Söderberg states at the end of this short work that it will probably prove more interesting to him than to others. It is certainly an unsatisfactory book from the reader's perspective and this dissatisfaction derives at least in part from the very thing that makes it interesting to the author: as a young writer he started the story and put it away. Much later he came upon it and decided it was worth carrying on with. Consequently it is rather disjointed in tone and subject, rather confusing to this reader until I came upon Söderberg's explanation.

The point of reading this might be as much sociological as literary, it serves to detail much about social life around the late nineteenth century in Sweden. It might also be used as a warning -

rest here:

https://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/martin-bircks-youth-by-hj... ( )

Söderberg states at the end of this short work that it will probably prove more interesting to him than to others. It is certainly an unsatisfactory book from the reader's perspective and this dissatisfaction derives at least in part from the very thing that makes it interesting to the author: as a young writer he started the story and put it away. Much later he came upon it and decided it was worth carrying on with. Consequently it is rather disjointed in tone and subject, rather confusing to this reader until I came upon Söderberg's explanation.

The point of reading this might be as much sociological as literary, it serves to detail much about social life around the late nineteenth century in Sweden. It might also be used as a warning -

rest here:

https://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/martin-bircks-youth-by-hj... ( )

Söderberg states at the end of this short work that it will probably prove more interesting to him than to others. It is certainly an unsatisfactory book from the reader's perspective and this dissatisfaction derives at least in part from the very thing that makes it interesting to the author: as a young writer he started the story and put it away. Much later he came upon it and decided it was worth carrying on with. Consequently it is rather disjointed in tone and subject, rather confusing to this reader until I came upon Söderberg's explanation.

The point of reading this might be as much sociological as literary, it serves to detail much about social life around the late nineteenth century in Sweden. It might also be used as a warning -

rest here:

https://alittleteaalittlechat.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/martin-bircks-youth-by-hj... ( )

Very good. I relly like Söderberg. ( )

"The widening of the rents experience had torn in the cobweb bushes of fairytale and dream", 10 Sept. 2015

This review is from: Martin Birck's Youth (Paperback)
Martin Birck crops up as very much a background character in Soderberg's better known 1904 work 'Doctor Glas' - the eponymous narrator considers him "a bit of a bore."
This earlier work (1901) takes us through Birck's life: his happy, innocent childhood, gradual awareness of "a world where he could no longer rely on the simple formula for getting by that his father and mother had taught him: be kindly and polite to everyone".
The loss of religion; finding himself in a monotonous job that doesn't pay enough to live the life he wants...
This isn't a novel with a plotline as such but is well written with many quotable paragraphs. I couldn't help thinking that if Dr Glas had got to know Martin Birck better he would have found him quite an interesting and sympathetic character! ( )