Stig Halvard Dagerman (5 October 1923 – 4 November 1954) 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 ...

author and journalist prominent in the aftermath of World War II.

Biography

Stig Dagerman was born Stig Halvard Andersson in Älvkarleby,

Uppsala County Uppsala County ( sv, Uppsala län) is a county or '' län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna, Stockholm, Södermanland, Västmanland, Gävleborg, and the Baltic Sea. ...

. He later took his fathers surname Jansson and then changed his name to Stig Dagerman in his teens. In the course of five years, 1945–49, he enjoyed success with four novels, a collection of short stories, a book about postwar Germany, five plays, hundreds of poems and satirical verses, several essays of note and a large amount of journalism. He died in 1954, having closed the doors of the garage and run the engine.Thompson, Laurie. 1983. ''Stig Dagerman''. Boston: Twayne Publishers.

Literary style and themes

Dagerman is representative of the Swedish literary movement

fyrtiotalism Fyrtiotalism ("Fortiesism") is the name of a literary movement in Swedish literature in the 1940s. The writers were not a united group, but represented a new generation of literature with a modernist tendency. Their work, influenced by writers su ...

. His works deal with universal problems of morality and conscience, of sexuality and social philosophy, of love, compassion, justice, fear, guilt, and loneliness. Despite the somber content, he also displays a wry sense of humor that occasionally turns his writing into burlesque or satire.

Legacy

The annual Stig Dagerman Prize awards individuals who, like Dagerman, promote empathy and understanding through their work.

Main works

* ''Ormen'' (The Snake) 1945, novel * ''De dömdas ö'' (The Island of the Doomed) 1946, novel * ''Tysk höst'' (German Autumn), 1947, non-fictional account of post-war Germany * ''Nattens lekar'' (The Games of Night) 1947, a collection of short stories * ''Bränt barn'' ( A Burnt Child, also translated as A Moth To a Flame) 1948, novel * ''Dramer om dömda: Den dödsdömde; Skuggan av Mart'' (Dramas of the Condemned: The Man Condemned to Death; Marty's Shadow) 1948, plays * ''Judas Dramer: Streber; Ingen går fri'' (Judas Dramas: No One Goes Free; The Climber) 1949, plays * ''Bröllopsbesvär'' (Wedding Worries) 1949, novel * ''Vårt behov av tröst'' (Our Need for Consolation is Insatiable) 1955, prose and poetry. Edited by O. Lagercrantz

English translations

Books

''German Autumn.'' Translation by Robin Fulton. Introduction by Mark Kurlansky. University of Minnesota Press, 2011. ''Sleet - Selected Stories''. Translation by Steven Hartman. Preface by Alice McDermott. David R. Godine, 2013. ''A Burnt Child''. Translation by Benjamin Mier-Cruz. Introduction by

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. University of Minnesota Press, 2013. ''Island of the Doomed''. Translation by Laurie Thompson. Introduction by

JMG Le Clezio The JMG Academy is a sports organisation and training company established by French international football player Jean-Marc Guillou. Overview Guillou had established Académie de Sol Beni in Abidjan in 1994 via a partnership with ASEC Mimosas. ...

. University of Minnesota Press, 2012. ''The Snake''. Translation and introduction by

Laurie Thompson Laurie Thompson (26 February 1938 – 8 June 2015) was a British academic and translator, noted for his translations of Swedish literature into English. Thompson was born in York, England, and lived in northern Sweden for a few years. He wa ...

. Quartet Encounters, London, 1995. ''The Games of Night''. Translation by Naomi Walford and introduction by Michael Meyer. Bodley Head, London, 1959; Lippincott, Philadelphia and New York, 1961; Quartet Encounters, London, 1986. ''A Moth to a Flame''. Translation by Benjamin Miers-Cruz. Introduction by

Siri Hustvedt Siri Hustvedt (born February 19, 1955) is an American novelist and essayist. Hustvedt is the author of a book of poetry, seven novels, two books of essays, and several works of non-fiction. Her books include ''The Blindfold'' (1992), ''The Ench ...

. Penguin European Writers 2019.

Individual texts translated by Steven Hartman

"Our Need for Consolation." "Little Star", Issue 5, 2014. 301-307 "Thousand Years with God." (unpublished) "The Surprise." ''Southern California Anthology'' 8, Los Angeles, CA: University of Southern California, 1996. 60-66 "Men of Character." ''Southern Review'' 32:1. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University, 1996. 59-79 "Salted Meat and Cucumber." ''Prism International'' 34:2. Vancouver, BC: University of British Columbia, 1996. 54-60 "Sleet." ''Confrontation'' 54/55 (Double Issue). New York, NY: Long Island University, 1994. 53-62 "The Games of Night." ''Black Warrior Review'' 20:2. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama, 1994. 107-117 "In Grandmother's House." ''Quarterly West'' 38. Salt Lake City, UT: University of Utah, 1994. 160-167 "To Kill A Child." ''Grand Street'' 42. New York, NY, 1992. 96-100

Other English translations

"Marty's Shadow." Translation of the play "Skuggan av Mart" by Lo Dagerman and Nancy Pick, 2017. "Pithy Poems." Translation by Laurie Thompson. ''The Lampeter Translation Series'': 4. Lampeter, Wales, 1989. "God Pays a Visit to Newton, 1727." Translation by Ulla Natterqvist-Sawa. ''Prism International,'' Vancouver, BC, October 1986, 7-24. "Bon Soir." Translation by Anne Born. ''The Swedish Book Review'' supplement, UK, 1984, 13-. "The Man Condemned to Death." Translation by Joan Tate. ''The Swedish Book Review'' supplement, UK, 1984, 21-. " The Condemned." Translation by Henry Alexander and Llewellyn Jones. ''Scandinavian Plays of the Twentieth Century,'' Third Series, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1951.

Selected adaptations

"To Kill A Child" (TRT 10 min, 2003, Swedish with English subtitles) by Bjorne Larson and Alexander Skarsgard. Narration by Stellan Skarsgard. "The Games of Night" (TRT 23 min, 2007, English) by Dan Levy Dagerman. Screenplay based on translation by Steven Hartman. "Our Need for Consolation" (TRT 20 min, 2012, English) by Dan Levy Dagerman. Narration by Stellan Skarsgard. "Notre besoin de consolation est impossible a rassasier," Têtes raides, CD "Banco," 2007. "Corps de mots," CD booklet + DVD, 2013. "Stig Dagerman," a French poem inspired from "Our need for consolation is insatiable", written by

Kentin Jivek Kentin Jivek is a French songwriter and singer of dark folk and psychedelic folk songs. The lyrics are expressed in the 3 languages: French, English and Spanish."Its origins come from beliefs and stories from mythology and folklore, updated to ...

, part of the album "Now I'm Black Moon", released in April 2011.

References

External links

* http://www.dagerman.us/, official website in English administered by Lo Dagerman * http://www.dagerman.se/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Dagerman, Stig 1923 births 1954 suicides 20th-century Swedish novelists Swedish short story writers 20th-century Swedish dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Swedish poets People from Älvkarleby Municipality Writers from Uppland Swedish-language writers Anarcho-syndicalists Swedish anarchists Existentialists Suicides in Sweden Suicides by carbon monoxide poisoning 1954 deaths Swedish male dramatists and playwrights Swedish male novelists