Lars Ahlin (4 April 1915 – 11 March 1997) was a Swedish author and aesthetician.

Biography

Ahlin left school when he was 13 to support his family, although he later attended several folk high schools. When he was 18, he had a mystical experience. He eventually moved to

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, where he wrote two unpublished novels before his first success, ''Tåbb med manifestet'' (''Tåbb with the Manifesto'', 1943). The story, about a young proletarian who rejects the values of communism in favor of a secularized Lutheran theology where man is judged by his deeds, without preconceived notions, set the stage for his subsequent works. Critics have compared Ahlin to

Fyodor Dostoyevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

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 novella ...

. Among the awards he received are the Prize of the Nine in 1960, the

Great Novel Prize Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

in 1962, and the Small Nobel Prize in 1966. In 1995, he won the

Swedish Academy Nordic Prize The Nordic Prize (''Swedish'': nordiska pris) is a literary award presented annually by the Swedish Academy. The recipient is someone from the Nordic countries who has done significant work in any of the Academy's areas of operations or interests. ...

, known as the 'little Nobel'.

Notable works

*''Tåbb med manifestet'', 1943 *''No Eyes Await Me'' (story collection), 1944 *''Min död är min'' (''My Death Is My Own''), 1945 *''Om'' (''If, About, Around''), 1946 *''Kanelbiten'' (''The Cinnamon Girl''), 1953 *''The Great Amnesia'', 1954 *''Natt i marknadstältet'' (''Night in the Market Tent''), 1957 *''Bark and Leaves'', 1961 *''Sjätte munnen'' (''The Sixth Mouth''), 1985 *''

De sotarna! De sotarna! ''De sotarna! De sotarna!'' (lit. The Chimney Sweepers! The Chimney Sweepers!) is a 1990 novel by Swedish author Lars Ahlin. It won the August Prize The August Prize ( sv, Augustpriset) is an annual Swedish literary prize awarded each year since ...

'' (''The Chimney Sweepers! The Chimney Sweepers!''), 1991

References

*"Ahlin, Lars", ''

Academic American Encyclopedia ''Academic American Encyclopedia'' is a 21-volume general English-language encyclopedia published in 1980. It was first produced by Arête Publishing, the American subsidiary of the Dutch publishing company VNU''Kister's Best Encyclopedias'', 1994 ...

'', 1991 edition, p. 198. *"Ahlin, Lars". Encyclopædia Britannica. ''Encyclopædia Britannica 2007 Ultimate Reference Suite''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2007. 1915 births 1997 deaths People from Sundsvall Swedish male writers Writers from Medelpad Selma Lagerlöf Prize winners Dobloug Prize winners {{Sweden-writer-stub