Peter Pohl facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Pohl
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| Born | 5 December 1940 Hamburg, Germany |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | Swedish |
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Peter Pohl, born on December 5, 1940, is a Swedish author. He has won many awards for his books and films. He also taught math at a university in Stockholm, Sweden, from 1966 until he retired in 2005.
Contents
Peter Pohl's Life Story
Peter Pohl was born in Hamburg, Germany, on December 5, 1940. When he was young, he lost his father during World War II. In 1945, he moved to Sweden with his mother. He started school there in 1947.
He went to high school in Stockholm until 1959. During this time, he was a good runner in medium-distance races. But he stopped running when he was 19 years old. From age 15 to 30, Peter Pohl spent his summers at school camps. These experiences later inspired many of his books.
He studied math and physics at university. For several years, starting in 1963, he worked as a research assistant. Later, he went back to university and earned his doctorate degree in 1975. He became a teacher of math and wrote several textbooks.
Peter Pohl started making films in 1980. He won many awards for his short films. His writing career began in 1983. Two years later, he published his first and most famous book, Johnny, My Friend. By 2008, he had published 26 fiction books. He retired from teaching in 2005.
Peter Pohl as a Film Director
Before he published his first book, Peter Pohl made many short films. Most of these films were made in the 1980s. Many of them won different awards. These awards came from groups like the Union Internationale du Cinéma and Swedish film festivals.
Peter Pohl's Short Films
- Nyckeln (The Key), 1981, 15 minutes. This film won several prizes:
- First prize in the amateur category in 1982.
- A silver medal and an editing prize in 1982.
- First prize in the fantasy category in Argentina in 1982.
- Du har ju mej! (But You Have Me!), 1982, 20 minutes. This film won a bronze prize and an actor prize in 1982.
- Medan nålen vandrar, 1982, 18 minutes.
- Visiten (The Visit), 1982, 12 minutes.
- Alla klockor stannar (All Clocks Stop), 1983, 27 minutes.
- Resan till havet (The Journey to the Sea), 1984, 23 minutes. This film is similar to his book Havet inom oss.
- It won a bronze medal in 1986.
- Muntlig tentamen (Oral Exam), 1984.
- It won a bronze medal in 1984.
- It also won a bronze medal at a European short film contest in 1984.
- Stipendiet (The Scholarship), 1985, 20 minutes.
- It won a director prize and an award for best female actor in 1987.
- It also won a silver medal and an actor prize in 1988.
- Ja, jag kommer! (Yes, I'm Coming!), 1986, 16 minutes.
- Gunga flöjt.
- This film won a bronze medal in 1989.
- Det blir bättre nästa gång (It Will Be Better Next Time), 1989, 20 minutes.
- It won a silver medal and an actor prize in 1991.
- It also won a silver medal at a Nordic film festival.
- It won a gold medal and best film prize at a European short film contest in 1991.
- Änglar behövs dom? (Angels, Are They Needed?), 1990. This film was based on his book Glittras Uppdrag.
Peter Pohl as an Author
Peter Pohl has published 35 books in total. Nine of these are textbooks, and 26 are fiction stories. He is best known for his fiction books.
His fiction books are mostly dramas. But he has also written two poetry books, a fairy tale book, and a unique "picture book without pictures." In most of his books, children and teenagers are the main characters. He believes this is the most important time in a person's life.
His books often explore themes like loneliness, betrayal, lies, and wanting friendship. They also deal with death. Peter Pohl says he writes about these topics because they are real for many people, young and old. He feels it is important to talk about them.
Two of his drama books have been translated into English. These are Johnny, My Friend, about a mysterious new boy, and I miss you, I miss you!, about losing a twin sister. In total, 13 of his books have been translated into 13 different languages. Most are in Norwegian, Danish, and German. More recently, some have been translated into Estonian and Polish.
The Rainbow Series
Among his first books are three autobiographical books. These books are part of what is called the Rainbow Series. They are true stories about his own life.
The series begins with Regnbågen har bara åtta färger (The Rainbow Has Only Eight Colours). In this book, Peter Pohl writes about his early childhood. It covers the time from when he moved to Sweden until he was eight years old (1945 to 1948).
The next book is Medan regnbågen bleknar (While the Rainbow Is Fading). This book covers the years from 1949 to 1952.
Vilja växa (Want to Grow Up) describes the period from 1952 to 1958.
The fourth book, Vi kallar honom Anna (We Call Him Anna), tells the story of one year, especially one summer. In this book, Peter Pohl describes how a teenage boy is badly bullied at a summer camp. This book was published before Medan regnbågen bleknar and Vilja växa. It came out shortly after Regnbågen har bara åtta färger. It received a lot of attention and won many awards.
The last book in the series is Klara papper är ett måste, which starts in 1966.
Another book, De Stora Penslarnas lek, contains fairy tales. Peter Pohl says this book was a starting point for his writing. The fairy tales are based on stories from the grandfather in Regnbågen har bara åtta färger.
Some of his other books, like I miss you, I miss you! (written with Kinna Gieth) and Sekten, are based on true stories. These stories came to him either directly or indirectly.
Some of Peter Pohl's books were first published for adults. But later, they were re-categorized as books for young people. Peter Pohl does not see himself as only a youth author. However, he has written some books specifically for children. Examples include Glittras uppdrag, a fairy tale about an angel protecting a six-year-old boy. Another is Malins kung Gurra, which he wrote for a contest.
