Sara Lidman

Sara Lidman
Sara Lidman, c. 1960
Born	Sara Adéla Lidman (1923-12-30)30 December 1923 Missenträsk, Sweden
Died	17 June 2004(2004-06-17) (aged 80) Umeå, Sweden
Nationality	Swedish
Period	1953–2003
Spouse	Hans Gösta Skarby

Sara Lidman (30 December 1923 – 17 June 2004) was a Swedish writer.

Born in the village Missenträsk in the northern parts of Skellefteå Municipality, Lidman was raised in the Västerbotten region of northern Sweden. She studied at the University of Uppsala where her studies were interrupted by her receiving tuberculosis. She achieved her first great success with the novel Tjärdalen (The Tar Still). In this novel and in Hjortronlandet she depicts themes like alienation and loneliness. In this and her following three novels, she described the difficult conditions for poor farmers in the northern Swedish province Västerbotten during the nineteenth century.

Her innovative style was influenced by dialects and biblical language.

In connection with her first four novels, she wrote a number of texts with strong political content. She engaged in protest against the Vietnam War (including traveling to North Vietnam and participating in the Russell Tribunal) and apartheid in South Africa. She also supported the miners strikes in North Sweden and was active in the Communist movement and after that in the environmentalist movement. After 1977, she wrote seven additional novels that dealt with the colonization of northern Sweden.

She was awarded a number of prizes, including the Nordic Council's Literature Prize for her work Vredens barn.

Bibliography

Tjärdalen, 1953. The Tar Still
Hjortronlandet, 1955. Cloudberry Land
Regnspiran, 1958. The Rain Bird translated by Elspeth Harley Schubert, Hutchinson, 1963
Bära mistel, 1960.
Jag och min son, 1961. My Son and I
Med fem diamanter, 1964. With Five Diamonds, 1971.
Samtal i Hanoi, 1966, Reporting. Conversations in Hanoi, 1967.
Gruva, 1968, Interviews.
Marta, Marta, 1970, Drama.
Din tjänare hör, 1977. Thy Servant Is Listening
Vredens barn, 1979.
Nabots sten, 1981. Naboth's Stone translated by Joan Tate, Norvik Press, 1989
Den underbare mannen, 1983.
Järnkronan, 1985. The Iron Crown
Lifsens rot, 1996. The Root of Life
Oskuldens minut, 1999.
Kropp och själ, 2003.

Nordic Council Literature Prize winners

1960s	1962: The Days of His Grace – Eyvind Johnson 1963: Under the North Star 3: Reconciliation – Väinö Linna 1964: The Ice Palace – Tarjei Vesaas 1965: From Hell to Paradise – Olof Lagercrantz and The Good Hope – William Heinesen 1966: Diwan on the Prince of Emgion – Gunnar Ekelöf 1967: Nye noveller – Johan Borgen 1968: Flight of the Eagle – Per Olof Sundman 1969: The Legionnaires – Per Olov Enquist

1970s	1970: Anna, I, Anna – Klaus Rifbjerg 1971: Coast of Slaves, Ships of Slaves & Islands of Slaves – Thorkild Hansen 1972: Sju ord på tunnelbanan – Karl Vennberg 1973: Kersantin poika – Veijo Meri 1974: Uden mål – og med – Villy Sørensen 1975: Siinä näkijä missä tekijä – Hannu Salama 1976: Að laufferjum & Að brunnum – Ólafur Jóhann Sigurðsson 1977: I de mörka rummen, i de ljusa – Bo Carpelan 1978: Dalen Portland – Kjartan Fløgstad 1979: Pubertet – Ivar Lo-Johansson

1980s	1980: Vredens barn – Sara Lidman 1981: Hauströkkrið yfir mér – Snorri Hjartarson 1982: Samuels bok – Sven Delblanc 1983: Om fjorten dage – Peter Seeberg 1984: The Christmas Oratorio – Göran Tunström 1985: A Day in Ostrobothnia – Antti Tuuri 1986: Líkasum – Rói Patursson 1987: Hudløs himmel – Herbjørg Wassmo 1988: Justice Undone – Thor Vilhjálmsson 1989: Roman 1987 – Dag Solstad

1990s	1990: For the Living and the Dead – Tomas Tranströmer 1991: The Sun, My Father – Nils-Aslak Valkeapää 1992: Night Watch – Fríða Á. Sigurðardóttir 1993: Byen og verden – Peer Hultberg 1994: Blackwater – Kerstin Ekman 1995: Angels of the Universe – Einar Már Guðmundsson 1996: Hva skal vi gjøre i dag og andre noveller – Øystein Lønn 1997: Bang. En roman om Herman Bang – Dorrit Willumsen 1998: After Having Spent a Night Among Horses – Tua Forsström 1999: Queen's Gate – Pia Tafdrup

2000s	2000: Drømmebroer – Henrik Nordbrandt 2001: The Discoverer – Jan Kjærstad 2002: The Half Brother – Lars Saabye Christensen 2003: Revbensstäderna – Eva Ström 2004: Juoksuhaudantie – Kari Hotakainen 2005: The Blue Fox – Sjón 2006: The Ocean – Göran Sonnevi 2007: Drömfakulteten – Sara Stridsberg 2008: Bavian – Naja Marie Aidt 2009: I Curse the River of Time – Per Petterson

2010s	2010: Purge – Sofi Oksanen 2011: Between the Trees – Gyrðir Elíasson 2012: Days in the History of Silence – Merethe Lindstrøm 2013: The Prophets of Eternal Fjord – Kim Leine 2014: Mirage 38 – Kjell Westö

List of Nordic Council's Literature Prize winners and nominees

Authority control	WorldCat VIAF: 114548414 LCCN: n85164099 ISNI: 0000 0001 0937 7881 GND: 118872893 SELIBR: 217320 BNF: cb12029141w (data) BIBSYS: x90121382 NKC: ola2003169701