Artur Lundkvist

Artur Lundkvist, 1940s.

Nils Artur Lundkvist(3 March 1906 – 11 December 1991) was aSwedishwriter,poetandliterary critic.He was a member of theSwedish Academyfrom 1968.

Artur Lundkvist published around 80 books, including poetry, prose poems, essays, short stories, novels and travel books, and his works have been translated into some 30 languages. He is also noted for having translated many works from Spanish and French into Swedish. Several authors whose works he translated were later awarded theNobel Prize in Literature.He married the poetMaria Winein 1936.

Biography

Artur Lundkvist was born inPerstorp Municipality,Skåne County.As a child he lived on a small farm, first in Hagstad and then in nearby Toarp. From an early age his main interest was reading and he also liked wandering in the surrounding countryside.At the age of twenty Lundkvist moved toStockholmdetermined to become a writer, he studied at aFolk high schooland became acquainted with other young people with the same interests. His first books of poems, the anthologyFem ungaand introductions of foreignmodernist literaturequickly established Lundkvist as a leading figure inModernist Swedish literaturein the 1930s. Lundkvist went on to publish more than 80 books in many genres and was also a prominent critic. In 1968 he was elected a member of theSwedish Academy,and was a member of the Academy'sNobel committeefrom 1969 to 1986. He died on 11 December 1991.

Writings

Artur Lundkvist withWilliam GoldingandJean-Paul Sartreat a writers' congress inLeningrad,USSR,1963.

Lundkvist published his first book of poemsGlöd(Glowing Embers) in 1928 and contributed to the important anthologyFem unga(Five young men) in 1929. He was one of the dominant figures in Swedishliterary modernism,the most vigorous promoter of the modernist breakthrough that took place around 1930, and one of the leading poets of the period. His early works was influenced by Scandinavian and American modernists, most notablyCarl Sandburg,and later bysurrealism.

In the late 1940s his works became increasingly influenced by Spanish language writers likePablo NerudaandFederico García Lorca,whose poetry he also translated to Swedish. Although he continued to publish books of poetry, includingLiv som gräs(Life as grass,1954) andÖgonblick och vågor(Moments and waves,1962) which by many is considered to be among his finest works, prose works dominated his writings from the 1950s and onwards. In several books, starting withMalinga(1952) and leading up to late works such asSkrivet mot kvällen(Written towards the evening,1980), his ambition was to defy genre limitations and merge prose poetry, fictional stories, short essays, personal memoirs and impressions from his many travels around the world into a new form of literature.

Artur Lundkvist was a very productive writer, and also published numerous articles, short stories, collections of literary essays, and books about his travels inSouth America,India,China,the Soviet UnionandAfrica.His later work also include severalhistorical novelssuch asSnapphanens liv och död(1968, aboutsnapphanar),Tvivla, korsfarare!(1972, aboutcrusaders),Krigarens dikt(1976, aboutAlexander the Great) and "Slavar för Särkland" (1978, aboutvikings).

In 1966 his autobiographySjälvporträtt av en drömmare med öppna ögon(Self portrait of a dreamer with open eyes) was published, and in 1968 he was elected a member of theSwedish academy.

In 1977 he was awarded the prestigiousGolden Wreathof theStruga Poetry Eveningsfestival inStruga,North Macedonia.He died inSolna,Stockholm County.

Political activism

Artur Lundkvist was a supporter of theSoviet Unionandcommunism.Lundkvist himself, however, never accepted being labelled as a communist, instead calling himself a "free socialist".During theCold War,Lundkvist was an adherent of the so-called "third stance" (Swedish:tredje ståndpunkten) in Swedish public debate, which purported to advocate a neutral stance in the conflict between the two superpowers. He served on the board of the pro-communistSweden-GDR Association.He was also a member of theSwedish Peace Committee,the Swedish section of theWorld Peace Council,a Soviet front organization.In 1958 he was awarded theLenin Peace Prizefrom theSoviet Union.

Selected works

• Glöd1928
• Naket liv1929
• Jordisk prosa1930
• Svart stad1930
• Vit man1932
• Atlantvind1932
• Floderna flyter mot havet1934
• Himmelsfärd1935
• Nattens broar1936
• Sirensång1937
• Eldtema1939
• Ikarus' flykt1939
• Korsväg1942
• Dikter mellan djur och gud1944
• Skinn över sten1947
• Fotspår i vattnet1949
• Indiabrand1950
• Malinga1952
• Liv som gräs1954
• Den förvandlade draken1955
• Vindingevals1956
• Berget och svalorna1957
• Vulkanisk kontinent1957
• Ur en befolkad ensamhet1958
• Komedi i Hägerskog1959
• Utsikter över utländsk prosa1959
• Det talande trädet1960
• Agadir1961
• Berättelser för vilsekomna1961
• Sida vid sida1962
• Ögonblick och vågor1962
• Drömmar i ovädrens tid1963
• Texter i snön1964
• Sällskap för natten1965
• Självporträtt av en drömmare med öppna ögon1966
• Snapphanens liv och död1968
• Utflykter med utländska författare1969
• Himlens vilja1970
• Antipodien1971
• Tvivla, korsfarare!1972
• Lustgårdens demoni1973
• Fantasins slott och vardagens stenar1974
• Livsälskare, svartmålare1975
• Världens härlighet1975
• Krigarens dikt1976
• Sett i det strömmande vattnet1978
• Slavar för Särkland1978
• Utvandring till paradiset1979
• Skrivet mot kvällen1980
• Babylon, gudarnas sköka1981
• Sinnebilder1982
• Färdas i drömmen och föreställningen1984