Description
Invisible Links by Selma Lagerlöf is a collection of moving short stories about human relationships. The Nobel Prize winning author is mostly known for her tales about Nils Holgersson, a little boy travelling with a pack of wild geese as they journey through Sweden and for the Gösta Berlings Saga, the story of a deposed minister who finds peace after an eventful life, but beside these stories Lagerlöf left behind numerous wonderful stories dedicated to young adults and older readers, the ones included into this collection being only some of the examples.The 14 stories in Invisible Links were all written relatively early during Lagerlöfs literary career. Published in 1894, when Lagerlöf was only 35 years old, these short stories already foreshadow the wonderful, magical, yet realistic style, the wisdom and the idealistic take on life that makes her work so popular today as well. They revolve around topics and events taken from the everyday lives of Swedish people.Lagerlöf mixes dreamy elements with real life events, components taken from fairy tales with everyday happenings the book includes stories with a sad end and there are happy-ending ones and the reader encounters vengeful and benevolent ghosts every step of the way. Lagerlöfs witing is lively and compassionate and she is a master not only when it comes to writing about human relationships, but also when it comes to depicting the natural world, including the world of summer gardens and forests.This collection is not very widely known today, but it holds an important place in Lagerlöfs oeuvre and it is an excellent introduction to her work. Suitable for young and more mature readers as well, the stories are inspiring and thought-provoking, entertaining and educative in an unnoticeable way, and they take the reader to a fantasy world where everything will eventually turn out for the best.