2. About the poet

Axel Martin Fredrik Munthe was born on \(31\) October \(1857\) in Sweden. Apart from being an author, he was well known to be a doctor and psychiatrist. A psychiatrist deals with a person's mental, emotional and behavioural disorders. He was a kind-hearted person and treated the poor, without charge during the first World war.

 

 

He is well known for his book "The story of San Michele", which is also his autobiography. As a writer who had also majored in psychiatry, he most often focused on people and their flaws. He tried to find beauty in their flaws. He wrote about the minor weaknesses exhibited by both the rich and poor. His most famous trait as an author was that he wrote extensively on animals' behaviours and emotions. He loved having pets and kept diverse animals and birds such as owls and baboons as pets. He even collected money to build a bird sanctuary near his house. He was against animal cruelty and fought for the ban of painful traps for animals. The story "The Bear Story" also shares this love for animals and the varied traits they exhibit.

 

Some of his famous works include "Memories and Vagaries", "Letters from a Mourning City", "Villa San Michelle".