Friday, September 26, 2008

Swedish Money

One of the things I LOVE about living in Sweden is the MONEY! (although I wish I had more of it!) It is so interesting and pretty! Check out this 100 kronor bill....(the lighting on the bill isn't good but you can still see it is quite colorful)....it's worth about $15.00 usd today. It's a commonly used bill. Who's on it?! A scientist! Carl von Linné famous throughout the world for creating the system of classifying living organisms. Plants were his speciality so they are on this banknote along with his portrait. Nice, huh?Women are featured on the next two commonly used bills...the 50 kronor ($7.50 usd) has Jenny Lind on it, a famous opera singer, known as the "Swedish Nightingale" who was very popular in the 1850's not only for her lovely singing but also for her philanthropic work for children's causes. And the 20 kronor bill ($3.00 usd) has Selma Lagerlöf on it. She was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909.
The 20 kronor bill is one of the most used...at least in my opinion. It's my favorite one! Selma wrote a great children's book about a little boy who flies all over Sweden on a goose. He has a variety of adventures and eventually becomes a better person for it.
Here's the book, an English version, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils....just like the picture on the 20 kr. bill! Now, wouldn't it be nice to see something like that in the USA?
Here are my choices for a new bill in the USA....what denomination? I don't know....(I could insert a horrible remark about the messy economy Bush is creating over there but I won't).
I really think that a bill with E.B. White on one side and Wilbur and Charlotte on other side would be friendly! But people with spider-phobias might not want to use it.
So my next choice is....Louisa May Alcott....
Couldn't you see it? Louisa on one side and all the LITTLE WOMEN on the other side!
But my absolute # 1 choice would be....Laura Ingalls Wilder! Not only a gifted writer but a true American pioneer! Wouldn't that be wonderful to see her on a bill and the house on the banks of the Plum Creek on the other side?!
Well, I don't think it will really happen but I have my fantasies! :-) Which author would you like to see on money?

Tomorrow we go to Göteborg...while the others are exploring the city and play areas, I will be at the Göteborg Book Faire scouting out bargains and looking for fun reading materials for my students! No sewing...not even in the car because I'm driving most of the way!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a fun question :-)

I think you've settled the US money (although I'd add Joyce Carol Oates perhaps?), and I'm quite happy with the Swedish money (even if they could preferably also include August Strindberg), so here's a couple of suggestions for other countries:

UK: George Orwell
France: Albert Camus
India: Vikram Seth

Well, that's all I can think about right now... :-)

Anonymous said...

Great minds think alike! I did a post on how much I love Swedish money a few years ago, but I didn't think of taking it that extra step like you did. I agree with all your author choices and would add Poe with his raven! :D

Carol in Sweden said...

AHhhhh...Poe...that would be a good one, too!