Squire Adamsson

It is now over 150 years since Squire Adamsson appeared in bookstores and helped to launch its author, P.P. Waldenström, to prominence within the religious revivals that were then sweeping across Scandinavia. The themes of the novel touched on many aspects of Christian life and its challenges, but particularly drew from the theology of one group of dissenters in the Lutheran state church, the so-called "new evangelical" Pietists surrounding Carl Olof Rosenius (1816-1868). There are a variety of themes that can be found in this text, but perhaps none both so provocative and poignant as the unique presentation of congregational life, and the joys and struggles involved in understanding and embracing the free and limitless grace of God. Contemporary readers who take time to listen in on the conversations between "Squire Adamsson" and "Mother Simple" as they discuss hard life questions, will undoubtedly find many insights that remain timeless and applicable today. This edition features a new translation of Waldenström's work, with an extensive introduction and notes by Mark Safstrom.