The curse of historical fiction (book review of sorts)

To be honest, I read quite alot of fiction that is based around the zeitgeist of certain periods. Even though I read some classics in spare time, I also appreciate contemporary works of fiction set in the past. As an professionally trained historian I am fully aware that what I read is not history, but neither pure fiction since such books in some ways atleast claim to mirror the past to some extent. 

The latest such book I read was Helena von Zweigbergks 1979 - Johanna and Ingrid (sv. 1979 - Johanna och Ingrid) that is described as a family saga throughout the 20th century. Whilst this book do not claim to be "historical" in the sense that it is aiming at describing a certain time period fully correct, it still sets itself into a form of historical fiction. The book is part of a series were two titles have been released, with the previous one being set in the 1950's. What both books have in common is that they adress the role of women in Swedish society during the period, and none the least what it means to be a woman in a relationship. 


The feminist classical theorist Simone de Beauvoir "one is not born but becomes a woman" in large fits the entire description of the role of women. This role is not only determined by biology, but also be language and the cultural contexts were we ascribe gender to a body. What is perhaps less common knowledge is that this gender-making, according to many readings of de Beauvoir, is the result of the women being defined by not being the man. Gender is thus done in relationship to eachother, rather only independently. 

(spoiler-warning)

When I read von Zweigbergks first book, 1959 - Ingrid and Georg (sv. 1959 - Ingrid och Georg), this was rather evident. The female protaganoist were always understood in relation to her male partner, whom even though being a "modern 1950's man" always made sure that the protagonist acted in the way he thought was the correct way to live. In the end the protagonist is left by her husband, and thereby regain her own agency. This work of fiction was, actually, a very intresting and rather historcial correct description of what we know of gender in the 1950's. 

In the subsequent book, that I just finished, von Zweigbergk to some extent leave the critique and description of gender. It is still there but she also describes the counterculture that emerged in the late 1970's and early 1980's in Sweden, which is a very peculiar period of Swedish cultural history and none the least with regard to the left. The book mainly revolves around the now separated Ingrid inviting a much younger man, Torkel, into her household. Very soon it becomes clear that Torkel is very much anti-establishment but also very affected by the freudian theories of the time. This ends with a form of psychological abuse, were Torkel utilize various psychological tricks to abuse Ingrid and her daughter. In the end, Torkel is chased away partly by Ingrid but also by her ex-husband Georg. 

The theme the book is therefore two-foldth, with both a critique of gender but also of how counter-culture sometimes ended up reinforcing the very structures it claimed to attack. Still, this book falls flat since it actually does not fully describe the 1970's and instead focuses on agents instead of structures. What you as a reader is left with is 400 pages of not really an abusive relationship until the last 200 pages, and a rather conform description of gender. I thus became quite disappointed. 

One way to circum-navigate this would actually be to place the actors in a larger community. It would have required very little work to add a few scenes where Torkels beliefs are sustained by other members of the counter cultural groups, beacuse there were many at the time. This would in turn re-inforce the historicity of the book. But perhaps, that is also unfair since the book does not claim to actually be historical. The curse of historical fiction. 


Torkel depicted by chat-GPT

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