Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1950-02-28
Sweden
A Sketch OF Culture

Inc prime goal OF SWeden'S Gull
tural leaders today is to make all
phases of Swedish cultural life ac-
cessible to the common man, a
goal which the authorities, the ed
ucational associates, labor and
management organizations, socie-
ties in the various fields of fine
art, and many individual citizens
all cooperate to attain.
Literature
Outstanding feature of modern
Swedish literature is the social
and literary landslide caused by
prominent authors emanating from
the working classes.
During the 30's, works of auth
ors like Wilhelm Moberg, Eyvind
Johnson, Harry Martinson Moa
Martinson, and Jan Fridegard
were photographed. Others like
War Lo-Johansson and Rudolf
Varnlund devoted time and talent
to society studies.
younger authors of the 40's are
the radical attitude toward estab-
lished literary form, psychological
penetration, and bitter criticism
of the times. Among them are
prose-writers Sivar Amer; Lars
Ahlin, Stig Dagerman, Gustaf
Rune Eriks, and Bengt Ander-
berg.
Either directly or through the
short story writers Thorsten JOINS
son and Walter Ljungquist, and
the critic Artur LundkviSt, have
they become acquainted with the
hard-boiled American styliSts like
Hemingway, Faulkner, and Cald
well, as we'll as the Irishman
James Joyce.
More recent Swedish poets -
like Erik Lindegren and Karl
Weinberg - have been much i'm
pressed by 194S Nozel prize-win
ner T. S. Eliot's rhythmic lyrics,
translated into Swedish during the
sos by authoress Karin Boyle and
Erik Mesterton.
Meanwhile, Harry Martinson as
cended the Swedish Parnassus
with his election to the Swedish
Academy in 1949 He now enjoys
the company of seven other auth
ors among the Is members, name
~ Sigtrid Siwertz, Hjalmar Gull
berg, Par Lagerkvist, Bo Berg
man. Anders Osterling, Per Hall
str1m. and Gustaf Hellstrom.
Works of most of these auth
ors have been translated to Eng
lish. Among goth century authors
with works also translated into
English are: Hjalmar SOderberg,
Frans G. Bengtsson, Hjalmar
Bergman, Martin Koch, Wilhelm
Moberg, Eyvind johnson, War Lo-
Johansson. Ole Hedberg, Fritiof
Nilsson Piraten, and Costa Gustaf-
Jansson.
Best known internationally Of
authors are the dramatist August
Strindberg t1S49-1912 and story
teller Selma Lagerlof t1S5s-1940).
Other authors of Importance
have been Tor are) lyric writers
and thus handicapped when it
comes to translation.
Among poets of fame We're: Carl
Michael Bellman (174O-1795), Es-
alas Tegner (17s2-1s46), Viktor
Rydberg (1s2s-1s951, Gustaf Frod-
ing 1s60-1911). Werner V. Held
enstam (1s59-1940). Erik Axel
Karlfeldt l1s64-1941), and today:
Bo Bergman. Anders Osterling,
Hjalmar Gullberg. Par Lagerkvist.
Wilhelm Ekelund. Bertil Malm-
berg. Johannes Edfeldt, Nils Fer
lin, and G. Ekelof.
The Nobel Prize has been award
Ell to Selma Lagerlof, Werner Won
Heidenstam. and f. A Karlfeldt.
Authoress Selma Lagerlof was al
so the first of two women who
have been Swedish Academy men,
bers Swedish Academy members.
The second was Elm Wagner
(1sS2-1949l. in her writing close
~ associated with the women
movement.
Book circulation in Sweden is
limited, new fiction editions aver
q oi.,c about QoO comics