Eko av en vår

by Stig Claesson

Swedish

229 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

John Stig Claesson, also known under his signature Slas, was a Swedish writer, visual artist, and illustrator. Claesson was born on 2 June 1928 in Huddinge, south of Stockholm. He attended the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts between 1947 and 1952, during which time he began to illustrate Swedish literature such as the novels of Per Anders Fogelström. Claesson was the father of actor Leif Claesson.

Claesson debuted in his writing career in 1956, when he was 28 years of age. During his career Claesson published more than 80 books. A number of his books are based on travel abroad and move in the frontier between reporting and fiction. Among his best-known works include En vandring i solen (Walking in the Sun, 1976), which was made into a film with Gösta Ekman in the role of the main character. Claesson provided works about the remote and rural regions of Sweden and describe the conflict between the town and the country in books such as Vem älskar Yngve Frej (1968; Who loves Yngve Frej), which was translated into 10 languages and was filmed for television in 1973 starring Allan Edwall. A stage adaption was created in the 1990s. His last book was God Natt Fröken Ann (Goodnight, Miss Ann), published in 2006.

Stig Claesson's work has received many awards, such as the literature prize of the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet and the Selma Lagerlöf Prize. The University of Uppsala awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in 1974.

The elder Claesson died on 4 January 2008 in Stockholm.

Reviews

[Emil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Det finns de som älskar Stig Claessons böcker och hans typiska stil, men jag kan inte säga att jag har fallit pladask. Varför har jag då läst fem stycken (av typ 84 bör inflikas)? Jo, det är ju titlarna som är så in i helvete bra, det är därför jag återvänder. Och titlarna är väl ett koncentrat av Claessons stil, så visst ser jag charmen. Böckerna är förresten inte så charmiga, utan vemodiga och lustiga om vartannat. Ska nån få fem stjärnor blir det väl den här, en sorgsen kärlekshistoria som utspelar sig vid Nytorget, med en utflykt till uppsalatrakten. Där äger en begravning rum, som Claesson skildrar mästerligt. Såhär låter det:

"Mer antar jag att jag inte behöver säga utan med trenne skovlar upplandsmull viger jag härmed Emil Andersson till den eviga vilan.
I Guds, Faderns och Sonens och den helige Andes namn. Amen.
Sen sjöng vi en för mig obekant psalm varpå prästen bugade sig och sa adjö.
Han gick helt enkelt. Vi hörde honom starta sin bil och fara där ifrån."