Eyvind Johnson's authorship is central to Swedish fiction of the twentieth century. The richness of his prose, his experiments with narrative form, his erudition in humanist fields, and his aversion to oppression and tyranny make his writings a catalyst of the social and political upheaval of the 1900s in Sweden and in Europe. He imbues many of his novels with historical settings that depict almost all centuries of European history, including ancient eras of legends and sagas such as that of Odysseus. Yet, whatever the fictional time frame, Johnson is ultimately concerned with the human condition of the narrative present. The trademark of his narrative art is his distinctive mingling of realism with fantasy. The appreciation of Johnson's novels by critics has come about gradually, with their deepening respect and admiration, and over the years he has received many literary prizes. In 1974 he and the poet Harry Martinson...