Since its publication in 1906, this book has become one of the most loved children's books of all times. A picture of Nils Holgersson, on the back of a goose flying over the Scandinavian plains, is printed on the reverse side of the Swedish 20 krona banknote. The Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlof (1858 - 1940) was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1909). The Swedish newspaper Gefle Posten called her the greatest story-teller in Scandinavian literature since the days of Hans Christian Andersen. This book is on the list of the 100 best books of the 20th century, according to a poll conducted by the Paris newspaper Le Monde.