Moloks leende: roman

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

62635

Title

Moloks leende: roman

Language

sv

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A biting social critique of early 20th-century Stockholm, this novel follows the calculating Adrian Stråvall as he exploits housing shortages and democratic chaos to amass wealth. Through his rise and fall, the story exposes the dehumanizing effects of capitalism, the plight of the homeless, and the moral decay lurking beneath a veneer of progress.

Summary up to 500 words

Set against the rapidly changing urban landscape of Stockholm, Daniel Berg's *Moloks leende* centers on Adrian Stråvall, a self-made man who views society strictly as a marketplace. After a transformative trip to Brinkeberga, Stråvall identifies the housing market as ripe for exploitation. He begins purchasing properties and renting them to tenants he can control, treating homes as mere commodities rather than sanctuaries. The novel sharply contrasts Stråvall's ruthless ambition with the suffering of the working class, depicting desperate scenes where families are forced into squalor and children are abandoned. Stråvall rationalizes his actions as necessary for economic progress, believing he is a 'gentleman' navigating a system where laws do not apply to him. He manipulates his friends, including Gunnar and Ingrid Wiepe, and eventually becomes entangled with Gehnfeldt, a partner whose true nature threatens Stråvall's empire. As the story progresses, Stråvall's dream of owning the city turns into a nightmare. He faces financial reverses, the threat of scandal involving his partner, and the inevitable backlash from a society he has tried to crush. The narrative explores themes of class struggle, the loss of individuality in mass society, and the hollowness of material success. Through internal monologues and dream sequences, Stråvall envisions a world where he owns the streets and buildings, yet finds himself unable to control the human element, particularly his growing feelings for Harriet Wiepe. The novel critiques the era of 'consumption,' where nothing new is produced, only existing resources and people are consumed. Ultimately, Stråvall's downfall serves as a warning about the dangers of unchecked greed and the moral cost of treating human beings as inventory in a vast, indifferent machine. The story concludes with the collapse of his empire and the tragic realization that his 'gentlemanly' status was a facade built on the ruin of others.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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data/epubs/pg62635.epub

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Categories

• Fiction