Lars Gustafsson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lars Gustafsson
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Lars Gustafsson in 2012.
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| Born | 17 May 1936 Västerås, Sweden
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| Died | 3 April 2016 (aged 79) Stockholm, Sweden
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| Occupation | Writer |
Lars Erik Einar Gustafsson (born May 17, 1936 – died April 3, 2016) was a famous Swedish writer. He wrote many poems, novels, and scholarly works. He won several important awards for his writing. These included the Goethe Medal in 2009 and the Thomas Mann Prize in 2015. He also received the International Nonino Prize in Italy in 2016.
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Life and Early Career
Lars Gustafsson was born in Västerås, Sweden. He finished high school there. Then, he went to Uppsala University. He studied many subjects, like literature, art, and philosophy. In 1960, he earned a special degree in philosophy. Later, in 1978, he got his PhD. His PhD was about how we use speech and literature. He even served on the university's board for four years.
By 1960, Lars Gustafsson was already publishing books. He wrote novels and poetry regularly. He also worked as the main editor for a well-known literary magazine. This was called Bonniers Litterära Magasin. He worked there from 1962 to 1972.
He soon made friends with writers from other countries. He spent two years living in West Berlin, Germany. During this time, he traveled a lot. He visited places like Australia, Japan, and the United States. He took part in many international events for writers and thinkers. A famous American writer, John Updike, once said Lars Gustafsson loved books, ideas, and talking.
Life in America and Return to Sweden
In 1983, Lars Gustafsson moved to Austin, Texas in the United States. He had visited the University of Texas at Austin before. Also, Austin was his wife's hometown. He became a professor there. He taught philosophy and creative writing. He was a very respected professor.
In 2003, he moved back to Sweden. He continued to work as a researcher for the university. He retired in 2006. He lived in Stockholm and spent his summers in Västmanland County. He passed away on April 3, 2016, when he was 79 years old.
Lars Gustafsson was married three times and had children. In 1981, he chose to become Jewish. He was also interested in politics. In 2009, he supported the Pirate Party (Sweden) in an election. However, he later left the party due to disagreements.
His Writing Style
Lars Gustafsson wrote many different kinds of books. He wrote poetry, novels, short stories, and essays. He became known around the world as a Swedish writer. By 1990, he had won many major awards for his books. He even won a special fellowship for poetry in 1994. He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
His novels and poems have been translated into fifteen languages. Some of his most famous novels are The Death of a Beekeeper, Bernard Foy's Third Castling, and Afternoon of a Tiler. A famous literary critic, Harold Bloom, included Gustafsson in his important book about great writers.
The Death of a Beekeeper
The Death of a Beekeeper was published in 1978. It is Lars Gustafsson's most famous novel. John Updike called it "a beautiful work." The book is about a beekeeper named Vesslan. He is dying from cancer. The story follows his thoughts and feelings. He writes them down in notepads.
The book explores what makes us who we are. It looks at our imagination, memories, and even daily life. The main message of the book is shown by Vesslan's motto: "We never give up. We begin anew." Lars Gustafsson said it was a book about pain. He said it describes a journey into where pain rules. This novel was part of a series of five books called The Cracks in the Wall.
Bernard Foy's Third Castling
Bernard Foy's Third Castling (1986) is another well-known novel. It takes place in different places like Sweden, Paris, and Texas. It seems like a detective story. But it has three different plots. The main character, Bernard Foy, is actually three separate people. One is a rabbi in Houston. Another is an old Swedish poet. The third is a Swedish teenager.
Lars Gustafsson explained that the story is like a dream. One person's story turns out to be a dream of another person. And that person's story is a dream of a third person.
Science Fiction and Philosophy
In 1989, Lars Gustafsson wrote a science fiction book. It was called Det sällsamma djuret från norr och andra science-fiction-berättelser. This book is set 40,000 years in the future. By then, humans are gone. The galaxy is filled with smart robots, called artificial intelligences. It explores big ideas about life and what it means to exist.
Lars Gustafsson believed his writing and his philosophy were connected. He once said he saw himself as a philosopher who used literature as a tool. When asked where he got his ideas, he said he listened and looked carefully. He believed creativity comes from paying attention to small details.
In 2003, one of his novels, Yllet, was made into a movie. Lars Gustafsson was known for having strong opinions. Sometimes, his ideas were different from what was popular in Sweden. Because of this, some people saw him as a writer who challenged the usual way of thinking. In 2016, he received the Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award.
Selected Works
- Truth and Lie (1978)
Novels and Stories
- Sprickorna i muren (a series of five novels)
- Herr Gustafsson själv (Mr. Gustafsson Himself, 1971)
- Yllet (Yllet, 1973)
- Familjefesten (Family Reunion, 1975)
- Sigismund, or the Memories of a Baroque Polish Prince (1976)
- The Death of a Beekeeper (1978)
- The Tennis Players (1977)
- Stories of Happy People (1981)
- Funeral Music for Freemasons (1983)
- Bernard Foy's Third Castling (1986)
- Det sällsamma djuret från norr och andra science-fiction-berättelser (The Strange Animal from the North and Other Science-Fiction Stories, 1989)
- A Tiler's Afternoon (1991)
- The Tale of a Dog (1993)
Poetry
- Selected Poems (1972)
- Warm Rooms and Cold (1975)
- Stillness of the World Before Bach (1988)
- Elegies and Other Poems (2000)
- A Time in Xanadu (2008)
- Selected Poems (2015)
See also
In Spanish: Lars Gustafsson para niños
- International Dublin Literary Award
- Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award
