Stinking Poison Flowers and the Royal Road of Capital. On Sigfrid Siwertz Selambs Among the many books published by Sigfrid Siwertz, only a few have stood the test of time. One of them, the novel Selambs (1920), is based on a particular episode of land speculation in Stockholm. Despite de- nials from Siwertz himself and from literary critics, the author based his novel on real episodes. It is also a tale of how an older form of accumulation of wealth is challenged by a new capitalism based on financial markets and the stock exchange. This kind of financial capi- talism is identified with Jews in the novel. Although Levy is almost the only character in the novel with positive traits, he is at the same time identified as non-Swedish, despite being born in the country.