Moberg, (Carl Artur) Vilhelm (1898-1973)

Swedish novelist. Born at Algutsboda, Småland, his works describe the peasants of his native province: Raskens/The Rasks 1927 on farming in the time-honoured way in the second half of the 19th century; the Knut Toring/The Earth is Ours trilogy 1935-39 on coping with contemporary problems on the land; and Rid i natt!/Ride This Night! 1941 on their fight for freedom in the 16th century. His best-known work is a tetralogy about emigration, Utvandrarromanen 1949-59 (Utvandrarna/The Emigrants 1949; Invandrarna/Unto a Good Land 1952; and Nybyggarna/The Settlers 1956 and Sista brevet till Sverige/Last Letter to Sweden, which were translated together as The Last Letter Home 1961), in which he follows a group of peasants emigrating 1850 from Småland to Minnesota, USA, up to the point of their final absorption into American life.

His keen interest in history is reflected in the unfinished Min svenska historia/A History of the Swedish People 1970-71.