Eyvind Johnson (29 July 1900 – 25 August 1976) was a Swedish novelist and short story writer. Regarded as the most groundbreaking novelist in modern Swedish literature he became a member of the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy (), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is best known as the body t ...

in 1957 and shared the 1974 Nobel Prize in Literature with

Harry Martinson Harry Martinson (6May 190411February 1978) was a Swedish writer, poet and former sailor. In 1949 he was elected into the Swedish Academy. He was awarded a joint 1974 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1974 together with fellow ...

with the citation: ''for a narrative art, far-seeing in lands and ages, in the service of freedom''.

Biography

Johnson was born Olof Edvin Verner Jonsson 29 July 1900 in a village near the town of Boden in

Norrbotten Norrbotten (), sometimes called North Bothnia, is a Swedish province (''landskap'') in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland. Administration The traditional provinces of Swede ...

. The small house where he was born is preserved and marked with a commemorative plaque. Johnson left school at the age of thirteen and then held various jobs such as log driving and working at a

saw mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

and as a ticket-seller and projectionist in a cinema. In 1919 he left his hometown and moved to

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

where he began to publish articles in

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

magazines like ''

Brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

''. In Stockholm he became friends with other young proletarian writers and started the magazine ''Vår nutid''. He travelled in Germany in the 1920s and lived in Saint-Leu-la-Foret, near

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, between 1927 and 1930 with his wife Aase Christoffersen (1900–1938). At this point he had published his first books. The first ''De fyra främlingarna'', a collection of short stories, was published in 1924. Influenced by writers such as

Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust ( ; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, literary critic, and essayist who wrote the novel (in French – translated in English as ''Remembrance of Things Past'' and more r ...

André Gide André Paul Guillaume Gide (; 22 November 1869 – 19 February 1951) was a French writer and author whose writings spanned a wide variety of styles and topics. He was awarded the 1947 Nobel Prize in Literature. Gide's career ranged from his begi ...

and

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

, Johnson gradually took distance from the traditional novel and became the most important representative of

modernist literature Modernist literature originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and is characterised by a self-conscious separation from traditional ways of writing in both poetry and prose fiction writing. Modernism experimented with literary form a ...

in Sweden. Johnson's early novels were not widely read, but his 1929 novel ''Kommentar till ett stjärnfall'' ("Comment on a falling star"), an attack on

capitalist society Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by a n ...

, was a critical success. Petri Liukonne
Eyvind Johnson
Books and writers Johnson's first major success as a writer was four

autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel, also known as an autobiographical fiction, fictional autobiography, or autobiographical fiction novel, is a type of novel which uses autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The ...

s published between 1934 and 1937, published together as '' Romanen om Olof'' ("The Novel about Olof"), about a young man growing up in the northern parts of Sweden. In the novels Johnson blended realism with fairy tales and typical modernist features such as inner monologue and changing

point of view Point of View or Points of View may refer to: Concept and technique * Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the pronoun used in narration * Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or ...

. ''Romanen om Olof'' became a

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

in Swedish literature and was later filmed as '' Here Is Your Life''. Increasingly upset by the rising totalitarianism in the 1930s, Johnson was strongly against

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

and

nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he was editor of the magazine '' Håndslag'' and published '' Krilon'', a trilogy of novels that in the form of an

allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...

deals with the events during the war. In the novels Johnson condemns Nazi oppression and criticises the controversial Swedish neutrality policy during the war. ''Krilon'' is considered to be one of Johnson's best works. In the same period he was a member of the nationalist association Samfundet Nordens Frihet and among the contributors of its magazine, '' Nordens Frihet''. In 1946 he published one of his most famous novels, '' Return to Ithaca'' (''Strändernas svall''), based on the story of

Odysseus In Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, Odysseus ( ; , ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; ), is a legendary Greeks, Greek king of Homeric Ithaca, Ithaca and the hero of Homer's Epic poetry, epic poem, the ''Odyssey''. Od ...

as he returns to Ithaca after the Trojan war. Johnson married translator Cilla Johnson in 1940. He lived with his family in Switzerland 1947–1949 and then a year in England. Travels to Italy and France inspired him to write several well-received

historical novels Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the Setting (narrative), setting of particular real past events, historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literatur ...

. Among the best known are '' Dreams of Roses and Fire'' (''Drömmar om rosor och eld'', 1949) set in

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

s 17th century France, and ''Molnen över Metapontion'' ("The Clouds above Metapontion", 1957) that typically for his later novels switches back and forth between different time levels. Johnson's most noted works internationally include ''Return to Ithaca'' and '' The Days of His Grace'' (''Hans nådes tid'', 1960) which have been translated to many languages. For the latter novel Johnson was awarded the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1962.

Member of the Swedish Academy and Nobel Prize in Literature

Authors-from-across-the-country-arrive-at-Writers-meeting-142347119180

In 1957 Johnson was elected a member of the

. He was a member of the Nobel Committee for Literature between 1959 and 1972. Johnson nominated several authors that were subsequently awarded the prize, including the 1963 Nobel laureate Giorgos Seferis twice, in 1962 and the year Seferis won. In 1974, Eyvind Johnson was awarded the 1974 Nobel Prize in Literature jointly with

. Johnson was awarded "for a narrative art, farseeing in lands and ages, in the service of freedom"The Nobel Prize in Literature 1974
nobelprize.org

Works

Novels

* ''Timans och rättfärdigheten'' (1925) * ''Stad i mörker'' (1927) * ''Stad i ljus'' (1928) * ''Minnas'' (1928) * ''Kommentar till ett stjärnfall'' (1929) * ''Avsked till Hamlet'' (1930) * ''Bobinack'' (1932) * ''Regn i gryningen'' (1933) * ''Romanen om Olof'' (1934-1937, published together in 1945) ** ''Nu var det 1914'' (1934) ** ''Här har du ditt liv!'' (1935) ** ''Se dig inte om!'' (1936) ** ''Slutspel i ungdomen'' (1937) * ''Nattövning'' (1938) * ''Soldatens återkomst'' (1940) * '' Krilon'' (1941-1943, published together in 1948) ** ''Grupp Krilon'' (1941) ** ''Krilons resa'' (1942) ** ''Krilon själv'' (1943) * '' Return to Ithaca'' (, 1946) * '' Dreams of Roses and Fire'' (''Drömmar om rosor och eld'', 1949) * ''Lägg undan solen'' (1951) * ''Romantisk berättelse'' (1953) * ''Tidens gång'' (1955) * ''Molnen över Metapontion'' (1957) * '' The Days of His Grace'' (, 1960) * ''Livsdagen lång'' (1964) * ''Favel ensam'' (1968) * ''Några steg mot tystnaden'' (1973) * ''Herr Clerk vår mästare'' (original version of ''Minnas'', novel, 1998)

Short story collections

* ''De fyra främlingarna'' (1924) * ''Natten är här'' (1932) * ''Än en gång, kapten! '' (1934) * ''Den trygga världen'' (1940) * ''Sju liv'' (1944) * ''Pan mot Sparta'' (1946) * ''Olibrius och gestalterna'' (1986)

Plays

* '' Return to Ithaca'' (, 1948)

Nonfiction

* ''Dagbok från Schweiz'' (1949) * ''Vinterresa i Norrbotten'' (1955) * ''Vägar över Metaponto – en resedagbok'' (1959) * ''Spår förbi Kolonos – en berättelse'' (1961) * ''Stunder, vågor – anteckningar, berättelser'' (1965) * ''Resa i hösten 1921'' (1973)

References

External links

Eyvind Johnson Society
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Eyvind 1900 births 1976 deaths People from Boden, Sweden Writers from Norrbotten County Harry Martinson 20th-century Swedish novelists Nobel laureates in Literature Swedish-language writers Members of the Swedish Academy Nordic Council Literature Prize winners Swedish Nobel laureates Dobloug Prize winners Swedish male novelists Swedish historical novelists Male short story writers 20th-century Swedish short story writers Swedish magazine founders