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The Journey of Niels Klim to the World Underground
The Journey of Niels Klim to the World Underground | Ludvig Holberg
3 posts | 3 read | 1 to read
Fantastic adventures at the center of the earth await a penniless Norwegian student after he plunges into a bottomless hole in a cave. Niels Klim discovers worlds within our own?exotic civilizations and fabulous creatures scattered across the underside of the earth's crust and, at the earth's center, a small, inhabited planet orbiting around a miniature sun. In an epic journey, Klim visits countries led by sentient and contemplative trees, a kingdom of intelligent apes preoccupied with fashion and change, a land whose inhabitants don?t speak out of their mouths, neighboring countries of birds locked in an eternal war, and a land where string basses talk musically to one another. Brave, inquisitive, and greedy, Klim faces many challenges, the greatest of which are his own temptations. The Journey of Niels Klim to the World Underground is a classic in speculative fiction and was the first fully realized novel set underground in a hollow earth. First published in 1741, it has earned comparisons to Jonathan Swift?s contemporaneous fantasy, Gulliver?s Travels.
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swynn
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(1741, English translation 1742)

A Norwegian college graduate descends into a cave near Bergen. When a rope breaks he falls through the earth and into its hollow center, where a second sun shines and a smaller Earth orbits it. Swiftian adventures follow in lands of walking talking trees, fashionista monkeys, sentient string basses and others, satirizing and commenting on 18th century European society. Dry in parts, but fun and sometimes funny

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swynn
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In the year 1664, after I had pass‘d my several examinations in the University of Copenhagen, and had deservedly obtained the Character, which is there call‘d Laudable, by the Votes of my Judges, as well Philosophers as Divines, I prepared for my Return into my native Country; ...

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@ShyBookOwl

swynn ... and accordingly put myself aboard a Ship bound for Bergen in Norway, dignify‘d indeed with various Marks of Honour from the Gentlemen of the several Faculties, but in my Fortunes quite impoverish'd. 4w
Dilara The book's description is fascinating. I'll see if I can get my hands on it 😁 4w
swynn @Dilara It's certainly interesting, very imitation-Swift. The copy I'm reading is a 1972 reprint of the 1742 translation: if you can't get your hands on a physical copy you can check out a digitized version on Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/journeytoworldun0000holb 3w
20 likes3 comments
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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

A low pick. It was weird, but only 11 issues on Serial Reader and a fairly interesting diversion.

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