A Child’s Christmas in Sweden and Other Memories
By Earl Anderson, MA ’67, PhD ’70 (English)
February 7, 2023
At age twenty-three, Goran Bixo emigrated to northern Minnesota, armed with an engineering degree from Katrineholm. His young sister, Ruth, in a memoir, remembers him and their grandfather, "Iorn Anners" (Iron Andersson), for songs and stories at Christmastime. As a child, Goran survived rheumatic fever. He almost died of Spanish flu in 1918. By day in Duluth, he repaired tracks for the streetcar company. By night, he studied English and citizenship at Denfeld High School. He was popular as a vocalist, having been taught by his father, Bengt Bixo, the "Violin King of Morsil." His goal was to be a gud nykommer, an ideal newcomer. In letters home, he recounts immigrant experiences in details that are witty, astute, and optimistic in times of adversity. In Sweden and North America, the documents in this book have circulated in the family for years. After a century, it is time to open them to the world in English translation.