Swedish poet Tomas Trans-troemer, who sets moral goals with unexpected yet simple imagery, won the 2011 Nobel Literature Prize on Thursday. Transtro-emer, 80, was honoured “because, through his condensed, translucent ima-ges, he gives us fresh access to reality,” the Swedish Academy’s jury said.
His poetry is filled with imagination and emotion, but is also riddled with the unexpected, making his work at times both disorienting and refreshing.
He has been called a master of mysticism, who often presents a dream-like consciousness in which time slows to allow for dissection of the relationship between the inner self and the surrounding world.
“Most of Transtroemer’s poetry collections are characterised by economy, concreteness and poignant metaphors. In his latest collections ... Transtroemer has shifted towards an even smaller format and a higher degree of concentration,” it added.
The permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, Peter Englund, told Swedish television that Transtroemer had been nominated for the prize every year since 1993.
Death, history and nature are common themes in the Swede’s poetry.
“It’s about death and history and memory, watching us, creating us, and that makes us important because human beings are sort of the prison where all these great entities meet,” Mr Englund told the nobelprize.org website. — AFP