Tomas Gösta Tranströmer (; 15 April 1931 – 26 March 2015) was a Swedish poet, psychologist and translator. His poems captured the long Swedish winters, the rhythm of the seasons and the palpable, atmospheric beauty of nature.
Tranströmer's work is also characterized by a sense of mystery and wonder underlying the routine of everyday life, a quality which often gives his poems a religious dimension.
He has been described as a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...
poet.
Tranströmer is acclaimed as one of the most important Scandinavian writers since the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
. Critics praised his poetry for its accessibility, even in translation.
His poetry has been translated into over 60 languages.
He was the recipient of the 1990
Neustadt International Prize for Literature
The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is a biennial award for literature sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and its international literary publication, ''World Literature Today''. It is considered one of the more prestigious int ...
, the 2004
International Nonino Prize, and the
2011 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Life and work
Early life
Tranströmer was born in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...
in 1931 and raised by his mother Helmy, a schoolteacher, following her divorce from his father, Gösta Tranströmer, an editor.
He received his secondary education at the
Södra Latin Gymnasium in Stockholm, where he began writing poetry. In addition to selected journal publications, his first collection of poems, ''
17 Poems
''17 Poems'' ( sv, 17 dikter) is a 1954 poetry collection by the Swedish writer Tomas Tranströmer. It was Tranströmer's debut book: he had previously only been published in journals. The book was well received in the Swedish press and praised for ...
'', was published in 1954. He continued his education at
Stockholm University
Stockholm University ( sv, Stockholms universitet) is a 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, ...
, graduating as a psychologist in 1956 with additional studies in history, religion and literature.
Between 1960 and 1966, Tranströmer split his time between working as a psychologist at the Roxtuna center for juvenile delinquents (
sv) and writing poetry.
He also worked as a psychologist at the Labor Market Institute in
Västerås
Västerås ( , , ) is a city in central Sweden on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province of Västmanland, west of Stockholm. The city had a population of 127,799 at the end of 2019, out of the municipal total of 154,049.
Västerås is the se ...
from 1965 to 1990.
Poetry
Tranströmer is considered to be one of the "most influential Scandinavian poet
of recent decades".
Tranströmer published 15 collected works over his extensive career, which have been translated into over 60 languages.
An English translation by
Robin Fulton
Robin Fulton is a Scottish poet and translator, born on 6 May 1937 on the Isle of Arran. Since 2011 he has published under the name Robin Fulton Macpherson.
Biography
The son of a Church of Scotland minister, Robin Fulton was born in Arran in 19 ...
of his entire body of work, ''New Collected Poems'', was published in the UK in 1987 and expanded in 1997. Following the publication of ''The Great Enigma'', Fulton's edition was further expanded into ''The Great Enigma: New Collected Poems,'' published in the US in 2006 and as an updated edition of ''New Collected Poems'' in the UK in 2011. He published a short autobiography, ''Minnena ser mig'' ''(The Memories see me)'', in 1993.
By the mid-1960s, Tranströmer became close friends with poet
Robert Bly. The two corresponded frequently, and Bly would translate Tranströmer's poems into English. In 2001
Bonniers
Bonnier AB (), also the Bonnier Group, is a privately held Swedish media group of 175 companies operating in 15 countries. It is controlled by the Bonnier family.
Background
The company was founded in 1804 by Gerhard Bonnier in Copenhagen, Den ...
, Tranströmer's publisher, released ''Air Mail'', a work consisting of Tranströmer's and Bly's day-to-day correspondence on personal, contemporary and literary matters c. 1965–1991 – in a style that vividly conveyed how close friends the two had soon become.
Bly also helped arrange readings for his fellow poet in America. The Syrian poet
Adunis helped spread Tranströmer's fame in the
Arab world
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
, accompanying him on reading tours.
In the 1970s, other poets accused Tranströmer of being detached from his own age, since he did not deal overtly with social and political issues in his poems and novels. His work, though, lies within and further develops the
Modernist and
Expressionist
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radi ...
/
Surrealist language of 20th-century poetry; his clear, seemingly simple pictures from everyday life and nature in particular reveals a mystic insight to the universal aspects of the human mind. A poem of his was read at
Anna Lindh
Ylva Anna Maria Lindh (19 June 1957 – 11 September 2003) was a Swedish Social Democratic politician and lawyer who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1998 until her death. She was also a Member of the Riksdag (member of parliament) ...
's memorial service in 2003.
Tranströmer went to
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...
immediately after the
gas tragedy in 1984, and alongside Indian poets such as
K. Satchidanandan
K. Satchidanandan (1946) is an Indian poet and critic, writing in Malayalam and English. A pioneer of modern poetry in Malayalam, a bilingual literary critic, playwright, editor, columnist and translator, he is the former editor of ''Indian L ...
, took part in a poetry reading session outside the plant.
Tranströmer suffered a
stroke
A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...
in 1990 that left him partially paralyzed and unable to speak; however, he continued to write and publish poetry through the early 2000s. One of his final original volumes of poetry, ''Den stora gåtan'', was published in 2004, translated into English in 2006 as ''
The Great Enigma''.
Music
Tranströmer played the piano throughout his life; after his stroke, which paralyzed the right side of his body, he taught himself to play only with his left hand. He often said that the playing was a way for him to continue living after the stroke.
Tranströmer's daughter Emma is a concert singer. In 2011 she released the album ''Dagsmeja'', containing songs based on Tranströmer's poems.
Many composers and musicians have worked with his poems. Among these are
Jan Garbarek,
Ulf Grahn,
Madeleine Isaksson,
Margareta Hallin
Gunhild Margareta Hallin Ekerot (20 February 1931 – 9 February 2020) was a Swedish opera singer, composer and actress.
Early life and debut
Hallin was born on 20 February 1931, in Karlskoga. She made her debut during her time as a student at ...
,
Lars Edlund
Lars Edlund (6 November 1922 – 21 December 2013[Tonsätta ...](_blank)
,
Sven-David Sandström
Sven-David Sandström (30 October 1942, in Motala – 10 June 2019) was a Swedish classical composer of operas, oratorios, ballets, and choral works, as well as orchestral works.
Life and career
Sandström studied art history and musicology at ...
,
Jan Sandström and
Anders Eliasson
Anders Erik Birger Eliasson (3 April 1947 – 20 May 2013) was a Swedish composer.
Life
Eliasson was born in Borlänge. His "earliest musical experiences originated from within myself: they were my own singing, and familiar tunes I heard o ...
.
Death
Tranströmer died in Stockholm on 26 March 2015 at 83, less than 3 weeks before his 84th birthday.
List of works
;Books of poetry
* ''
17 Poems
''17 Poems'' ( sv, 17 dikter) is a 1954 poetry collection by the Swedish writer Tomas Tranströmer. It was Tranströmer's debut book: he had previously only been published in journals. The book was well received in the Swedish press and praised for ...
'' (''17 dikter''), Bonniers, 1954
* ''
Secrets on the Way'' (''Hemligheter på vägen''), Bonnier, 1958
* ''
The Half-Finished Heaven'' (''Den halvfärdiga himlen''), Bonnier, 1962
* ''
Bells and Tracks'' (''Klanger och spår''), Bonnier, 1966
* ''
Seeing in the Dark'' (''Mörkerseende''), Författarförlaget, 1970
* ''
Paths'' (''Stigar''), Författarförlaget, 1973,
* ''
Baltics'' (''Östersjöar''), Bonnier, 1974
* ''
The Truthbarrier'' (''Sanningsbarriären''), Bonnier, 1978,
* ''The Wild Market Square'' (''Det vilda torget'') Bonnier, 1983,
* ''
For the Living and the Dead'' (''För levande och döda''), Bonnier, 1989
* ''
The Sorrow Gondola'' (''Sorgegondolen''), Bonnier, 1996,
* ''Prison'' (''Fängelse''), Edition Edda, 2001 (from 1959),
* ''
The Great Enigma'' (''Den stora gåtan''), Bonnier, 2004,
;Other
* ''Memories Look at Me'' (''Minnena ser mig''), Bonnier, 1993, prose memoir
* ''Air Mail: Brev 1964-1990'', Bonnier, 2001, correspondence with
Robert Bly
* ''Galleriet: Reflected in Vecka nr. II'' (2007), an artist book by Modhir Ahmed
Translations of his work
;in English
* ''Twenty Poems'' tr.
Robert Bly, Seventies Press, 1970
* ''Night Vision'': ''Mörkerseende'' tr. Robert Bly, London Magazine Editions, 1972, SBN 900626 74 7
* ''Windows and Stones'' tr.
May Swenson & Leif Sjoberg, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1972;
* ''Selected Poems'', Tomas Tranströmer, tr. Robin Fulton, (included with Paavo Haavikko), Penguin Modern European Poets, 1974;
* ''Baltics'': ''Östersjöar'', tr. Samuel Charters, Oyez, Berkeley, 1975 ; new edition Tavern Books 2012,
* ''Baltics'': ''Östersjöar'', tr.
Robin Fulton
Robin Fulton is a Scottish poet and translator, born on 6 May 1937 on the Isle of Arran. Since 2011 he has published under the name Robin Fulton Macpherson.
Biography
The son of a Church of Scotland minister, Robin Fulton was born in Arran in 19 ...
, Oasis Books, London, 1980;
* ''Selected Poems'', translator Robin Fulton, Ardis Publishers, 1981,
* ''The Blue House: Prose Poems'', Thunder City Press, 1983
* ''The Wild Market Square'': ''Det vilda torget'' tr. John F. Deane, Dedalus Press, Dublin, 1985;
* ''Collected Poems'', Translator Robin Fulton,
Bloodaxe Books
Bloodaxe Books is a British publishing house specializing in poetry.
History
Bloodaxe Books was founded in 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne by Neil Astley, who is still editor and managing director. Bloodaxe moved its editorial office to Northumbe ...
, 1987,
*''Tomas Tranströmer: Selected Poems, 1954–1986'', Editor Robert Hass, Publisher Ecco Press, 1987
* ''Sorrow Gondola: Sorgegondolen'', tr. Robin Fulton, Dufour Editions, 1994, ; Dufour Editions, Incorporated, 1997,
* ''For the Living and the Dead'': ''För levande och döda'', tr. John F. Deane; The Dedalus Press, Dublin, 1994;
* ''New Collected Poems'' tr. Robin Fulton, Bloodaxe Books, 1997,
* ''Selected Poems Transtromer'', Translator May Swenson, Eric Sellin, HarperCollins, 1999,
* ''The Half-Finished Heaven'' tr. Robert Bly,
Graywolf Press
Graywolf Press is an independent, non-profit publisher located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Graywolf Press publishes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
Graywolf Press collaborates with organizations such as the College of Saint Benedict, the Mello ...
, 2001,
* ''The Deleted World'' tr.
Robin Robertson
Robin Robertson (born in 1955) is a Scottish poet.
Biography
Robertson was brought up on the north-east coast of Scotland, but has spent most of his professional life in London. After working as an editor at Penguin Books and Secker and Wa ...
,
Enitharmon Press
Enitharmon Press is an independent British publishing house specialising in artists’ books, poetry, limited editions and original prints.
The name of the press comes from the poetry of William Blake: Enitharmon was a character who represented ...
, 2006, ; Enitharmon Press, 2006,
* ; republished 2011
* ''The Sorrow Gondola'' tr. Michael McGriff and Mikaela Grassl,
Green Integer
Green Integer is an American publishing house of pocket-sized belles-lettres books, based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1997 by Douglas Messerli, whose former publishing house was Sun & Moon, and it is edited by Per Bregne.
Gre ...
, 2010,
* ''The Deleted World'' tr.
Robin Robertson
Robin Robertson (born in 1955) is a Scottish poet.
Biography
Robertson was brought up on the north-east coast of Scotland, but has spent most of his professional life in London. After working as an editor at Penguin Books and Secker and Wa ...
,
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...
USA, Enitharmon Press UK, 2011;
* ''New Collected Poems'' tr. Robin Fulton, expanded edition Bloodaxe Books, 2011,
* ''Inspired Notes'', tr. John F. Deane, Dedalus Press, Dublin, 2011 (combining his 1985 and 1994 translations above);
* ''Bright Scythe: Selected Poems by Tomas Tranströmer'', tr. Patty Crane, Bilingual edition, Sarabande Books, 2015;
;in other languages
*
Hanns Grössel has translated several works of Tranströmer into German.
*
Roberto Mascaró has translated Tranströmer's work into Spanish.
*
Morteza Saghafian has translated Tranströmer's work into Persian.
*
Maria Cristina Lombardi translated some works of Tranströmer into Italian.
*
Jacques Outin translated them into French.
*
Milan Richter has translated the collected poems of Tranströmer into Slovak (Medzi allegrom a lamentom, 2001)
Awards and honours
*1966:
Bellman Prize
The Bellman Prize ( sv, Bellmanpriset) is a literature prize for "an outstanding Swedish poet" awarded yearly by the Swedish Academy ( sv, Svenska Akademien) The prize was first established by Anders Zorn (1860-1920) and his wife Emma Lamm (186 ...
(Sweden)
*1981:
Petrarca-Preis (Germany)
*1990:
Neustadt International Prize for Literature
The Neustadt International Prize for Literature is a biennial award for literature sponsored by the University of Oklahoma and its international literary publication, ''World Literature Today''. It is considered one of the more prestigious int ...
(US)
*1990:
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 ...
, for ''
For the Living and the Dead'' (Nordic countries)
*1991:
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. ...
(Sweden)
*1992:
Horst Bienek Prize for Poetry
The Horst Bienek Prize for Poetry () is a German literary prize named after novelist and poet Horst Bienek. It was established in 1991 and is awarded by the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts. It is awarded every two years.
Recipients
*1991: John Ash ...
(Germany)
*1996:
Augustpriset, for ''Sorgegondolen'' (Sweden)
*1998:
Jan Smrek Prize (Slovakia)
*2003:
Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath (Macedonia)
*2004:
International Nonino Prize (Italy)
*2007:
The Griffin Trust, Lifetime Recognition Award (
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin.
Before 2022, the awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English languag ...
) (Canada)
*2011: Title of Professor ( sv, Professors namn), granted by
the Cabinet of Sweden (Sweden)
*2011:
Nobel Prize in Literature
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, caption =
, awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature
, presenter = Swedish Academy
, holder = Annie Ernaux (2022)
, location = Stockholm, Sweden
, year = 1901
, ...
(Sweden)
Other awards include the
Övralid Prize and the Swedish Award from International Poetry Forum.
See also
*
List of Nobel laureates in Literature
References
External links
The Official Tomas Tranströmer Website* Petri Liukkonen. "Tomas Tranströmer". ''Books and Writers''
Biography and Poemson Poets.org
List of WorksBiographical profile on Bloodaxe Books websiteGriffin Poetry Prize Lifetime Recognition tribute, including audio and video clips''Sorrow Gondola'' translated by Patty Crane, with essay by David Wojahn, letter from Jean Valentine, and morein ''Blackbird'', Spring 2011, Vol. 10, No. 1.
* Translations by Robert Archambeau and Lars-Håkan Svensson.
''Poetry Fix'' video on TranströmerThe Guardian: Tomas Tranströmer 'surprised' by Nobel prize for literature - video interview"Wonderful Centipedes: The Poetry of Tomas Tranströmer" Niklas Schiöler,
Berfrois', 12 October 2011
Steven Ford Brown. "An Afternoon With Tranströmer In Stockholm", ''Boston Area Small Press and Poetry Scene'', October 15, 2011"The Blue House" reading by Louise Korthals in Amsterdam, Netherlands, The Official Tomas Tranströmer WebsiteThe Music Says Freedom Exists. A visit to Tomas Tranströmer in Stockholm, February 2015Video by
Louisiana Channel
* including the Nobel Lecture
{{DEFAULTSORT:Transtromer, Tomas
1931 births
2015 deaths
Nobel laureates in Literature
Nordic Council Literature Prize winners
Writers from Stockholm
Stockholm University alumni
Swedish-language poets
Swedish-language writers
Swedish Nobel laureates
Struga Poetry Evenings Golden Wreath laureates
Litteris et Artibus recipients
Swedish male poets
Swedish translators
August Prize winners
Haiku poets
20th-century Swedish poets
21st-century Swedish poets
20th-century translators
21st-century translators