Ivar Lo-Johansson

Harry Martinson and Ivar Lo-Johansson (right)

Ivar Lo-Johansson (23 February 1901 - 11 April 1990) was a Swedish writer of the proletarian school.

Lo-Johansson was born in Ösmo. He wrote over 50 proletarian novels and short-stories, all of which carried vivid portrayals of working-class people.^[1] He described the situation of the Swedish land-workers, statare, in his novels, short stories and journalism, which encouraged the adoption of certain land reforms in Sweden. He also caused much controversy with his features on old-age pensioners, gypsies and other non-privileged people. He died, aged 89, in Stockholm.

Lo-Johansson first came to the literary fore in the mid-1930s with the publication of his short story collections. His stories were infused with realistic and detailed depictions of the plight of landless Swedish peasants, known as statare. The first of his short stories collection to be published was Statarna I–II (1936–37; The Sharecroppers), followed by his Jordproletärerna (1941; Proletarians of the Earth, a novel. Autobiogrpahical to a large extent, these works were nevertheless more than one man's story. They were a potent attack on the prevalent social conditions, especially the inequality in Swedish society. Lo-Johansson's books combined political astuteness and literary craftsmanship to such a competent degree that they are regarded as the stimulant behind the labor movement that ultimately led to the abolition of indentured farm labor in 1945.^[1]

Lo-Johansson is best known for his vivid recollections of the life in Swedish trade-unionist and literary circles of the twenties, thirties and forties. He also continued throughout his long life to insist that literature should face the world from the under-dog's perspective.

Works

• Vagabondliv i Frankrike (1927)
• Kolet i våld. Skisser från de engelska gruvarbetarnas värld (1928)
• Ett lag historier (1928)
• Nederstigen i dödsriket. Fem veckor i Londons fattigvärld (1929)
• Zigenare. En sommar på det hemlösa folkets vandringsstigar (1929)
• Mina städers ansikten (1930)
• Jag tvivlar på idrotten (1931)
• Måna är död (1932)
• Godnatt, jord (1933)
• Kungsgatan (1935)
• Statarna (1936–37)
• Jordproletärerna (1941)
• Bara en mor (1939)
• Traktorn (1943)
• Geniet (1947)
• "En proletärförfattares självbiografi" (1951–60)
  • Analfabeten (1951)
  • Gårdfarihandlaren (1953)
  • Stockholmaren (1954)
  • Journalisten
  • Författaren
  • Socialisten
  • Soldaten
  • Proletärförfattaren
• Elektra Kvinna år 2070 (1967)
• "Passionssviten" (1968–72)
• Lyckan (1962)
• Astronomens hus (1966)
• Ordets makt (1973)
• Lastbara berättelser (1974)
• Memoirs (1978–85)
  • Pubertet. (1978)
  • Asfalt. (1979)
  • Tröskeln. (1982)
  • Frihet. (1985)
• Till en författare (1988)
• Skriva för livet (1989)
• Blå Jungfrun (posthumous, 1990)
• Tisteldalen(posthumous, 1990)

Ivar Lo-Johansson in a farm.

References