Another Scandinavian Winner!

"The 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded to...."

--------Tomas Tranströmer of Sweden." ------------

Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer ( TRAWN-stroh-mur), age 80, has written more than 15 collections of poetry, many of which have been translated into English and 60 other languages.

Announcing the award in Stockhom, Sweden, The Swedish Academy praised Mr. Tranströmer, saying " Through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality." The committee noted that it had been many years since a Swede has won the prize. The last time it happened was in 1974.

---------------------Born in Stockholm in 1931, Tranströmer was raised by his mother, a teacher, after she divorced his father--a journalist. He started writing poetry while studying at the Sondra latin School in Stockholm. Many of his teachers during the time of Geman occupation were Nazis, while he and his mother earnestly hoped for an allied victory. He has written "During the winter when I was fifteen, I was afflicted by a severe form of anxiety. I was trapped by a searchlight which radiated not light but darkness.

-------------------------

Tranströmer has lead a unique life. He has never been associated with any university, artistic school or publishng house. Instead, he served as a prison psychologist in a juvenile corrections institute. His surrealistic works are about death and the mysteries of the human mind, while probing the connections between the realms of the conscious and subconscious, the visible and the invisible. His sometimes bleak, but powerful works explore themes of nature, isolation and identity.

-----------------

An excerpt from " The Couple".."They switch off the light and its white shade/ glimmers for a moment before dissolving/like a tablet in a glass of darkness.."

---------------

This poet is capable of finding unexpected images of simple things underlining human bewilderment and finding unusual reactions by inverting "dreamtime and reality." Suffering a severe stroke that limits his right side, Tranströmer is still able to enjoy music as a classical pianist as he performs musical compositions arranged for only the left hand. Because of the earlier stroke, Tranströmer is unable to speak, and will "speak" by playing a musical composition as he accepts the award at the December 10th ceremony. In interviews, he gives mostly one-syllable answers to questions, with his wife, Monica filling in the details.

---------------------

This lack of vocal ability has not hindered his ability to express his writings about big questions. "He's writing about death, he's writing about history and memory and nature." said Peter Englund, the permanent secretary of the Swedish academy, which awards the prize.