The Story of San Michele is regarded as Munthe’s life work. It was the book he spent the most time writing and it contains the story of his life, and, as the title implies, of his home. In the foreword to the Swedish edition, however, Munthe denies that the book is an autobiography. The book was written in English and is regarded as one of the world’s first bestsellers. It was quickly translated into more than 50 languages.