Niels and the wild geese author country. How is the full version of Nils' Travels different from the retelling and the cartoon? What proverbs are suitable for the fairy tale "Niels' wonderful journey with wild geese"
"The Wonderful Journey of Niels with the Wild Geese"(“Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey Through Sweden”, Swede. Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige) is a fairy tale written by Selma Lagerlöf.
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Initially, the book was conceived as an exciting guide to the geography of Sweden in literary form for first grade students, 9-year-olds. In Sweden, since 1868, the "State Book for Reading" already existed, but, innovative for its time, by the end of the 19th century it had lost its relevance.
One of the leaders of the General Union of Folk School Teachers, Alfred Dahlin, proposed the creation of a new book, on which educators and writers would work in collaboration. His choice fell on Selma Lagerlöf, already famous for her novel "Saga o Jöste Berling" And besides, she was a former teacher. Lagerlöf agreed to Dalin's proposal, but refused co-authors. She began work on the book in the summer of 1904.
The writer believed that it was necessary to create several textbooks for schoolchildren of different ages: the first class was supposed to receive a book on the geography of Sweden, the second - on native history, the third and fourth - descriptions of other countries of the world, discoveries and inventions, the social structure of the country. The Lagerlöf project was eventually implemented, and the first in a series of textbooks was "The Amazing Journey of Nils...". Then came out "The Swedes and Their Leaders" Werner von Heydenstam and "Pole to Pole" Sven Hedin.
At the suggestion of Lagerlof, Alfred Dalin, wishing to obtain as complete information as possible on the lifestyle and occupations of the population in different parts of the country, as well as ethnographic and folklore materials, compiled and sent out questionnaires for teachers of public schools in the summer of 1902.
Lagerlöf was working on a novel at the time. "Jerusalem" and was going on a trip to Italy:
... I will think about the form of the book, which would most effectively help to put the wisdom about our country into these small heads. Perhaps the old legends will help us... And that's why I would like to start by reviewing the materials that you managed to get. (From a letter from Lagerlof to Dalin)
Studying the collected material, the writer, by her own admission, realized how little she knew about the country:
All sciences have stepped forward so unthinkably since I graduated from high school!
To supplement her knowledge, she traveled to Blekinge, Småland, Norrland and the Falun mine. Returning to work on the book, Lagerlöf was looking for a plot that would help her create a coherent work of art from a huge amount of information. The solution was given to her:
- books by Rudyard Kipling, where talking animals were the main characters;
- story by August Strindberg "Journey of Lucky Feather";
- fairy tale by Richard Gustafson "Unknown Paradise" about a boy from Skåne who flew across the country with birds.
The first volume went out of print in Stockholm on November 24, 1906, the second - in December 1907. The work became the most read in Scandinavia. Having shown the country in the perception of a child and originally combining geography and a fairy tale in one work, Lagerlöf, as the poet Karl Snoylsky said, instilled "life and colors in the dry desert sand of a school lesson."
Niels, out of habit, grabs Morten's neck and eventually flies away with him. After some time, he decides that traveling to Lapland is much more interesting than his former life, and therefore refuses when the brownie informs him that he will make him human again if Niels decides to return home at the moment. Later, he accidentally learns that the brownie will return him to his former appearance if Nils makes every effort to ensure that Morten returns home alive in the fall.
In the small Swedish village of Westmenheg there once lived a boy named Nils. Looks like a boy like a boy.
And there was nothing wrong with him.
In class, he counted crows and caught deuces, ruined bird nests in the forest, teased geese in the yard, chased chickens, threw stones at cows, and pulled a cat by the tail, as if the tail was a rope from a door bell.
So he lived until the age of twelve. And then an extraordinary thing happened to him.
That's how it was.
One Sunday my father and mother were going to a fair in a neighboring village. Niels couldn't wait for them to leave.
"Let's go soon! Niels thought, looking at his father's gun, which hung on the wall. “The boys will burst with envy when they see me with a gun.”
But his father seemed to guess his thoughts.
- Look, not a step out of the house! - he said. - Open your textbook and take care of your mind. Do you hear?
“I hear,” Niels replied, and thought to himself: “So I’ll start spending Sunday afternoon on lessons!”
“Study, son, study,” said the mother.
She even took a textbook from the shelf herself, put it on the table and moved a chair.
And my father counted out ten pages and strictly ordered:
- To know everything by heart by the time we return. I'll check it myself.
Finally, the father and mother left.
“They feel good, look how cheerfully they walk! Niels sighed heavily. “And I definitely fell into a mousetrap with these lessons!”
Well, what can you do! Nils knew that his father was not to be trifled with. He sighed again and sat down at the table. True, he looked not so much at the book as at the window. After all, it was much more interesting!
According to the calendar, it was still March, but here, in the south of Sweden, spring had already outweighed winter. Water ran merrily in the ditches. Buds swelled on the trees. The beech forest spread its branches, stiff in the winter cold, and now stretched upwards, as if it wanted to reach the blue spring sky.
And right under the window, with an important look, chickens walked around, sparrows jumped and fought, geese splashed in muddy puddles. Even the cows locked in the barn sensed the spring and mooed in all voices, as if asking: “Let us out, let us out!”
Niels also wanted to sing, and shout, and spank in the puddles, and fight with the neighbor boys. He turned away from the window in annoyance and stared at the book. But he didn't read much. For some reason, the letters began to jump before his eyes, the lines either merged or scattered ... Niels himself did not notice how he fell asleep.
Who knows, maybe Niels would have slept all day if some rustle had not woken him up.
Niels raised his head and became alert.
The mirror that hung over the table reflected the entire room. There is no one but Nils in the room ... Everything seems to be in its place, everything is in order ...
And suddenly Niels almost screamed. Someone opened the lid of the chest!
The mother kept all her jewels in the chest. There were clothes that she wore in her youth - wide skirts made of homespun peasant cloth, bodices embroidered with colored beads; snow-white starched bonnets, silver buckles and chains.
Mother did not allow anyone to open the chest without her, and Niels did not let anyone close to him. And it’s not even worth talking about the fact that she could leave the house without locking the chest! There was no such case. Yes, and today - Nils remembered it very well - his mother returned twice from the threshold to pull the lock - did it click well?
Who opened the chest?
Maybe while Niels was sleeping, a thief got into the house and is now hiding somewhere here, behind the door or behind the closet?
Niels held his breath and, without blinking, peered into the mirror.
What is that shadow over there in the corner of the chest? So she stirred ... Here she crawled along the edge ... A mouse? No, it doesn't look like a mouse...
Niels couldn't believe his eyes. A little man was sitting on the edge of the chest. He seemed to have stepped out of a Sunday picture on the calendar. On his head is a wide-brimmed hat, a black caftan is decorated with a lace collar and cuffs, stockings at the knees are tied with magnificent bows, and silver buckles gleam on red morocco shoes.
"Yes, it's a gnome! Niels agreed. “A real gnome!”
Mother often told Nils about gnomes. They live in the forest. They can speak both human, and bird-like, and animal-like. They know about all the treasures that were buried in the ground even a hundred, even a thousand years ago. If the gnomes want it, flowers will bloom on the snow in winter; if they want it, the rivers will freeze in summer.
Well, there is nothing to be afraid of the gnome. What harm can such a tiny creature do!
In addition, the dwarf did not pay any attention to Nils. He seemed to see nothing, except for a velvet sleeveless jacket embroidered with small river pearls that lay in a chest at the very top.
While the dwarf was admiring the intricate old pattern, Niels was already wondering what kind of trick to play with an amazing guest.
It would be nice to push it into the chest and then slam the lid. And maybe one more thing...
Without turning his head, Niels looked around the room. In the mirror, she was all in front of him at a glance. A coffee pot, a teapot, bowls, pots lined up in strict order on the shelves ... By the window there is a chest of drawers filled with all sorts of things ... But on the wall - next to my father's gun - a net for catching flies. Just what you need!
Niels carefully slipped to the floor and pulled the net off the nail.
One stroke - and the dwarf huddled in the net, like a caught dragonfly.
His wide-brimmed hat was knocked to the side, his legs tangled in the skirts of his caftan. He floundered at the bottom of the net and waved his arms helplessly. But as soon as he managed to get up a little, Niels shaking the net, and the dwarf again fell down.
“Listen, Niels,” the dwarf finally begged, “let me go free!” I'll give you a gold coin for this, as big as the button on your shirt.
Niels thought for a moment.
“Well, that’s probably not bad,” he said, and stopped swinging the net.
Clinging to the sparse fabric, the gnome deftly climbed up, Now he had already grabbed the iron hoop, and his head appeared above the edge of the net ...
Then it occurred to Niels that he had sold cheap. In addition to the gold coin, one could demand that the dwarf teach lessons for him. Yes, you never know what else you can think of! The gnome will now agree to everything! When you sit in a net, you won't argue.
And Niels shook the grid again.
But then suddenly someone gave him such a slap that the net fell out of his hands, and he himself rolled head over heels into a corner.
For a minute Niels lay motionless, then groaning and groaning, he stood up.
The gnome is already gone. The chest was closed, and the net hung in its place - next to his father's gun.
“I dreamed all this, or what? thought Niels. - No, my right cheek is burning, as if an iron had been walked over it. This dwarf so warmed me! Of course, the father and mother will not believe that the dwarf visited us. They will say - all your inventions, so as not to teach lessons. No, no matter how you turn it, you must again sit down at the book!
Niels took two steps and stopped. Something happened to the room. The walls of their small house parted, the ceiling went high up, and the chair on which Nils always sat towered above him with an impregnable mountain. To climb it, Niels had to climb a twisted leg, like a gnarled oak trunk. The book was still on the table, but it was so huge that Niels could not make out a single letter at the top of the page. He lay down on his stomach on the book and crawled from line to line, from word to word. He was just exhausted until he read one phrase.
– Yes, what is it? So after all, you won’t get to the end of the page by tomorrow! exclaimed Niels, and wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
And suddenly he saw that a tiny little man was looking at him from the mirror - exactly the same as the dwarf who got caught in his net. Only dressed differently: in leather pants, in a vest and in a plaid shirt with large buttons.
Current page: 1 (total book has 10 pages)
Selma Lagerlöf
Nils' Wonderful Journey with Wild Geese© Retelling, Zadunaiskaya Z.M., nasl., 2017
© Retelling, Lyubarskaya A.I., nasl., 2017
© Translation, Marshak S.Ya., nasl., 2017
© Bulatov E.V., ill., 2017
© Vasiliev O.V., ill., nasl., 2017
© AST Publishing House LLC, 2017
* * *
Painters
E. Bulatov and O. Vasiliev
Chapter I
forest gnome1
In the small Swedish village of Westmenhög there lived a boy named Nils. Looks like a boy like a boy. And there was nothing wrong with him. In the lessons he counted crows and caught deuces, destroyed bird nests in the forest, teased geese, chased chickens, and threw stones at cows. So he lived until the age of twelve. And then an extraordinary thing happened to him. Here is how it was.
Nils was at home alone.
It was a Sunday afternoon, and my father and mother went to the neighboring village for a fair. Nils was also going with them. He even donned his festive plaid shirt with large, like badges, mother-of-pearl buttons and new leather pants. But this time he failed to show off his outfit.
As luck would have it, my father took it into his head to check his school diary before leaving. The marks were no worse than last week, perhaps even better: three twos and one one. Can you please your father?
Father ordered Nils to stay at home and learn lessons.
Of course, it was possible to disobey, but my father recently bought a wide, stiff belt with a heavy copper buckle and promised to update it on Niels' back at the first opportunity. What can you do!
Niels sat down at the table, opened a book and ... began to look out the window.
The snow, warmed by the March sun, has already melted.
Muddy streams merrily ran all over the yard, overflowing into wide lakes.
Chickens and roosters, picking up their paws high, cautiously walked around the puddles, and geese boldly climbed into the cold water and floundered and splashed in it, so that the spray flew in all directions.
Niels himself would not have been averse to splashing on the water, if not for these unfortunate lessons.
He sighed heavily and stared at the textbook in annoyance.
But suddenly the door creaked, and a large fluffy cat slipped into the room. Niels was very happy with him. He even forgot about all the abrasions and scratches that remained to him as a memory of their last battle.
- Mur-mur-mur! Nils called the cat.
Seeing Nils, the cat arched its back and backed towards the door - he knew very well who he was dealing with. And he didn't have a very short memory. After all, even three days had not passed, as Nils scorched his mustache with a match.
- Well, go, go, my cat, go, kitty! Let's play a little, - Niels persuaded him.
He leaned over the arm of the chair and lightly tickled the cat behind the ear.
It was very pleasant: the cat immediately softened, purred and began to rub against Niels' leg.
And Nils was just waiting for that.
Once! - and the cat hung on its own tail.
- Me-ah-ah! the cat yelled piercingly.
- Ai-i-i! Nils shouted even louder and threw the cat away: having dodged in the air, the cat still managed to stroke Nils with its claws.
That was the end of their game.
The cat ran away, and Nils again buried himself in the book.
But he read a little.
For some reason, the letters began to jump before his eyes, the lines either merged or scattered ... Niels himself did not notice how he fell asleep.
2
Nils did not sleep long - he was awakened by some rustle.
Niels raised his head. The mirror that hung over the table reflected the entire room.
Stretching his neck, Niels began to peer carefully into the mirror.
There was no one in the room.
And suddenly Niels saw that the chest in which the mother kept her festive dresses was for some reason open.
Niels was scared. Maybe while he was sleeping, a thief got into the room and is now hiding somewhere here, behind a chest or a closet?
Niels cringed and held his breath.
And then a shadow flickered in the mirror. Flickered again. Yet…
Someone was slowly and cautiously crawling along the edge of the chest.
Mouse? No, not a mouse.
Niels stared directly into the mirror.
What a miracle! On the edge of the chest he clearly saw a little man. On the head of this little man was a pointed cap, a long-brimmed caftan reached to the very heels, on his feet were red morocco boots with silver buckles.
Yes, it's a gnome! The real gnome!
Mother often told Nils about gnomes. They live in the forest. They can speak both human, and bird-like, and animal-like. They know about all the treasures that lie in the ground. If the dwarfs want, flowers will bloom on the snow in winter, if they want, the rivers will freeze in summer.
But why did the dwarf come here? What is he looking for in their chest?
- Well, wait! Here I am now, - Niels whispered and pulled the net for catching butterflies from the nail.
One stroke - and the dwarf huddled in the net, like a caught dragonfly. His cap had slipped down onto his nose, and his legs were entangled in a wide caftan. He floundered helplessly and waved his arms, trying to grab onto the net. But as soon as he managed to get up, Niels shook the net, and the dwarf again fell down.
“Listen, Niels,” the dwarf finally pleaded, “let me go free!” I will give you a gold coin for this, but as big as the button on your shirt.
Niels thought for a moment.
“Well, that’s probably not bad,” he said and stopped swinging the net.
Clinging to a rare fabric, the dwarf deftly climbed up. Now he had already grabbed the iron hoop, and his cap appeared over the edge of the net ...
Then it occurred to Niels that he had sold too cheap. In addition to a gold coin, one could demand that the dwarf teach lessons for him. Yes, you never know what else you can think of! The gnome will now agree to everything! When you sit in a net, you will not bargain.
And Niels shook the net again.
But suddenly he received such a hefty crack that the net fell out of his hands, and he himself rolled head over heels into a corner.
3
Niels lay motionless for a minute, and then, groaning and groaning, got up.
The gnome is already gone. The chest was closed, and the butterfly net hung in its place, between the window and the closet.
- I dreamed all this, or what? Niels said and, limping, trudged to his chair.
He took two steps and stopped. Something happened to the room. The walls of their small house parted, the ceiling went high up, and the chair on which Niels always sat towered in front of him with an impregnable mountain. To climb it, Niels had to climb a twisted leg, like a gnarled oak trunk.
The book was still on the table, but it was so huge that Niels could not make out a single letter at the top of the page. He lay down on his stomach on the book and slowly crawled from line to line, from word to word.
He was sweating as he read one sentence.
- What the hell is this! So after all, I won’t crawl to the end of the page by tomorrow, ”Nils said and wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
And suddenly he saw that a tiny little man was looking at him from the mirror - exactly the same as the dwarf who got caught in his net. Only dressed differently: in leather pants and a plaid shirt with large buttons.
"Yes, there's another one! thought Niels. - And dressed up something like! Just came to visit!"
“Hey, you, what do you want here? Niels shouted and threatened the little man with his fist.
The little man also threatened Niels with his fist.
Niels put his hands on his hips and stuck out his tongue. The little man also akimbo and also showed Nils his tongue.
Niels stamped his foot. And the little man stamped his foot.
Nils jumped, twirled like a top, waved his arms, but the little man did not lag behind him. He also jumped, also spun around like a top and waved his arms.
Then Niels sat down on the book and wept bitterly. He realized that the dwarf had bewitched him and that the little man who was looking at him from the mirror was himself, Nils Holgerson.
After crying a little, Niels wiped his eyes and decided to go look for the gnome. Maybe if you ask for forgiveness well, the dwarf will turn him into a boy again?
Niels ran out into the yard. A sparrow jumped in front of the house.
As soon as Niels appeared on the threshold, the sparrow fluttered up onto the fence and shouted at the top of its sparrow voice:
Look at Nils! Look at Niels!
And the hens flapped their wings and cackled with each other:
- It serves him right! It serves him right!
And the amazing thing is that Niels understood everyone perfectly.
The geese surrounded Nils on all sides and, stretching their necks, hissed in his ear:
- Good! Well, it's good! What are you afraid of now? Are you afraid? - And they pecked him, pinched him, pecked him with their beaks, pulled his arms, then his legs.
Poor Nils would have had a very bad time if at that time a flock of wild geese had not flown over their village. They flew high in the sky, stretched out in a regular triangle, but, seeing their relatives - domestic geese, they descended lower and shouted:
- Ha-ha-ha! Fly with us! Fly with us! We're flying north to Lapland! To Lapland!
Domestic geese immediately forgot about Niels. They got excited, cackled, flapped their wings as if they were trying to see if they could fly. But the old goose - she was the grandmother of a good half of the geese - ran around them and shouted:
- Crazy! Crazy! Don't do stupid things! After all, you are not some vagabonds, you are respectable domestic geese!
And then she lifted her head and screamed into the sky:
- We are fine here! We are fine here too!
Only one young goose did not listen to the advice of the old grandmother. Widely spreading his large white wings, he quickly ran around the yard.
- Wait for me, wait for me! he shouted. - I'm flying with you! With you!
“Why, this is Martin, mother’s best goose,” thought Niels. “What good, he really will fly away!”
- Stop, stop! Niels shouted and rushed after Martin. Nils barely caught up with him. He contrived, jumped up and, clasping Martin's long neck with his hands, hung on him. But the goose did not even feel it, as if Nils had not been there. He flapped his wings strongly - once, twice - and, without expecting it, took off into the air.
Before Niels realized what had happened, they were already high in the sky.
Chapter II
Goose riding1
The wind blew in my face, tore my hair, howled and whistled in my ears. Niels sat astride a goose, like a rider on a galloping horse: he put his head into his shoulders, crouched down and leaned his whole body against Martin's neck. His hands clutched tightly at the goose feathers and closed his eyes in fear.
“I’m about to fall, I’m about to fall,” he whispered at every beat of his big white wings. But ten minutes, twenty minutes passed, and he did not fall. Finally, he regained his courage and opened his eyes a little.
To the right and left, the gray wings of wild geese flickered, above Nils's head, clouds almost touching him, floated, and far, far below, the earth darkened. It didn't look like earth at all. It seemed as if someone had spread a huge checkered handkerchief under them. Some cells were completely black, others were yellowish-gray, and others were light green.
These were meadows covered with barely breaking grass, and freshly plowed fields.
Fields gave way to dark forests, forests to lakes, lakes to fields again, and the geese kept flying and flying.
Niels was completely despondent.
“What good, they really will bring me to Lapland!” he thought.
- Martin! Martin! he called to the goose. - Turn home! Enough, let's fly!
But Martin did not answer.
Then Niels spurred him with all his might with his wooden shoes.
Martin turned his head slightly and hissed:
- Listen, you! Sit still, otherwise I’ll throw you off ... Then you will fly upside down!
I had to sit still.
2
All day long the white goose Martin flew in line with the whole flock, as if he had never been a domestic goose, as if he had done nothing but fly all his life.
“And where did he get such agility from?” Niels wondered.
But by the evening, Martin still began to take. Now it was clear to everyone that he was flying for one day without a year: either he would suddenly fall behind, then he would break ahead, then he would seem to fall into a hole, then he would jump up.
And the wild geese saw it too.
- Akka Knebekaise! Akka Knebekaise! they shouted.
- What you want from me? - shouted the goose, flying ahead of everyone.
- White is behind!
“He must know that flying fast is easier than flying slowly!” the goose yelled, without even turning around.
Martin tried to beat his wings harder and more often, but the tired wings became heavy and no longer obeyed him.
- Akka! Akka Knebekaise!
What more do you need from me?
- White can't fly that high!
“He must know that flying high is easier than flying low!”
Poor Martin strained his last strength and took off as high as he could. But then he caught his breath, and the wings completely weakened.
- Akka Knebekaise! White falls!
- Who can not fly, like us, let him stay at home, tell that to the white! Akka shouted, not slowing down her flight.
“And it’s true, it would be better for us to stay at home,” Niels whispered and grabbed Martin’s neck more tightly.
Martin, as if shot, fell down.
Happiness is also that some kind of skinny willow turned up below them. Martin caught on the top of the tree and got stuck among the branches.
And so they sat on the willow.
Martin's wings drooped, his neck dangled like a rag, he breathed loudly, opening his beak wide, as if he wanted to grab more air.
Niels felt sorry for Martin. He even tried to console him.
“Dear Martin,” said Nils affectionately, “don’t be sad that they abandoned you. Well, judge for yourself: where do you compete with them? Here you will rest a little, and we will return home.
But that was bad consolation. How?! Give up at the very beginning of the journey? No way!
“You'd better not meddle with your advice,” Martin hissed. - Hold your tongue!
And he flapped his wings with such fury that he immediately rose high into the air and soon overtook the flock.
Luckily for him, it was already evening.
Black shadows lay on the ground: a thick fog stretched from the lake, over which wild geese flew.
A flock of Akka Knebekaise descended for the night.
3
As soon as the geese touched the coastal strip of land, they immediately climbed into the water. Only the goose Martin and Niels remained on the shore.
As if from an ice slide, Niels slid off Martin's slippery back. Finally he is on the ground! He straightened his stiff arms and legs and looked around.
The place was deserted. Tall fir trees approached the lake itself like a black wall. Some crackling and rustling could be heard from the dark depths of the forest. Everywhere the snow had already melted, but here, at the gnarled overgrown roots, the snow still lay in a dense thick layer. One might have thought that the ate would never want to part with winter.
Nils felt uneasy.
How far have they flown! Now, even if Martin wants to return, they still won't find a way home... But still, Martin did well!.. But where is he?
- Martin! Martin! Niels called.
Nobody answered. Niels looked around in confusion.
Poor Martin! He lay as if dead, spreading his wings on the ground and stretching his neck. His eyes were covered with a cloudy film.
Niels was scared.
“Dear goose Martin,” Nils said, leaning towards him, “drink a sip of water!” You will see that you will feel better immediately.
But the goose didn't move.
Then Niels grabbed him by the neck with both hands and dragged him to the water.
It wasn't easy. The goose was the best in their household, and his mother fed him well. And Niels is now barely visible from the ground. But still, he dragged Martin to the very lake and stuck his head right into the icy water.
Martin immediately revived. He opened his eyes, took a sip once or twice, and struggled to his paws. For a minute he stood, staggering from side to side, then climbed into the lake and slowly swam between the ice floes. Every now and then he plunged his beak into the water, and then, throwing his head back, greedily swallowed seaweed.
“He feels good,” Niels thought enviously, “but I haven’t eaten anything since morning either.”
And Nils immediately wanted to eat so much that he even got sucked in the stomach.
At this time, Martin swam to the shore. It held a silver fish in its beak. He put the fish in front of Niels and said:
We weren't friends at home. But you helped me in trouble, and I want to thank you.
Nils had never tasted raw fish before. But what to do, you have to get used to it! You won't get another dinner.
He dug in his pockets, looking for his folding knife.
The knife, as always, lay on the right side, only it became small, like a pin, - however, it was just affordable.
Nils opened the knife and began to gut the fish.
Suddenly he heard some noise and splashing: wild geese, shaking themselves off, came ashore.
“Look, don’t blurt out that you are a man,” Martin whispered to Niels and respectfully stepped forward, greeting the pack.
Now it was possible to have a good look at the whole company. I must admit that they did not shine with beauty, these wild geese. And they didn’t come out tall, and they couldn’t boast of an outfit. They are all gray as if by choice, as if covered with dust - if only someone had one white feather!
And how they walk! They jump at every step, stumble over every stone, almost plow the ground with their beak.
Nils even snorted. And Martin spread his wings in surprise. Is that how decent geese walk? You need to walk slowly, gently pressing your foot to the ground, keep your head high. And these hobble, as if lame.
In front of everyone was an old, old goose. Well, it was a beauty! The neck is skinny, the bones stick out from under the feathers, and the wings seem to have been bitten by someone. But all the geese respectfully looked at her, not daring to speak until she was the first to say her word.
It was Akka Knebekaise herself, the leader of the pack.
A hundred times already she led the geese from south to north, and a hundred times she returned with them from north to south. Akka Knebekaise knew every bush, every island in the lake, every clearing in the forest. No one knew how to choose a place to spend the night better than Akka Knebekaise, no one knew how better than she to hide from cunning enemies that lie in wait for geese at every turn.
Akka looked at Martin for a long time from the tip of the beak to the tip of the tail and finally said:
“Our pack cannot take in the first comers. Everyone you see in front of you belongs to the best goose families. You don't even know how to fly properly. What kind of goose are you, what kind and tribe?
“My story is not long,” Martin said sadly. – I was born last year in the town of Svanegolm, and in the autumn I was sold to the neighboring village to Holger Nilsson. I have lived there until today.
How did you get the courage to fly with us? Akka Knebekaise was surprised.
– I really wanted to see what kind of Lapland it is. And at the same time I decided to prove to you, wild geese, that we, domestic geese, are capable of something.
Akka silently looked at Martin with curiosity.
“You are a brave goose,” she said at last. “And the one who dares can be a good comrade along the way.
Suddenly she saw Nils.
“Who else is with you?” Akka asked. “I have never seen anyone like him.
Martin hesitated for a moment.
“This is my comrade…” he said uncertainly.
But then Niels stepped forward and decisively declared:
My name is Nils Holgerson. My father is a peasant, and until today I was a man, but this morning...
He failed to finish. Hearing the word "man", the geese stepped back and, stretching their necks, hissed angrily, cackled, and flapped their wings.
“A man has no place among the wild geese,” said the old goose. People were, are and will be our enemies. You must leave the pack immediately.
Martin could not stand it and intervened:
"But you can't even call him a man!" Look how small he is! I guarantee that he will do you no harm. Let him stay at least for one night.
Akka looked searchingly at Niels, then at Martin, and finally said:
- Our grandfathers, great-grandfathers and great-great-grandfathers bequeathed to us never to trust a person, whether he is small or big. But if you vouch for him, then so be it - today let him stay with us. We spend the night on a large ice floe in the middle of the lake. And tomorrow morning he must leave us.
With these words, she rose into the air, and the whole flock flew after her.
“Listen, Martin,” Nils asked timidly, “are you going to fly with them?”
- Well, of course I'll fly! Martin said proudly. “It’s not every day that a domestic goose gets such an honor to fly in the flock of Akki Knebekaise!”
- And what about me? Niels asked again. “There’s no way I can get home alone. Now I will get lost in the grass, not like in this forest.
“I don’t have time to take you home, you know,” said Martin. “But here's what I can offer you: let's fly together to Lapland. Let's see how it is and what, and then we'll return home together. I’ll persuade Akka somehow, but if I don’t persuade, I’ll deceive. You are small now, it is not difficult to hide you. Well, now let's get down to business! Gather dry grass as soon as possible. Yes, more!
When Niels gathered a whole armful of last year's grass, Martin carefully grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and carried him to a large ice floe in the middle of the lake.
The wild geese were already asleep, their heads tucked under their wings.
“Now lay out the grass,” Martin commanded, “otherwise, if I don’t have a bed, my paws will freeze to the ice.”
The litter, although it turned out to be watery (how much Nils could now carry away the grass!), But still the ice somehow covered.
Martin stood on her, again grabbed Niels by the scruff of the neck and thrust him under his wing.
- Goodnight! - Martin said and pressed the wing tighter so that Niels would not fall out.
Story
Initially, the book was a fascinating guide to the geography of Sweden in literary form for first-grade students, nine-year-olds. In Sweden, since 1868, the “State Book for Reading” already existed, but, innovative for its time, by the end of the 19th century it had lost its relevance. One of the leaders of the General Union of Folk School Teachers, Alfred Dahlin, proposed the creation of a new book, on which educators and writers would work in collaboration. His choice fell on Selma Lagerlöf, already famous for her novel The Saga of Jeste Berling, besides, she was a former teacher. She agreed to Dalin's proposal, but refused co-authors. Lagerlöf began work on the book in the summer of 1904. The writer believed that it was necessary to create several textbooks for schoolchildren of different ages: the first class was supposed to receive a book on the geography of Sweden, the second - on native history, the third and fourth - descriptions of other countries of the world, discoveries and inventions, the social structure of the country. The Lagerlöf project was eventually implemented, and the first in a series of textbooks was "The Amazing Journey of Niels ...". Reading books soon appeared, The Swedes and Their Leaders by Wernher von Heydenstam and From Pole to Pole by Sven Hedin.
At the suggestion of Lagerlöf, Alfred Dalin, wishing to obtain as complete information as possible on the lifestyle and occupations of the population in different parts of the country, as well as ethnographic and folklore materials, compiled and sent out questionnaires for teachers of public schools in the summer of 1902.
Lagerlöf was at that time working on the novel Jerusalem and was going on a trip to Italy:
... I will think about the form of the book, which would most effectively help to put the wisdom about our country into these small heads. Perhaps the old legends will help us... And that's why I would like to start by reviewing the materials that you managed to get. (From a letter from Lagerlof to Dalin)
Studying the collected material, the writer, by her own admission, realized how little she knew about the country: “All sciences have stepped forward so unthinkably since I graduated from school!”. To supplement her knowledge, she traveled to Blekinge, Småland, Norrland to the Falun mine. Returning to work on the book, Lagerlöf was looking for a plot that would help her create a coherent work of art from a huge amount of information. The solution was suggested to her by Kipling's books, where talking animals were the main characters, as well as the story by August Strindberg "The Journey of Lucky Per" and the fairy tale by Richard Gustafson "The Unknown Paradise" about a boy from Skåne who flew around the country with birds.
The first volume went out of print in Stockholm on November 24, 1906, the second - in December 1907. The work became the most read in Scandinavia.
Having shown the country in the perception of a child, having originally combined geography and a fairy tale in one work, Lagerlöf, as the poet Karl Snoylsky said, instilled "life and colors in the dry desert sand of a school lesson."
Plot
The gnome turns the main character Nils Holgersson into a dwarf, and the boy makes an exciting journey on a goose from Sweden to Lapland and back. On his way to Lapland, he encounters a flock of wild geese flying along the Gulf of Bothnia, and with them looks into the remote regions of Scandinavia. As a result, Nils visits all the provinces of Sweden, gets into various adventures and learns a lot about the geography, history and culture of each province of his homeland.
Details Category: Author's and literary fairy tales Posted on 24.10.2016 18:41 Views: 3914Selma Lagerlöf conceived her book "Niels' Wonderful Journey with Wild Geese" as an unusual guide to Swedish geography for 9-year-old children. This manual had to be written in an entertaining literary form.
Selma Lagerlof by this time was already a well-known writer, famous for her novel The Saga of Joste Berling. In addition, she was a former teacher. She began work on the book in the summer of 1904.
Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940)
Selma Ottilie Lovisa Lagerlöf was born in 1858 in the family estate of Morbakk in the family of a retired military man and a teacher. The future writer spent her childhood in the picturesque region of Sweden - Värmland. She described the Morbakk estate many times in her works, especially in the autobiographical books Morbakk (1922), Memoirs of a Child (1930), Diary (1932).
As a child, Selma fell seriously ill and was paralyzed. Her grandmother and aunt were constantly with the girl and told her many fairy tales and legends. Hence, probably, Selma's poetic talent and penchant for fantasy.
In 1867, Selma was treated in Stockholm, thanks to the efforts of doctors, she began to walk. The first attempts at literary creativity date back to this time.
Later, the girl graduated from the Lyceum and the Higher Teacher's Seminary (1884). That same year, she became a teacher at a girls' school in Landskrona in southern Sweden. By this time, her father died, after which her beloved Morbakka was sold for debts, hard times came for Selma.
Literary creativity became the main occupation of Selma Lagerlöf: since 1895 she devoted herself entirely to writing.
The pinnacle of Selma Lagrelof's literary work was the fabulous book "Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey Through Sweden", which brought her worldwide recognition.
The book in a fascinating way tells children about Sweden, its geography and history, legends and cultural traditions. The work includes folk tales and legends.
For example, the scene of ridding the castle of rats by Nils with the help of a magic pipe Lagerlöf borrowed from the legend about the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Pied Piper of Hamelin- a character of medieval German legend. The legend of the rat-catcher, which arose in the 13th century, is one of the varieties of stories about a mysterious musician who leads away bewitched people or cattle. Such legends were widespread in the Middle Ages.
Geographical and historical materials are presented to readers by a fairy-tale plot. Together with a flock of geese led by the wise old goose Akkoy Kebnekaise, Martina Niels travels all over Sweden on the back of a goose.
This journey is interesting not only in itself, but also as an occasion for educating a person. And here the translation of the book into Russian is of great importance.Book by Selma Lagerlöf in Russia
"The Wonderful Journey of Nils with Wild Geese" by S. Lagerlöf is one of the most beloved books of children in our country.
It has been translated into Russian several times. The first translation was made by L. Khavkina in 1908-1909. But since the translation was made from German or for some other reason, the book did not become popular among Russian readers and was soon forgotten. The 1910 translation suffered the same fate.
In 1940, the book by S. Lagerlöf in a free version for children was written by translators Zoya Zadunaiskaya and Alexandra Lyubarskaya, and it was in this form that the book became popular with Soviet readers. The storyline of the book was shortened, including religious moments were excluded (for example, Niels' parents in the original leave home for church, in this translation they go to the fair). Some historical and biological information has been simplified. And the result was not a textbook of Swedish geography, but simply a children's fairy tale. It was she who fell in love with Soviet readers.
Only in 1975 was a complete translation of the book from Swedish made by Lyudmila Braude, a translator and literary critic. Then in the 1980s. Faina Zlotarevskaya did her full translation.
Lagerlöf's book has received recognition all over the world. In 1907, the writer was elected an honorary doctor of Uppsala University, and in 1914 she became a member of the Swedish Academy.
In 1909, Selma Lagerlöf received the Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual insight that distinguish all her writings." She became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. This award allowed Lagerlöf to redeem her native Morbakka, where she moves and where she lives for the rest of her life.Fairy tale "The Wonderful Journey of Nils with Wild Geese" by S. Lagerlöf
Monument to Niels in Karlskrona (Niels descends from the pages of an open book)
History of creation
The writer believed that it was necessary to create several textbooks for schoolchildren of different ages: on the geography of Sweden (grade 1), on native history (grade 2), descriptions of other countries of the world, discoveries and inventions (grades 3-4). This Lagerlöf project eventually came to fruition. But the first was Lagerlöf's book. She studied the lifestyle and occupations of the population in different parts of the country, ethnographic and folklore materials that were collected by teachers of public schools. But even this material was not enough. To expand her knowledge, she traveled to Blekinge Historical province in southern Sweden), Småland (historical province in southern Sweden), Norrland (historical region in northern Sweden) and the Falun mine.
Skurugata Gorge in the forests of Småland
But from a huge amount of information, a whole work of art was needed. And she followed the path of Kipling and other writers, where talking animals were the main characters.
Selma Lagerlöf showed the country through the eyes of a child, combining geography and a fairy tale in one work.The plot of the work
Despite the fact that Lagerlöf's task was to introduce children to geography, she successfully coped with another task - to show the way of re-education of the individual. Although it is difficult to say which is more important: the first or the second. In our opinion, the second is even more important.
“Then Niels sat down on a book and wept bitterly. He realized that the dwarf had bewitched him, and the little man in the mirror was himself, Nils.”
Niels offended the gnome, and he made the boy as small as the gnome himself was. Nils wanted the gnome to disenchant him, went out into the yard in search of the gnome and saw that one of the domestic geese named Martin decided to fly with wild geese. Nils tried to hold him back, but forgot that he was much smaller than a goose, and soon ended up in the air. All day they flew until Martin was completely exhausted.
“So Nils flew out of the house riding the goose Martin. At first, Niels was even amused, but the farther the geese flew, the more anxious he became in his soul.
During his journey, Nils faces many situations that make him think not only about other people's misfortunes, but also about his own actions, share joy for the successes of others and grieve for his own mistakes - in a word, the boy gains the ability to empathize, and this is a valuable gift. During his journey, Niels understood a lot and returned as an adult. But before the trip, there was no trouble with him: “In the lessons he counted crows and caught deuces, ruined bird nests in the forest, teased geese in the yard, chased chickens, threw stones at cows, and pulled the cat by the tail, as if the tail was rope from the door bell.
The gnome turns the main character Nils Holgersson into a dwarf, and the boy travels on a goose from Sweden to Lapland and back. Having become tiny, he begins to understand the language of animals.
Niels saved the gray goose, he brought the fallen sick Tirle to the squirrel Sirle, Nils Holgersson learned to blush for his actions, worry about his friends, he saw how animals pay good for kindness, how generous they are to him, although they know about his many unsightly actions towards to them: the fox Smirre wanted to kidnap Martin, and Nils saved him. For this, a flock of wild geese allowed him to stay with them, and the boy continued his journey.
On the way to Lapland, he meets a flock of wild geese flying along the Gulf of Bothnia, and together with them looks into remote areas of Scandinavia (The Gulf of Bothnia is a bay in the northern part of the Baltic Sea, located between the western coast of Finland, the east coast of Sweden, separated from the main part of the sea Aland Islands It is the largest in area and the deepest of the bays of the Baltic Sea).
Gulf of Bothnia
As a result, Nils visits all the provinces of Sweden, gets into various adventures and learns a lot about the geography, history and culture of each province of his homeland.On one of the days of the journey, Akka Kebnekaise's flock went to Glimmingen Castle. From the stork Ermenrich, the geese learned that the castle was in danger: rats had occupied it, displacing the former inhabitants from there. Niels, with the help of a magic pipe, drags the rats into the water and frees the castle from them.
Niels watches the festival on the Kulaberg mountain. On the day of the great gathering of birds and animals, Nils saw a lot of interesting things: on this day they conclude a truce with each other. Niels saw the games of hares, heard the singing of capercaillie, the fight of deer, the dancing of cranes. He witnessed the punishment of the fox Smirre, who broke the law of the world by killing a sparrow.
The geese continue their journey north. The fox Smyrre pursues them. He offers Akka to leave the pack alone in exchange for Niels. But the geese do not give up the boy.
Nils also has other adventures: he is kidnapped by crows, he helps save their silver from Smirra, and the crows let him go. When the flock flies over the sea, Nils meets the inhabitants of the underwater city.
Finally, the flock arrives in Lapland. Nils gets acquainted with the nature of Lapland, with the life of the inhabitants of the country. Watches as Martin and Marta raise their offspring and teach them to fly.
But no matter how favorable the animals are to him, Nils still misses people and wants to become an ordinary person again. But only the old dwarf, whom he offended and who bewitched him, can help him in this. And so he attacks the trail of the gnome ...
Returning home with a flock of geese, Nils removes the spell from himself, passing them on to the gosling Yuksi, who dreams of staying small forever. Niels becomes the old boy again. He says goodbye to the pack and starts going to school. Now he has only good grades in his diary.
How does the fairy tale "Niels' Wonderful Journey with the Wild Geese" affect readers?
Here we present the opinions of children who have read this book.
“The main idea of the fairy tale “Niels' Wonderful Journey with Wild Geese” is that pranks and pranks are not in vain, and you can get punished for them, sometimes very severely. Niels was punished very severely by the dwarf and endured many hardships before he could rectify the situation.
“This tale teaches you to be resourceful and courageous, to be able to protect your friends and comrades in dangerous moments. Niels during his journey managed to do many good deeds for birds and animals, and they repaid him with kindness for this.
“The forest gnome is strict but fair. He punished Niels very severely, but the boy realized a lot, his character changed for the better after the trials he went through, he began to study well.What did Nils learn during the journey?
He learned to understand nature, to feel its beauty, to enjoy the wind, the sun, sea spray, to hear the voices of the forest, the rustle of grass, the rustle of leaves. I learned the history of my country. I learned not to be afraid of anyone, but to beware. Learned to make friends.
Selma Lagerlöf wanted people to think about what real kindness and real love are; so that people take care of nature, learn from the experience of other people.
You must love all life on Earth, go to him with kindness, then you will be repaid the same.
