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Copyright © 2005-2023 Carin Myrberg
Today's face - Historical environments fascinates author
Name: Carin Myrberg Age: 39 years. Born in: Kristianstad. Lives in: Kristianstad. Profession and education: Author. Has previously worked as a medical secretary. Studied law, languages and computer knowledge. Interests: Literature and art
Carin Myrberg's novel characters eventually get their own lives. At home at her workspace hangs her own painting of one of her main characters to give her inspiration. - I create a picture in my head, it's about making the persons concrete to yourself. Carin Myrberg has written the historical novels ¨I Revolutionens namn¨ (¨In Name of the Revolution¨) and ¨Kejsarens soldater¨ (¨The Emperor's soldiers¨). The books are a family chronicle which takes part during the French revolution and the Napoleon wars. In the end of 2005 the novels were published on Internet, as e-books. The buyers can download the books as digital files and read them on their computers. - I read about that this existed and wanted to take advantage of the new technique. One has to start somewhere, she says. This is a way for Carin Myrberg to reach out as a debutant author. She hopes that the books in the future will be sold in the shop. The big interest for history and literature was established in her childhood. The family gathered for reading loud and as a child she started to write her own stories. To write fiction gives her more freedom than if she had written nonfiction. But she builds up the story around real events. - I can mix up my novel characters, but the readers can all the same learn a lot about history, she says. She has concentrated on the 18th and 19th centuries because she things that it's a disturbing time where many new ways of thinking took shape. She has traveled to Paris with her family to see the historical places with her own eyes. - It's very interesting to see that ¨this is where the history has taken place¨, she says. Since some years she works at home as an author. Two years ago the chinchilla Chille moved in. Carin Myrberg appreciates the company - she's very fond of animals and is a member of Sydsveriges Smådjursvänner (the South Swedish Small Animals Friends). Now she's working on her third book. She can write and create the way she's always wished to do and this gives her quality in life. - I've always felt that this is what I should do. Karin Larsson
Text to the picture: Carin Myrberg has written the historical novels ¨I Revolutionens namn¨ (¨In Name of the Revolution¨) and ¨Kejsarens soldater¨ (¨The Emperor's soldiers¨). Picture: Lasse Ottosson
Carin Myrberg - Title: I Revolutionens namn (In Name of the Revolution) Family destinies in revolutionary France
¨The riot was spreading and emerged in more parts of the city. The Nationalguard had consequent orders to ruthlessly crush the revolt. I didn't take part at the barricades, I left that struggle to younger and stronger forces.¨ The words are Armand Duboix's, main character in my novel I Revolutionens namn (In Name of the Revolution). My name is Carin Myrberg and I'm an author and artist. I Revolutionens namn (In Name of the Revolution) is the opening part of the historical family chronicle ¨The Duboix Family¨. I Revolutionens namn (In Name of the Revolution) tells about Armand Duboix's experiences during the French revolution. He experiences how the revolution in the beginning is motivated by good ideals and need for reforms, but soon turns into an internal struggle for power. He takes part in the storming of the Bastille, as well as in the revolutionary army. Armand's family is differently affected during the revolutionary years. Armand's brother Jérôme is a fanatic supporter of Marat and totally controlled by the propaganda. His sister Nichole takes part in the women's march to Versailles but is politically naive. Her husband, Alistair Ledoyen, works against the revolution's negative expressions and is executed. I've always had a big historical interest. My family has on different travels visited historical places, and has also been active with research about our family history. I visited, during a trip to Paris, many of the historical places which are connected with the French revolution. This has of course given more inspiration to my writings and it's fascinating to see how my novel characters come to life. Their personalities and characters develop while I'm writing, and they mainly create themselves. Kejsarens soldater (The Emperor's soldiers), part two in the family chronicle, exists today as an e-book. Later it will also be published at B4PRESS. Kejsarens soldater (The Emperor's soldiers) tells about Armand's nephew Jules's experiences during the Napoleon wars, and how he gets to see the non-idealism behind the well formulated propaganda. Life in the field consists of both friendship and hostility, which Jules gets to experience in a painful way. For the moment I'm working on the third part of the family chronicle, Åter på barrikaderna (Back to the Barricades). The novel describes Jules Duboix's son Gilbert's experiences during the restoration. I'm not telling you more. I leave that for you readers to take part of. I've chosen to write fiction about a historical time because it gives me more freedom than a nonfiction book about the subject. All historical facts are correct, but my novel characters are invented. That doesn't say that they couldn't had lived, and experienced, the same as the novel characters.
NOVEL - Carin Myrberg ¨I Revolutionens namn (¨In Name of the Revolution¨), The Duboix Family, part 1
Myrberg's revolution
Myrberg's Paris isn't my Paris, writes the reviewer Jan Hoff about the Kristianstad author Carin Myrberg's recent adventure novel about revolutionary Paris.
Paris 14 July 1989. The twohundred year memory of the storming of the Bastille is celebrated. At the probably worst thinkable moment I've traveled by train to the French capital. You can't get through in the streets. Cordoning. Lots of people. Panzer parades. All hotels fully booked. Ecstatic frauds everywhere who are after either your travel money or your body. The pavements stink of urine and excrements from both animals and people. A man with a bleeding wound hurries past you in the crowd. Somewhere is heard the siren of an ambulance. It can't have been much more chaotic twohundred years earlier. Maybe not more dangerous or more disgusting either, considering there were many more people gathered now. At that time I wasn't the least interested in history. But the revolution is so much more than a chapter in the history book. To write a novel about this time like Carin Myrberg is a great idea. A good thing with the first book ¨I Revolutionens namn¨ (¨In Name of the Revolution¨) is that she - or the novel characters - explains in an educational way all difficult notions and events. Unfortunately the lectures somewhat slows down the speed too. It's obvious that Myrberg has thorough examined the literature about this time. Through letting the different members of the Duboix Family represent different views among the revolutionaries she gets the possibility to present the political and philosophical problems in the form of dialogues. The approach to let Armand Duboix work at a printing house is genius. In a relative natural way can then all the books and pamphlets written by the different historical players be examined and analyzed. Sometimes it maybe feels as if the novel characters don't completely consist of 100 percent flesh and blood all the time. If you really want to you can learn a lot about French history by reading Myrberg's book. A Guillou had probably described how the firearms work better, perhaps also the food culture. All people, at least everyone with ambitions to become a author, have their picture of Paris. The past as well as the present. My Paris doesn't look like Myrberg's. You may have different opinions. Everyone who think that the historical novels of our time consist too much of bodies, openings, organs, smells, vomit, fluids, abscesses and more will appreciate Myrberg's respect in this matter. Her story most of all reminds of a Swedish adventure novel from the 19th Century. Jan Hoff
Text to the picture: Carin Myrberg Picture: Lasse Ottosson