The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (Swedish: Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige, literally Nils Holgersson's wonderful journey across Sweden) is a work of fiction by the Swedish writer Selma Lagerlöf, the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. It was originally published in two books, 1906 and 1907, and was first published in English as The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1907) and The Further Adventures of Nils (1911). The two parts are later usually published together, in English as The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, but that name may also refer to the first part alone. Like many leading Swedish intellectuals of her time, Selma Lagerlöf was an advocate of Swedish spelling reform. When first published, this book was also one of the first to adopt the new spelling mandated by a government resolution on April 7, 1906.
Origin The background for publication was a commission from the National Teachers Association in 1902 to write a geography reader for the public schools. From the translation of Velma Swanston Howard's introduction: "She devoted three years to Nature study and to familiarizing herself with animal and bird life. She has sought out hitherto unpublished folklore and legends of the different provinces. These she has ingeniously woven into her story".
Plot introduction The book is about a young lad, Nils Holgersson, whose "chief delight was to eat and sleep, and after that he liked best to make mischief". He takes great delight in hurting the animals on his family farm. Nils captures a tomte in a net while his family are at church and have left him home to memorize chapters from the Bible. The tomte proposes to Nils that if Nils frees him, the tomte will give him a huge gold coin. Nils rejects the offer and the tomte turns Nils into a tomte, which leaves him shrunken and able to talk with animals, who are thrilled to see the boy reduced to their size and are angry and hungry for revenge. While this is happening, wild geese are flying over the farm on one of their migrations, and Martin, the farm's white goose attempts to join the wild ones. In an attempt to salvage something before his family returns, Nils holds on to Martin's neck as he successfully takes off and joins the wild birds. The wild geese, who are not pleased at all to be joined by a boy and a domestic goose, eventually take them on an adventurous trip across all the historical provinces of Sweden, observing in passing their natural characteristics and economic resources. At the same time the characters and situations he encounters make him a man: the domestic goose needs to prove his ability to fly like the experienced wild geese, and Nils needs to prove to the geese that he would be a useful companion, despite their initial misgivings. During the trip, Nils learns that if he proves he has changed for the better, the tomte might be disposed to change him back to his normal size. The book also includes various subplots, concerning people and animals whose lives are touched in one way or another by Nils and the wild geese. For example, one chapter centers on a provincial man who feels lonely and alienated in the capital Stockholm, is befriended by a nice old gentleman who tells him (and the reader) about the city's history - and only later finds that it was none other than the King of Sweden, walking incognito in the park. The book was criticized for the fact that the goose and boy do not make any stop in the province Halland. In chapter 53 they fly over Halland on the way back to Scania, but they are not impressed by the sight and they don't stop, although a chapter has been added to some translations of the book. In depictions Nils is usually wearing a red cap, but this is erroneous as he is described in the original Swedish edition as wearing a white cap.
Chapters and itinerary An English-language translation by Velma Swanston Howard was originally published in 1907 and 1911 as The Wonderful Adventures of Nils and Further Adventures of Nils. The Howard text is that of many later publications that contain the original illustrations, new illustrations, or none at all.
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils Howard's first volume contains 21 chapters. Swedish-language chapter titles are identical to those of the 21 chapters in the original volume one (1906).
Further Adventures of Nils Howard's second volume contains 22 chapters numbered 1 to 22, where the original volume two (1907) contains 34 chapters numbered 22 to 55. Swedish-language chapter titles are identical to those of 22 among the 34 original chapters. Chapter titles 6 to 18 match original chapter titles 36 to 48. Howard cut some chapters entirely and abridged others. Some provinces are not featured in the Howard translation, including Dalarna, which is visited in four original chapters (29 to 32).
Print editions The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, illustrated by Harold Heartt Foley, New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1907. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, translated by Velma Swanston Howard, illustrated by Mary Hamilton Frye, Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1913. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, illustrated by H. Baumhauer, J. M. Dent and Sons, 1950.
Film and television adaptations
1955 Soviet animation A Soviet traditionally animated feature film called The Enchanted Boy (Russian: Заколдо́ванный ма́льчик, Zakoldovannyy Malchik) was released in 1955. It was directed by Vladimir Polkovnikov and Alexandra Snezhko-Blotskaya and produced at the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow.
1962 Swedish live action Adventures of Nils Holgersson (Nils Holgerssons underbara resa) was released in 1962. It was shot primarily from helicopters, simplifying and downplaying the drama of the plot. It was directed by Kenne Fant.
1980 Japanese animation
An anime adaptation (ニルスのふしぎな旅 Nirusu no Fushigi na Tabi) consisting of fifty-two 25-minute episodes was broadcast on NHK from January 8, 1980 to March 17, 1981. The anime was also broadcast in:
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