Karl Vennberg

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Karl Vennberg (April 11, 1910 - May 12, 1995) was a Swedish poet, writer and translator. Born in Blädinge, Alvesta Municipality, the son of a farmer, Vennberg studied at Lund University and in Stockholm and worked as a teacher of Norwegian in a Stockholm folk high school. His first poem "Hymn och hunger" ("Hymn and Hunger") was published in 1937. During his career, he published 20 collections of poetry. His literary criticism had an important influence on the Swedish literary scene. He also translated literary works into Swedish, among others Franz Kafka's The Trial.

Generally considered a leading Swedish Modernist poet, several dissertations has been written about Vennberg's works. His poems are analytical but also often make use of irony. Vennberg is often said to be influenced by T. S. Eliot.

Karl Vennberg won a number of literary prizes during his career:

Samfundet De Nios pris, 1956
The Bellman Prize, 1960
Litteraturfrämjandets stora pris, 1963
The Nordic Council's Literature Prize, 1972
The Carl Emil Englund Prize, 1979
The Kellgren Prize, 1979
The Aniara Prize, 1988
The Pilot Prize, 1993
The Gerard Bonnier Prize, 1994

He was also awarded a honorary doctorate at Stockholm University.

[edit] See also

List of Swedish language poets

[edit] Further reading

Anders Johansson (2000) The negativity of poetry. A study of Karl Vennberg's literary criticism and poetry. Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell International. ISBN 91-22-01865-4 (Abstract)