''The Serious Game'' () is a 1912 novel by

Hjalmar Söderberg Hjalmar Emil Fredrik Söderberg (2 July 1869 – 14 October 1941) was a Swedish novelist, short story writer, playwright and journalist. His works often deal with melancholy and lovelorn characters, and offer a rich portrayal of contemporary Stoc ...

. It tells the story of a man and a woman who fall in love when young, and remain in love, but stay separated and marry others. Three Swedish films based on the book have been produced: ''Den allvarsamma leken'' (1945), '' Games of Love and Loneliness'' (1977) and '' A Serious Game'' (2016).

Synopsis

Sweden at the turn of the previous century. Arvid, an ambitious and well-educated young man, meets Lydia, the daughter of a landscape painter, during an idyllic summer vacation and falls in love. Lydia, however, has other suitors, and Arvid is frightened of being tied down by his emotions. Trapped inside marriages of convenience, they struggle in later years to rekindle the promise of their romance with bitter and tragic results.

Background

The novel was inspired by Maria von Platen, a woman that Söderberg had a love affair with some years earlier. He first used the subject in the play '' Gertrud'' in 1906. In 1908, he began writing a novel on the subject, but it was unfinished. Söderberg eventually picked up the subject again in 1912, and the novel was written in the summer and autumn of 1912 and published in November.

Reception

The novel received mixed reviews on its publication.

Bo Bergman Bo Hjalmar Bergman (6 October 1869 – 17 November 1967) was a Swedish writer, literary critic and member of the Swedish Academy, sitting in Seat 12 from 1925 until his death. His works form the inspiration for works by several major Swedish c ...

in ''

Dagens Nyheter (, ), abbreviated ''DN'', is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It is published in Stockholm and aspires to full national and international coverage, and is widely considered Sweden's newspaper of record A newspaper of record is a major nationa ...

'' wrote: "It is an exquisite pleasure to read this clean and unadorned prose... On the whole the best that is now written in Sweden", while critic

Fredrik Böök Martin Fredrik Böök (May 12, 1883 in Kristianstad – December 2, 1961 in Copenhagen) was a Sweden, Swedish professor of literary history at Lund University, literary critic and writer. He wrote biographies and books on Swedish literature.An e ...

in ''

Svenska Dagbladet (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily List of Swedish newspapers, newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. History and profile The first issue of appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of the 1900s the pap ...

'' was very negative. ''The Serious Game'' is now acknowledged as a

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

Swedish literature Swedish literature () is the literature written in the Swedish language or by writers from Sweden. The first literary text from Sweden is the Rök runestone, carved during the Viking Age circa 800 AD. With the conversion of the land to Christi ...

and has been called "The only

romance novel A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed ...

of any worth in Swedish literature". It has been published in more than thirty Swedish editions and translated to at least fourteen different languages. The book was reviewed in ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' in 2002: "Söderberg manifests a keen painterly eye for settings: Arvid and Lydia's affair plays out against a backdrop of serene Stockholm parks, crowded newspaper offices full of workaholic journalists and the spare bedrooms where their trysts take place—and in each locale, the details offered are just enough to create a world of sensations. Feminist readers may take umbrage at the male domination of Arvid's milieu—women get little or no air time, although they would seem to determine the course of the novel. Söderberg creates psychological suspense worthy of

Dostoyevski Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist and journalist. He is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in both Russian and world literature, and many of his works are considered highly influentia ...

, as Arvid's internal moral conflicts achieve the gravity of physical pain."

Film adaptations

The 1945 version of Den allvarsamma leken starred

Viveca Lindfors Elsa Viveca Torstensdotter Lindfors (December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995) was a Swedish-American stage, film, and television actress. She won an Emmy Award and a Silver Bear for Best Actress. Biography Lindfors was born in Uppsala, Swed ...

and

Olof Widgren Johan Olof Widgren, né ''Pettersson'' (9 June 1907 – 6 March 1999) was a Swedish stage and film actor. He won the Eugene O'Neill Award in 1967. He was awarded the Illis quorum by the Swedish government in 1989. He began by acting in student ...

. The 2016 version was directed by

Pernilla August Pernilla August (; born 13 February 1958), also known as Pernilla Östergren Pernilla Wallgren, and Pernilla Wallgren-Östergren, is a Swedish actress, director and screenwriter. She was a longtime collaborator with director Ingmar Bergman and ...

and starred

Karin Franz Körlof Karin Franz Körlof (born Fransén Körlof, 18 April 1986) is a Swedish actress, playwright and director. Biography Körlof is the daughter of Anders Körlof and Anica Fransén, and the grandchild of lawyer :sv:Voldmar Körlof, Voldmar Körlof. S ...

and

Sverrir Gudnason Sverre, Sverrir or Sverri is a Nordic name from the Old Norse ''Sverrir'', meaning "wild, swinging, spinning". It is a common name in Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands; it is less common in Denmark and Sweden. It can also be a surname. Sverre ma ...

In popular culture

In an

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

produced

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

drama series ''

True Blood ''True Blood'' is an American fantasy Horror fiction, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series produced and created by Alan Ball (screenwriter), Alan Ball. It is based on ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', a series of novels ...

'' (inspired by the books ''

The Southern Vampire Mysteries ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', also known as ''The True Blood Novels'' and ''The Sookie Stackhouse Novels'', is a series of books written by The New York Times Best Seller list, bestselling author Charlaine Harris. The first installment, '' ...

'' aka ''The Sookie Stackhouse Novels)'', at the end of episode 10 (titled Radioactive) of the 6th season, one of the main characters — a thousand years old

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

—

Eric Northman Eric Northman is a fictional character in ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries,'' written by Charlaine Harris. The character is introduced in the first novel, Dead Until Dark, as vampire living to be about a thousand years and is included in all subs ...

(played by a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

actor

Alexander Skarsgård Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (; born 25 August 1976) is a Swedish actor. A son of actor Stellan Skarsgård, he began acting at age seven but quit at age thirteen. After serving in the Swedish Navy, Skarsgård returned to acting and gained ...

) is reading ''Den allvarsamma leken'' (in its original language), while sunbathing naked on top of a snowy mountain when a brief ability to "walk under sun" for the vampires suddenly vanishes.

References