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Swedish Poetry
Swedish literature () is the literature written in the Swedish language or by writers from Sweden. The first literary text from Sweden is the Rök runestone, carved during the Viking Age circa 800 AD. With the conversion of the land to Christianity around 1100 AD, Sweden entered the Middle Ages, during which monastic writers preferred to use Latin. Therefore, there are only a few texts in the Swedish language#Old Swedish, Old Swedish from that period. Swedish literature only flourished after the Swedish literary language was developed in the 16th century, which was largely due to the full translation of the Christian Bible into Swedish in 1541. This translation is the so-called Gustav Vasa Bible. With improved education and the freedom brought by secularisation, the 17th century saw several notable authors develop the Swedish language further. Some key figures include Georg Stiernhielm (17th century), who was the first to write classical poetry in Swedish; Johan Henric Kellgren ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography, history, cultural analysis, and politics during his career, which spanned four decades. A bold experimenter and iconoclast throughout his life, he explored a wide range of dramatic methods and purposes, from naturalistic tragedy, monodrama, and historical plays to his anticipations of expressionist and surrealist dramatic techniques. From his earliest work, Strindberg developed innovative forms of dramatic action, language, and visual composition. He is considered the "father" of modern Swedish literature and his '' The Red Room'' (1879) has frequently been described as the first modern Swedish novel. In Sweden, Strindberg is known as an essayist, painter, poet, and especially noveli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jan Guillou
Jan Oskar Sverre Lucien Henri Guillou (, ; born 17 January 1944) is a French-Swedish author and journalist. Guillou's fame in Sweden was established during his time as an investigative journalist, most notably in 1973 when he and co-reporter Peter Bratt exposed a secret, immoral and illegal intelligence organization in Sweden, ''Informationsbyrån'' (IB). He is still active within journalism as a column writer for the Swedish evening Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid ''Aftonbladet''. Among his books are a series of spy fiction novels about a spy named Carl Hamilton (fictional character), Carl Hamilton, and a trilogy of historical fiction novels about a Knight Templar, Arn Magnusson. He is the owner of one of the largest publishing companies in Sweden, Piratförlaget (''Pirate Publishing''), together with his wife, publisher Ann-Marie Skarp, and Liza Marklund. Life and career Guillou was born in Södertälje, Stockholm County, Sweden. His Bretons, Breton-Swedish father, Charle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spy Fiction
Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligence agencies. It was given new impetus by the development of communism and fascism in the lead-up to World War II, continued to develop during the Cold War, and received a fresh impetus from the emergence of rogue states, international criminal organizations, global terrorist networks, maritime piracy and technological sabotage and espionage as potent threats to Western societies. As a genre, spy fiction is thematically related to the novel of adventure (''The Prisoner of Zenda'', 1894, ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'', 1905), the thriller (such as the works of Edgar Wallace) and the politico-military thriller (''The Schirmer Inheritance'', 1953, ''The Quiet American'', 1955). History Commentator William Bendler noted that "Chapter 2 of the He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henning Mankell
Henning Georg Mankell (; 3 February 1948 – 5 October 2015) was a Swedish crime writer, children's author, and dramatist, best known for a series of mystery novels starring his most noted creation, Inspector Kurt Wallander. He also wrote a number of plays and screenplays for television. He was a left-wing social critic and activist. In his books and plays he constantly highlighted social inequality issues and injustices in Sweden and abroad. In 2010, Mankell was on board one of the ships in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla that was boarded by Israeli commandos. He was below deck on the MV Mavi Marmara when nine civilians were killed in international waters. Mankell shared his time between Sweden and countries in Africa, mostly Mozambique where he started a theatre. He made considerable donations to charity organizations, mostly connected to Africa. Life and career Mankell's grandfather, also named Henning Mankell, lived from 1868 to 1930 and was a composer. Mankell was born ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Per Wahlöö
Per Fredrik Wahlöö (5 August 1926 – 22 June 1975), often identified in English translations as Peter Wahloo – was a Swedish author. He is perhaps best known for collaborative work with his partner Maj Sjöwall on a series of ten novels about the exploits of Martin Beck, a police detective in Stockholm, published between 1965 and 1975. The fourth of the Beck novels, ''Den skrattande polisen'', was published in 1968; a translation of this novel, '' The Laughing Policeman'', won an Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America in 1971. Wahlöö and Sjöwall also wrote novels separately. Wahlöö was born in Tölö parish, Kungsbacka Municipality, Halland, Sweden. Following secondary school, he worked as a crime reporter from 1946 onwards. After long trips around the world, he returned to Sweden and started working as a journalist again. He had a thirteen-year relationship with Sjöwall, but they never married, as he already was married. Both writer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maj Sjöwall
Maj Sjöwall (; 25 September 1935 – 29 April 2020) was a Swedish author and translator. She is best known for her novels about the police detective Martin Beck. She wrote these novels in collaborative work with her partner Per Wahlöö. Biography Maj Sjöwall was the daughter of Margit Trobäck and CEO Will Sjöwall. After completing school, Sjöwall was employed at Åhlén & Åkerlunds publishers between 1954 and 1959; Wahlström & Widstrands publishers between 1959 and 1961; and then Esselte publishers between 1961 and 1963. Sjöwall was best known for the collaborative work with her partner Per Wahlöö on a series of ten novels about the exploits of Martin Beck, a police detective in Stockholm. They also wrote several novels separately. The fourth of the Beck novels, ''Den skrattande polisen'', was published in 1968; a translation of this novel, '' The Laughing Policeman'', won an Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America in 1971. Thi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Emigrants (novels)
''The Emigrants'' is the collective name of a series of four novels by Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg: *'' The Emigrants'' (Swedish: ''Utvandrarna''), 1949 *'' Unto a Good Land'' (title in Swedish: ''Invandrarna'' 'The Immigrants'), 1952 *''The Settlers'' (Swedish: ''Nybyggarna''), 1956 *'' The Last Letter Home'' (title in Swedish: ''Sista brevet till Sverige'' 'The Last Letter to Sweden'), 1959 Written in the mid-20th century, they explore the large Swedish emigration to the United States that started about a century earlier. Many of the first immigrants settled in the Midwest, including the Minnesota Territory: All of the books have been translated into English, in addition to numerous other languages. The novels are generally considered to be among the best works of Swedish literature. Plot The first novel describes conditions in Sweden that caused people to become emigrants and make the long and strenuous journey. A party of assorted people living in the province of Smål ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vilhelm Moberg
Karl Artur Vilhelm Moberg (20 August 1898 – 8 August 1973) was a Swedish journalist, author, playwright, historian, and debater. His literary career, spanning more than 45 years, is associated with his four‑volume series ''The Emigrants''. The novels, published between 1949 and 1959, deal with the Swedish emigration to the United States in the 19th century. They have been adapted for a total of three movies (two in the 1970s and one in 2021), and a musical. Among his other works are '' Raskens'' (1927) and '' Ride This Night'' (1941), a historical novel of a 17th‑century rebellion in Småland, acknowledged for its subliminal but widely recognised criticism of the Hitler regime. A prominent public intellectual and debater in Sweden, Moberg was recognized for his vocal criticism of the Swedish monarchy (most notably after the Haijby affair), describing it as a servile government by divine mandate, and publicly supporting its replacement with a Swiss‑style confe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pär Lagerkvist
Pär Fabian Lagerkvist (23 May 1891 – 11 July 1974) was a Swedish author who received the 1951 Nobel Prize in Literature. Lagerkvist wrote poetry, plays, novels, short stories, and essays of considerable expressive power and influence from his early 20s to his late 70s. One of his central themes was the fundamental question of good and evil, which he examined through such figures as Barabbas, the man who was freed instead of Jesus, and Ahasuerus, the Wandering Jew. As a moralist, he used religious motifs and figures from the Christian tradition without following the doctrines of a church. Biography and works Lagerkvist was born in Växjö (Småland). He received a traditional religious education – he would later say, with little exaggeration, that he "had had the good fortune to grow up in a home where the only books known were the Bible and the Book of Hymns". In his teens he broke away from Christian beliefs, but, unlike many other writers and thinkers in his generation, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nobel Prize In Literature
The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in the field of literature, produced the most outstanding work in an idealistic direction" (original ). Though individual works are sometimes cited as being particularly noteworthy, the award is based on an author's body of work as a whole. The Swedish Academy decides who, if anyone, will receive the prize. The academy announces the name of the laureate in early October. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895. Literature is traditionally the final award presented at the Nobel Prize ceremony. On some occasions, the award has been postponed to the following year, most recently in 2018. Background Alfred Nobel stipulated in his last will and testament that his money be used to create a series of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish writer. She published her first novel, ''Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she was 1909 Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded in 1909. In 1914, she was the first woman to be granted a membership of the Swedish Academy. Life Early years Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was born on 20 November 1858 at Mårbacka, Värmland, Union between Sweden and Norway, Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway. Lagerlöf was the daughter of Erik Gustaf Lagerlöf, a lieutenant in the Royal Värmland Regiment, and Louise Lagerlöf (''née'' Wallroth), whose father was a well-to-do merchant and a foundry owner (). Lagerlöf was the couple's fifth child out of six. She was born with a Hip dysplasia (human), hip injury, which was caused by detachment in the hip joint. At the age of three and a half, a sickness left her lame in both legs, although s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
