ABSTRACT
Named after his father and called Kalle as a child, Gunnar chose to use his middle name as his first name when he entered gymnasium. He studied at Norra Real, a prestigious school that served the ruling elite. Gunnar was alienated from the sons of the bourgeoisie, but found companionship with a few bright sons of professionals. His teachers, most of whom were highly educated and politically conservative, recognized his abilities in logic and debate and encouraged him to consider serious matters of state. The essays Gunnar wrote at Norra Real point to lines of thinking he went on to develop, especially the idea that progress could be achieved by applying scientific knowledge to social problems and the awareness that historical writing is inevitably influenced by the author’s own life and times. Studying law at Stockholm University was a disappointment, for the course was narrowly technical. Moreover, Gunnar was plagued by periods of groundless anxiety and deep depression. He met Alva, who was four years younger than he, in the summer of 1919, after the season of darkness had passed.
