"Letters from the Promised Land": The Ambiguous Radicalization of a Swedish Immigrant, 1928-1934
2004; Athabasca University Press; Volume: 53; Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/25149450
ISSN1911-4842
Autores Tópico(s)Canadian Identity and History
ResumoIn MARCH 1928,25 years old and bursting with optimism, Martin Johansson left the town of Ulricehamn in south-western Sweden to try his luck as a worker in Canada. It was not easy for a farmer's son to finance such a journey. Like so many others, cap in hand, he had to ask for a loan at the local bank, which his grandfather and four other men co-signed. Once in Canada, Martin proved to be a prolific writer, sending more than 100 colourful letters home, tracing his journeys in Alberta and British Columbia (BC).1 The full extent of Martin's correspondence is unknown, since the only letters saved were those addressed to his family, in particular to his mother, grandfather, and brother Folke. The letters indicate that Martin was not only opti mistic but also politically naive and bound by tradition and the Lutheran faith.
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