Pelle the Conqueror — Complete

Martin Andersen NexøProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.5

Word count: 2.3M words
Chapters: 232

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Pelle the Conqueror — Complete by Martin Andersen Nexø. Author: Andersen Nexø, Martin, 1869-1954. Language: English. Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures. Release Date: Mar 1, 2005

Editor's review

Pelle the Conqueror — Complete is the major novel by Danish author Martin Andersen Nexø (1869–1954), published as a public-domain English ebook. The story follows Pelle as he and his father leave Sweden for Denmark to make a living, portraying the struggles and growth of the working poor amid poverty, class oppression, and social change, with a strong social-realist character. The work is long, weaving characters and historical context together; readers need patience to follow Pelle's growth and to appreciate the author's close observation of lower-class life and his critical awareness. Its value lies not only in the story itself but in the picture it presents of late nineteenth-century Nordic society and its class issues. For Chinese readers, it is an important work for understanding the tradition of the Nordic realist novel, suited to readers willing to invest time in socially engaged fiction. The electronic edition is a public-domain English text with limited notes and introduction; readers are advised to supplement their own knowledge of Nordic history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy long social-realist novels
Readers interested in Nordic literature and social change in the late nineteenth century
Patient readers willing to follow a character's growth over a long narrative
Literature enthusiasts studying lower-class narratives and class issues

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer light, short, or fragmented reading
Beginners who need detailed notes and background introductions to enter a long novel
Readers sensitive to depictions of poverty and class oppression

Reading tips

Gain some background on late nineteenth-century Danish and Swedish society before starting the main text.
Follow Pelle's growth steadily without skipping, so as not to lose the continuity of his development.
Keep pen and paper to record characters and key events; this helps clarify the threads in a long read.
After finishing, revisit the passages on Pelle's relationship with his father to appreciate the portrayal of family and class.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this the complete edition or an abridged one?

This is the complete public-domain ebook of Pelle the Conqueror, in English. It is long, and readers should set aside fairly complete reading time; reading only fragments will not convey the whole book.

Can I understand it without Nordic historical background?

The main story is understandable on its own, but knowing about late nineteenth-century Danish and Swedish society, labor conditions, and class relations will make it easier to understand the characters' choices and the author's critical intent.

Is this book suitable for middle school students?

The work deals with poverty, class oppression, and the hardships of lower-class life, and it is long; it is better suited to adult readers with some reading experience and mental preparation. Middle school students should read it with guidance from a teacher or parent.

Does the ebook have notes and an introduction?

Public-domain electronic texts usually contain only the main text, with limited notes and introduction. Readers are advised to look up background on Nordic history and the author, or to read alongside relevant literary history materials.

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About the author

Martin Andersen Nexø Author · Danish · 1869–1954

Martin Andersen Nexø (1869–1954) was a Danish writer, born in Copenhagen in 1869 and died in Dresden in 1954. He took his pen name from the town of Nexø on the island of Bornholm, his home region, and his works often draw on working-class life. His major works include the four-volume novel Pelle the Conqueror and the five-volume Ditte: The Child of Man; the volumes of Pelle the Conqueror and Ditte: Girl Alive! are all held in the collection. His writing portrays the circumstances and fate of ordinary laborers with plain, socially committed prose, and he is known as the Gorky of Scandinavia, enjoying an international reputation.