 – 1941)
O sueco Hjalmar Söderberg (1869 – 1941), escritor, poeta, dramaturgo e jornalista publicou em 1905 o livro “O Doutor Glas”, que na edição portuguesa da Relógio D´Água” tem uma brilhante introdução da escritora norte-americana Margaret Atwood.
“O Doutor Glas” é o diário do jovem médico Tyko Gabriel Glas, com cerca de trinta anos – que começa a 12 de Junho, algures no início do séc. XX, em Estocolmo, num Verão particularmente quente, com um calor sufocante, e que termina a 7 de Outubro – um relato quase aleatório, das vivências de um homem “só”, solitário, reservado, introspectivo, inteligente, melancólico, insatisfeito, consigo próprio e com as pessoas que o rodeiam, vivendo numa encruzilhada de desejos e de sonhos, alguns concretizáveis e outros absolutamente inconcretizáveis, uma alma torturada pelo presente e pelo futuro, mas obsessivo na concretização das suas emoções e das suas angústias, sem vislumbre de nenhuma moralidade ou preconceito, totalmente subjugado pela inveja, o ódio e a vingança.
“Queremos ser amados; à falta de amor, queremos ser admirados; à falta de admiração, ser temidos; à falta de sermos temidos, odiados e desprezados. Queremos suscitar nos outros esta ou aquela espécie de sentimento. A alma tem horror ao vazio, e quer a todo o custo manter os seus contactos.
E é com a confissão, no seu consultório, de Helga, a bonita mulher do pároco/vigário Gregorius, que afirma: - Ganhei uma repulsa terrível pelo meu marido…. Não poderia dizer-lhe que tenho uma doença, uma infecção no útero, e que ele terá, por isso, de se abster dos seus direitos, pelo menos por algum tempo? (Pág. 25) que Glas se “confessa”, tentando-a “libertar” dos “direitos conjugais” do seu marido, mas, simultaneamente, revelando uma profunda obsessão por Helga, numa conjugação complexa entre o amor, o ciúme e a inveja.
Glas interroga-se “Serei eu um “homem bom”? Poderei eu ser um homem bom?” (Pág. 87) e o seu diário, reflexo da sua vida, num espelho nem sempre límpido, a maior parte das vezes nublado; vai sendo dominado por sentimentos inconfessáveis, implausíveis e imorais, por um desprezo e um ódio injustificável, numa espécie de “Anjo da Morte”, sem constrangimentos morais ou remorsos, mas com uma procura incessante pelo desejo e pelo amor.
Nem tudo é “escuro” na vida de Glas, a paixão por Estocolmo e pelos encantos da natureza é arrebatadora, um verdadeiro naturalista que realiza passeios quase diários pelos bosques de Djurgarden, admirando a paisagem e a floresta, valorizando mais as árvores frondosas em detrimento dos pinheiros e abetos, preferindo sempre “uma vegetação verde e grandes árvores murmurantes.” (Pág. 59)
“O Doutor Glas” de Hjalmar Söderberg que teve a sua primeira edição na Suécia, em 1905, tem uma escrita inteligente, elegante, com reflexões inquietantes sobre temáticas controversas – o aborto, a eutanásia, o assassinato – e que mantém uma inquestionável actualidade.
“Estou agora junto à janela aberta a escrever estas coisas. Para quem? Não para um amigo ou uma amante. E quase nem para mim, sequer. Não leio hoje o que escrevi ontem, nem lerei amanhã o que estou a escrever hoje. Escrevo simplesmente para mover a mão, porque o pensamento, esse, move-se por sua própria iniciativa. Escrevo para matar uma hora de insónia. Porque não consigo dormir? Afinal de contas, não cometi nenhum crime.” (Pág. 18)
“Não é uma confissão o que escrevo nestas páginas. A quem me confessaria? Também não digo toda a verdade acerca de mim mesmo. Mas não digo nada que não seja verdade, embora contando somente o que me agrada contar. Não quero aumentar com mentiras a miséria da minha alma, se é de miséria que se trata.” (Pág. 18)
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