The Visit of the Royal Physician
The Visit of the Royal Physician (Swedish: Livläkarens besök) is a 1999 novel by the Swedish writer Per Olov Enquist. It is known as The Royal Physician's Visit in the United States, translated into English by Tiina Nunnally. Against the backdrop of political turbulence and the enlightenment in the second half of the 18th century, the narrative revolves around the court of the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark, and the romance between the king's physician, Johann Friedrich Struensee, and the queen, Caroline Mathilde. The novel won the August Prize and the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.[1][2]
Reception
John de Falbe of The Spectator wrote that "Enquist has imagined this appalling drama with immense sensitivity and intelligence." De Falbe continued: "Enquist writes in short, jerky sentences which often seem to repeat themselves. Although disconcerting at first, the technique works brilliantly. The atmosphere is suitably nervy, while the shifting ground beneath the apparent repetitions is vibrant with stealth and subterfuge. ... The swirling currents - emotional, political, social, spiritual - are so vivid that we cannot doubt the relevance of this historical tale."[3] Bruce Bawer reviewed the book for The New York Times, and wrote that "Enquist's principal characters are realized with a vividness and subtlety that place the book in the front ranks of contemporary literary fiction", and called the prose "brisk, lucid, vigorous, penetrating, rich in arresting epigrams and marked by calculated repetitions that give the novel a touch of hypnotic power."[4]
Adaptation
The novel was adapted into an opera by Bo Holten, premiered in 2009.[5]
See also
- 1999 in literature
- Swedish literature
- A Royal Affair
References
- ^ "Alla Vinnare". augustpriset.se (in Swedish). Swedish Publishers’ Association. Archived from the original on 2011-08-12. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
- ^ Staff writer (2004-03-30). "Collective's thriller makes foreign fiction shortlist". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
- ^ Falbe, John de (2001-09-28). "Madness again in the state of Denmark". The Spectator. Retrieved 2012-01-05.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Bawer, Bruce (2001-11-18). "Take My Queen, Please". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
- ^ Gianna Chiesa Isnardi -Storia e cultura della Scandinavia: Uomini e mondi del Nord 8858771192 2015 il quale ha altresì rielaborato il proprio racconto nel libretto per l'omonima opera (Livlægens Besøg, 2008) la cui musica si deve al compositore danese Bo Holten
- v
- t
- e
- 1989: Tecknens rike – Cecilia Lindqvist
- 1990: De sotarna! De sotarna! – Lars Ahlin
- 1991: Livets ax – Sven Delblanc
- 1992: Medan tiden tänker på annat – Niklas Rådström
- 1993: Blackwater – Kerstin Ekman
- 1994: Synden – Björn Ranelid
- 1995: Sweetness – Torgny Lindgren
- 1996: The Sorrow Gondola – Tomas Tranströmer
- 1997: April Witch – Majgull Axelsson
- 1998: Berömda män som varit i Sunne – Göran Tunström
- 1999: The Visit of the Royal Physician – Per Olov Enquist
- 2000: Popular Music from Vittula – Mikael Niemi
- 2001: Underdog – Torbjörn Flygt
- 2002: The Horrific Sufferings of the Mind-Reading Monster Hercules Barefoot – Carl-Johan Vallgren
- 2003: Lottery Scratchcards – Kerstin Ekman
- 2004: Gregorius – Bengt Ohlsson
- 2005: The American Girl – Monika Fagerholm
- 2006: Svinalängorna – Susanna Alakoski
- 2007: Stundande natten – Carl-Henning Wijkmark
- 2008: Ett annat liv – Per Olov Enquist
- 2009: The Emperor of Lies – Steve Sem-Sandberg
- 2010: Spill. En damroman – Sigrid Combüchen
- 2011: Korparna – Tomas Bannerhed
- 2012: A Brief Stop on the Road from Auschwitz – Göran Rosenberg
- 2013: Wilful Disregard – Lena Andersson
- 2014: Liv till varje pris – Kristina Sandberg
- 2015: Allt jag inte minns – Jonas Hassen Khemiri
- 2016: De polyglotta älskarna – Lina Wolff
- 2017: De kommer att drunkna i sina mödrars tårar – Johannes Anyuru
- 2018: Ædnan – Linnea Axelsson
- 2019: Osebol – Marit Kapla
- 2020: Samlade verk – Lydia Sandgren
- 2021: Eufori: en roman om Sylvia Plath – Elin Cullhed
- 2022: Detaljerna – Ia Genberg