Karl Vennberg
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Karl Vennberg (11 April 1910 – 12 May 1995) was a
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
poet, writer and translator. Born in Blädinge parish,
Alvesta Municipality Alvesta Municipality () is a municipality in Kronoberg County, southern Sweden. Its seat is in Alvesta. The present municipality was created in 1971, when the market town (''köping'') Alvesta (instituted in 1945) was amalgamated with four sur ...
,
Kronoberg County Kronoberg County (; ) is a county or '' län'' in southern Sweden. Kronoberg is one of three counties in the province of Småland. It borders the counties of Skåne, Halland, Jönköping, Kalmar, and Blekinge. Its capital is the city of V ...
as the son of a farmer, Vennberg studied at
Lund University Lund University () is a Public university, public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially foun ...
and in Stockholm and worked as a teacher of Norwegian in a Stockholm
folk high school Folk high schools (also ''adult education center'') are institutions for adult education that generally do not grant academic degrees, though certain courses might exist leading to that goal. They are most commonly found in Nordic countries and i ...
. His first collection of poems ''"Hymn och hunger"'' ("Hymn and Hunger") was published in 1937. Along with
Erik Lindegren Erik Lindegren (5 August 1910 – 31 May 1968) was a Swedish author, poet, critical writer and member of the Swedish Academy (1962–68, chair 17). Grandson of composer Johan Lindegren. Lindegren was born in Luleå, Norrbotten County, the son of ...
he became the most prominent representative of the Swedish literary movement
fyrtiotalism Fyrtiotalism ("Forties-ism", referring to the 1940s) is the name of a literary movement in Swedish literature. The writers were not a united group, but represented a new generation of literature with a modernist tendency. Their work, influenced by ...
in the 1940s. The collection of poems ''Halmfackla'' (1944, "Straw Torch") was his literary breakthrough. During his career, he published 20 collections of poetry. His
literary criticism A genre of arts criticism, literary criticism or literary studies is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical analysis of literature's ...
, mainly as cultural editor in
Aftonbladet (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish language, Swedish daily tabloid newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. History and profile The newspaper was founded by Lar ...
from 1957 to 1975, had an important influence on the Swedish literary scene. Vennberg became known for translating and introducing the literary works by
Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...
to Swedish, including ''
The Trial ''The Trial'' () is a novel written by Franz Kafka in 1914 and 1915 and published posthumously on 26 April 1925. One of his best-known works, it tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested and prosecuted by a remote, inaccessible authority, wi ...
'' (1945). He also translated works by
T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...
and
Thomas Mann Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novell ...
's ''
Death in Venice ''Death in Venice ''() is a novella by German author Thomas Mann, published in 1912. It presents an ennobled writer who visits Venice and is liberated, uplifted, and then increasingly obsessed by the sight of a boy in a family of Polish tourist ...
'' to Swedish. In the 1970s he also became known as one of the translators of
the Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writte ...
. Generally considered a leading Swedish Modernist poet, several dissertations has been written about Vennberg's works. His poems are analytical but also often make use of
irony Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what, on the surface, appears to be the case with what is actually or expected to be the case. Originally a rhetorical device and literary technique, in modernity, modern times irony has a ...
. Vennberg is often said to be influenced by
T. S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...
. He was awarded several literary prizes, including
Samfundet De Nio Samfundet De Nio (''The Nine Society'' or ''Society of the Nine'') is a Swedish literary society founded on 14 February 1913 in Stockholm by a testamentary donation from writer Lotten von Kraemer. The society has nine members who are elected for ...
s pris (1957), Bellmanpriset (1960) and the
Nordic Council Literature Prize The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth ...
(1972). He was a member of Samfundet De Nio from 1962 and became a honorary doctor at
Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...
in 1980.


Political views

It has been argued by some, such as poet
Lars Gustafsson Lars Erik Einar Gustafsson (17 May 1936 – 3 April 2016) was a Swedish poet, novelist, and scholar. Among his awards were the in 2006, the Goethe Medal in 2009, the Thomas Mann Prize in 2015, and the Nonino#Winners, International Nonino Prize i ...
and politician
Per Ahlmark Per Axel Ahlmark (15 January 1939 – 8 June 2018) was a Swedish politician and writer. He was the leader of the Liberal People's Party from 1975 to 1978, and Minister for Employment and Deputy Prime Minister in the Swedish government from 197 ...
, that Vennberg expressed support for
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 ...
. However, these accusations were later revealed to be based largely on quotes taken out of context, and the truth is that Vennberg actually held strong
anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...
views; for example, in his
diary A diary is a written or audiovisual memorable record, with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digita ...
in 1935, he described nazism as "''nothing but private
capitalism 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 ...
's last resort''". Per Meurling, a close friend of Vennberg's, quoted him as saying: "''One can understand, or try to understand, all that lives and the way it constantly changes. But how can one grasp the infinite roughness and wickedness of
Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
? For me, nazism is, and has always been, the most repulsive thing I have seen in my life.''" Vennberg was also a member of the
Swedish Clarté League Clarté (Full name in Swedish language, Swedish ''Svenska Clartéförbundet'', or the ''Swedish Clarté League'') is a non-partisan socialism, socialist students' organisation in Sweden. It publishes a periodical with the same name, ''Clarté (maga ...
, a
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
students' organization which resolutely opposed fascism and nazism in the 1930s and 1940s. During the early
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
, Vennberg was an adherent of the so-called "third stance" () in Swedish public debate, which advocated a neutral stance in the conflict between the two superpowers. Despite this, he participated in a gathering at the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
embassy in Stockholm where he praised the "cultural upbuilding" in the USSR. In 1948, he participated in the
World Congress of Intellectuals for Peace The World Congress of Intellectuals in Defense of Peace () was an international conference held on 25 to 28 August 1948 at Wrocław University of Technology. It was organized in the aftermath of the Second World War by the authorities of the Pol ...
in
Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, where he was elected to the International Committee of Intellectuals in Defence of Peace.


Awards and honors

Karl Vennberg won a number of literary prizes during his career: *
Samfundet De Nio Samfundet De Nio (''The Nine Society'' or ''Society of the Nine'') is a Swedish literary society founded on 14 February 1913 in Stockholm by a testamentary donation from writer Lotten von Kraemer. The society has nine members who are elected for ...
s pris, 1956 *The
Bellman Prize The Bellman Prize () is a literature prize for "an outstanding Swedish poet" awarded yearly by the Swedish Academy () The prize was first established by Anders Zorn Anders Leonard Zorn (18 February 1860 – 22 August 1920) was a Swedish ...
, 1960 *Litteraturfrämjandets stora pris, 1963 *
The Nordic Council's Literature Prize The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth ...
, 1972 *The Carl Emil Englund Prize, 1979 *The Kellgren Prize, 1979 *The Aniara Prize, 1988 *The Pilot Prize, 1993 *The Gerard Bonnier Prize, 1994 He was also awarded an
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
at
Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...
.


References


Further reading

*Anders Johansson (2000) ''The negativity of poetry. A study of Karl Vennberg's literary criticism and poetry.'' Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell International.
Abstract


External links


Karl Vennberg
– Albert Bonnier publishing house presentation page (in Swedish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Vennberg, Karl 1910 births 1995 deaths People from Alvesta Municipality Writers from Kronoberg County Lund University alumni Swedish-language poets Swedish-language writers Modernism Nordic Council Literature Prize winners 20th-century Swedish poets