Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1953-01-01
Swedish american Poet Hailed

terday," he said, indicating batch
of pages, both penciled and in
type His handwriting is neat and
precise. almost like print. But at
first the script is utterly unintel-
ligible because he uses a form of
shorthand in which every other
letter, or more, is dropped. The
system is his own, invented years
ago when he worked as a news
paper reporter. The deciphering is
done by his daughter Helga who
serves as his SECRETARY.
Putting down these recollections
of his earlier life has brought
Sandburg close anew to his Swe-
dish background. 1t seems hardly
plausible that Sandburg has had
much interest in Sweden for SWe-
den's own sake. But as we know
WE'LL he always has been deeply
interested in those early settlers
from many lands to which his par
ents belonged. He was sprung
from their life. and his outlook
was conditioned by their forbid
ding struggle to carve the rich
ness that is America, a struggle
made light by bold dreams for
many and deadening in dreamless
toll for others. They were unsung
in their day but succeeded through
the true-born Americans they
reared and to whom they left a
heritage of pioneering accomplish
ment.
You can sense the surge of Sand
burg's feelings for his parents and
those near them as he is resting
in the afternoon, drawing vivid
images from family photographs
and yellowed scraps of paper be-
fore him on the table out on the
front portico. Most of them dated
back to the old century and the
old country. There is a timeless
letter marked only April H."
which is held carefully and recited
with reverence until the last word
almost chokes you: Il read
piece yesterday; it ended Let sci
ence and religion go hand in hand
to the summit where the clouds
dispense l thought it good. My
love to all of you. Ever your
Mother"
Yes said the son, now older
than his parents ever were, they
were remarkably affirmative, my
parents. They believed in life and
they believed in work"
BY way of this closeness to his
parents and to everything they
represented, Carl Sandburg gets
his affinity for Sweden. 1t prob
ably has grown stronger as the
years have passed and the memo
ries have become sharper. A lady
interviewer once asked Sandburg
what he thought his literary and
cultural achievements would have
been had he lived and worked in
Sweden. Certainly it was a mean
ingless question. Il cannot think
of myself as a product of anything
else but America, and my work
naturally has been determined en-
tirely by the rich and varied in
fluence of life in America and by
my particular background"
II is in this background and no.
where else that Sweden properly
belongs. But even there it stirs so
lively that Sandburg may nova
days propose: Come back tomor-
row so we can talk more about
Sweden" When he then takes a
walk up the hillside, while he
clears the path with a swing blade
to get his all-around exercise, he
will reminisce on his father, Aug
ust Danielson, the young man
from "Osbysocan in Sweden" as
his neurology called it. who never
learned to write. aHd who never
really needed to learn because ne
knew We'll enough how to swing his
blacksmith's hammer and skillfull,