Surrealist Swedish poet wins Nobel in literature
Source: Agencies |
October 7, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE 2011 Nobel Prize in literature was awarded yesterday to Tomas Transtromer, a Swedish poet whose surrealistic works about the mysteries of the human mind won him acclaim as one of the most important Scandinavian writers since World War II.
The Swedish Academy said it recognized the 80-year-old poet - long considered a favorite for the award - "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality."
In 1990, Transtromer suffered a stroke, which left him half-paralyzed and unable to speak, but he continued to write and published a collection of poems, "The Great Enigma," in Swedish in 2004 and in English in 2006.
"Waking up is a parachute jump from dreams. Free of the suffocating turbulence the traveler sinks toward the green zone of morning," the prelude reads. "Things flare up. From the viewpoint of the quivering lark he is aware of the huge root systems of the trees, their swaying underground lamps. But above ground there's greenery a tropical flood of it - with lifted arms, listening to the beat of an invisible pump."
Transtromer has been a perennial favorite for the 10 million kronor (US$1.5 million) award, and in recent years Swedish journalists have waited outside his apartment in Stockholm on the day the literature prize was announced.
Transtromer's most famous works include the 1966 "Windows and Stones," in which he depicts themes from his many travels, and "Baltics" from 1974.
His works have been translated into more than 50 languages and influenced poets around the globe, particularly in North America.
Transtromer's poems had been published in several journals when in 1954 he made his debut with "17 poems" to much acclaim in Sweden. His love for nature and music guided his writing.
Gradually, Transtromer's poems became darker, probing existential questions of life, death and disease.
Transtromer is the first Swede to receive the literature prize since Eyvind Johnson and Harry Martinson shared it in 1974.
The Swedish Academy said it recognized the 80-year-old poet - long considered a favorite for the award - "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality."
In 1990, Transtromer suffered a stroke, which left him half-paralyzed and unable to speak, but he continued to write and published a collection of poems, "The Great Enigma," in Swedish in 2004 and in English in 2006.
"Waking up is a parachute jump from dreams. Free of the suffocating turbulence the traveler sinks toward the green zone of morning," the prelude reads. "Things flare up. From the viewpoint of the quivering lark he is aware of the huge root systems of the trees, their swaying underground lamps. But above ground there's greenery a tropical flood of it - with lifted arms, listening to the beat of an invisible pump."
Transtromer has been a perennial favorite for the 10 million kronor (US$1.5 million) award, and in recent years Swedish journalists have waited outside his apartment in Stockholm on the day the literature prize was announced.
Transtromer's most famous works include the 1966 "Windows and Stones," in which he depicts themes from his many travels, and "Baltics" from 1974.
His works have been translated into more than 50 languages and influenced poets around the globe, particularly in North America.
Transtromer's poems had been published in several journals when in 1954 he made his debut with "17 poems" to much acclaim in Sweden. His love for nature and music guided his writing.
Gradually, Transtromer's poems became darker, probing existential questions of life, death and disease.
Transtromer is the first Swede to receive the literature prize since Eyvind Johnson and Harry Martinson shared it in 1974.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
