Tomas Gösta Tranströmer (; 15 April 1931 – 26 March 2015) was a Swedish poet, psychologist and translator. His poems captured the long winters in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, 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
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. 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 city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
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
Södra Latin, officially Södra Latins gymnasium, ("Southern Latin" in Swedish) is an upper secondary school ("''gymnasium (school), gymnasieskola''"), situated in Södermalm, Stockholm. The current school building was inaugurated in 1891.
History ...
Gymnasium in Stockholm, where he began writing poetry. In addition to selected journal publications, his first collection of poems, ''
17 Poems'', was published in 1954. He continued his education 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 ...
, 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 centre 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 Mälaren, 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 158,653, over 100,000 mo ...
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 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, 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
Ali Ahmad Said Esber (, Levantine Arabic, North Levantine ; born 1 January 1930), also known by the pen name Adonis or Adunis ( ), is a Syrian people, Syrian poet, essayist and translator. Maya Jaggi, writing for The Guardian stated "He led a mod ...
helped spread Tranströmer's fame in the
Arab world
The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...
, 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
Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...
and
Expressionist/
Surrealist
Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
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's memorial service in 2003.
Tranströmer went to
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), 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 ...
immediately after the
gas tragedy in 1984, and alongside Indian poets such as
K. Satchidanandan, took part in a poetry reading session outside the plant.
Tranströmer suffered a
stroke
Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
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, and 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
Jan Garbarek () (born 4 March 1947) is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist, who is also active in classical music and world music.
Garbarek was born in Mysen, Østfold, southeastern Norway, the only child of a former Polish prisoner of war, Czesław Gar ...
,
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,
Sven-David Sandström,
Jan Sandström and
Anders Eliasson.
Death
Tranströmer died in Stockholm on 26 March 2015 at 83.
List of works
;Books of poetry
* ''
17 Poems'' (), 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
The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, and the OECD. The three sovereign states on the eastern co ...
'' (''Östersjöar''), Bonnier, 1974
* ''
The Truthbarrier'' (''Sanningsbarriären''), Bonnier, 1978,
* ''The Wild Market Square'' (''Det vilda torget'') Bonnier, 1983,
* ''
For the Living and the Dead'' (), 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
Anna Thilda May "May" Swenson (May 28, 1913 – December 4, 1989) was an American poet and playwright. Harold Bloom considered her one of the most important and original poets of the 20th century.
Born to Margaret and Dan Arthur Swenson, she ...
& 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, 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'': , 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, 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 War ...
,
Enitharmon Press, 2006, ; Enitharmon Press, 2006,
* ; republished 2011
* ''The Sorrow Gondola'' tr. Michael McGriff and Mikaela Grassl,
Green Integer, 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 War ...
,
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 P ...
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;
* ''The Blue House: Collected Works of Tomas Tranströmer'', tr. Patty Crane, Bilingual edition, Copper Canyon Press, 2023;
;in other languages
*
Milan Richter has translated Tranströmer into
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
*
J. Bernlef has translated Tranströmer's entire work of poetry into
Dutch.
*
Jacques Outin translated them into
French.
*
Hanns Grössel has translated several works of Tranströmer into
German.
*
Galit Hasan-Rokem has translated Tranströmer's entire work of poetry into
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
.
*
Maria Cristina Lombardi translated some works of Tranströmer into
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
.
*
Eiko Duke-Soei has translated ''
The Sorrow Gondola'' into
Japanese.
*
Morteza Saghafian has translated Tranströmer's work into
Persian.
*
Leonard Neuger has translated several of Tranströmer's anthologies into
Polish.
*
Dan Shafran has translated ''A Page of the Night-Book'' (Nattboksblad) Pagini din cartea nopții: poeme (Polirom, 2003) and ''
The Great Enigma'' (Den stora gåtan) Taina cea mare (Polirom, 2005) into
Romanian.
*
Milan Richter has translated the collected poems of Tranströmer into
Slovak (Medzi allegrom a lamentom, 2001)
*
Roberto Mascaró has translated Tranströmer's work into
Spanish.
Awards and honours
*1966:
Bellman Prize (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, for ''
For the Living and the Dead'' (Nordic countries)
*1991:
Swedish Academy Nordic Prize (Sweden)
*1992:
Horst Bienek Prize for Poetry (Germany)
*1996:
Augustpriset, for ''Sorgegondolen'' (Sweden)
*1998:
Jan Smrek Prize (Slovakia)
*2003:
Struga Poetry Evenings
Struga Poetry Evenings (SPE) (, СВП; tr. ''Struški večeri na poezijata'', ''SVP'') is an international poetry festival held annually in Struga, North Macedonia. During the several decades of its existence, the Festival has awarded its most ...
Golden Wreath (Macedonia)
*2004:
International Nonino Prize (Italy)
*2007:
The Griffin Trust, Lifetime Recognition Award (
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is a Canadian poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin.
Before 2022, two separate awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. I ...
) (Canada)
*2011: Title of Professor (), granted by
the Cabinet of Sweden (Sweden)
*2011:
Nobel Prize in Literature
The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...
(Sweden)
Other awards include the
Övralid Prize and the Swedish Award from the
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
Health professionals 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
August Prize winners
Haiku poets
20th-century Swedish poets
21st-century Swedish poets
20th-century Swedish translators
21st-century translators
Poets from Stockholm