Gustav Torgny Lindgren (16 June 1938 – 16 March 2017) was a Swedish writer. Lindgren was the son of Andreas Lindgren and Helga Björk. He studied in

Umeå Umeå ( , , , locally ; South Westrobothnian: ;). fi, Uumaja; sju, Ubmeje; sma, Upmeje; se, Ubmi) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County. Situated on the Ume River, U ...

to become a teacher and worked as a teacher until the middle of the 1970s. For several years he was active as a local politician for the Swedish Social Democratic Party. In the 1980s he converted to the

Catholic faith The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Lindgren began as a poet in 1965 but had to wait until 1982 for his breakthrough, with the novel ''The Way of a Serpent'' (Swedish: ''Ormens väg på hälleberget''). Lindgren's work was translated into more than thirty languages and was one of Sweden's most internationally successful contemporary writers. He became a member of the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy ( sv, Svenska Akademien), 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 b ...

in 1991.

''The Way of a Serpent''

''The Way of a Serpent'' tells the story of a farmer family in a poverty-stricken region in the northern parts of Sweden in the nineteenth century. The family formerly owned its land, but had to sell it cheap during a succession of years of famine. The new owner collects his rent as long as there is money in the household, and exploits the women when there is no money. The novel was made into a film by

Bo Widerberg Bo Gunnar Widerberg (; 8 June 1930 – 1 May 1997) was a Swedish film director, writer, editor and actor. Biography Early life Widerberg was born in Malmö, Malmöhus County, Sweden. Career Widerberg was the director of films such as ''Raven' ...

in 1986.

Bibliography

* ''Plåtsax, hjärtats instrument'' (1965) * ''Dikter från Vimmerby'' (1970) * ''Hur skulle det vara om man vore Olof Palme?'' (1971) * ''Hallen'' (1975). * ''Brännvinsfursten'' (1979). A book about

Lars Olsson Smith Lars Olsson Smith (12 October 1836 in Kiaby – 9 December 1913 in Karlskrona), also L.O. Smith, was a Swedish spirits manufacturer and politician. He was called "The King of Spirits" (''Brännvinskungen'') because of his domination of spirit ...

. * ''The Way of a Serpent'' (''Ormens väg på hälleberget'') (1982/1990). / * ''Merabs skönhet'' (1983). * ''Övriga frågor'' (1983). * ''Bathsheba'' (''Bat Seba'') (1984/1989). / * ''Legender'' (1986). * ''Skrämmer dig minuten'' (1986) * ''Light'' (''Ljuset'') (1987/1992). / * ''Till Sanningens Lov'' (In Praise of Truth) (1991) * '' Sweetness'' (''Hummelhonung'') (1995/2000). / * ''I Brokiga Blads vatten'' (1999). * ''Hash'' (''Pölsan'') (2002/2005). / * ''Dorés bibel'' (''Doré's Bible) (2005). * ''The Stories'' (''Berättelserna'') (2003). * ''Norrlands akvavit'' (2007) * ''Minnen'' (2010) * ''Klingsor'' (2014)

Awards and honours

Lindgren received

honorary doctorates 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 ho ...

from

Linköping University Linköping University (, LiU) is a public research university based in Linköping, Sweden. Originally established in 1969, it was granted full university status in 1975 and is one of Sweden's largest academic institutions. The university has fo ...

(in 1990) and

Umeå University Umeå University ( sv, Umeå universitet; Ume Sami language, Ume Sami: ) is a public university, public research university located in Umeå, in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within ...

(in 2000). He also received a number of other awards, including the following. * 1986 –

Prix Femina étranger The Prix Femina étranger is a French literary award established in 1985. It is awarded annually to a foreign-language literary work translated into French. List of laureates See also * Prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French literary ...

(for ''Bathsheba'') * 1995 – The August Prize (for ''Sweetness'') * 2000 – The Selma Lagerlöf Prize * 2001 –

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system ...

* 2002 –

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The ob ...

* 2004 –

De Nios Stora Pris 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 l ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindgren, Torgny 1938 births 2017 deaths People from Norsjö Municipality Members of the Swedish Academy Swedish-language writers 20th-century Swedish novelists 21st-century Swedish novelists Converts to Roman Catholicism Swedish Roman Catholics Prix Femina Étranger winners Selma Lagerlöf Prize winners Dobloug Prize winners Litteris et Artibus recipients August Prize winners Swedish male novelists Writers from Västerbotten