Description
A mysterious German magnetist arrives in a quiet Swedish village, carrying both scientific authority and an unsettling aura of wonder. As Friedrich Meisner moves through the town’s routines, his gifts—and his motives—become impossible to separate, raising the question of whether he is an impostor, a healer, or something more complicated. Set against the early twentieth-century struggle for workers’ rights, the story explores how easily people can be manipulated when fear, ignorance, and power collide, and how even well-intentioned outsiders can be met with suspicion and cruelty. With Per Olov Enquist’s distinctive blend of psychological tension and social critique, the novel turns a seemingly intimate encounter into a broader meditation on belief, exploitation, and the fragile line between help and harm.
Available Editions
paperback
Quartet Books
Published Jan 1, 1989
229 pages
ISBN: 070432721X
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Details
First Published
1989
Language
eng
Translation
From: swe
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for The Magnetist's Fifth Winter by Per Olov Enquist.