17 dikter

by Tomas Tranströmer

Genres: Poetry, Nobel Prize, Swedish Literature

70 pages

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

His poetry, building on Modernism, Expressionism, and Surrealism, contains powerful imagery concerned with issues of fragmentation and isolation. “He has perfected a particular kind of epiphanic lyric, often in quatrains, in which nature is the active, energizing subject, and the self (if the self is present at all) is the object,” notes critic Katie Peterson in the Boston Review.

Critic and poet Tom Sleigh observed, in his Interview with a Ghost (2006), that “Tranströmer’s poems imagine the spaces that the deep then inhabits, like ground water gushing up into a newly dug well.”

His honors include the Lifetime Recognition Award from the Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry, the Aftonbladets Literary Prize, the Bonnier Award for Poetry, the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, the Oevralids Prize, the Petrarch Prize in Germany, the Swedish Award from International Poetry Forum,the Swedish Academy’s Nordic Prize, and especially the 2011 Nobel Prize in literature. His work has been translated into more than 50 languages.

Tranströmer suffered a stroke in 1990, and after a six-year silence published his collection Sorgegondolen (Grief Gondola) (1996). Prior to his stroke, he worked as a psychologist, focusing on the juvenile prison population as well as the disabled, convicts, and drug addicts. He lives in Sweden.

On Thursday, 6th of October 2011 he was awarded the Nobel prize in Literature "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality".

Reviews

[Deea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled the other day upon a review for “The Deleted World”, a volume of poetry written by Tomas Tranströmer. The review was written by Billy O’Callaghan, an Irish writer whose prose I find amazing.

“Poetry is a strange kind of magic. What works for some won't necessarily work for others. But Transtromer is one who resonates. I read him and find that he lingers with me, like music. These poems are rich in contrasts of darkness and light, and stillness, and are full of minute parts. His imagery is wonderfully vivid, and his tone is sometimes melancholic but always extremely intimate.” [Billy O’Callaghan]

I don’t read a lot of poetry, but the words above resonated with me and made me crave reading something by Tranströmer. I had already read “The Deleted World”, so I thought I could try some other volume of his.

And wow, the experience was so… sensorial. Tranströmer simply transports you. He makes you see the world. He gently paints images in your head and they become alive. He makes you feel nature’s rhythms and music intimately, identify with them, he makes you glide with birds. You are travelling with the wind while on clouds, you experience the touches of breeze and drops from the waves on your skin, you see the sun’s reflections on water anew. You see the shadows anew. He even makes you become one with the plants when transporting solar energy from the sky to the Earth in that never-ending cycle that breathes life and he definitely makes you experience seasons in your imagination like no other.

“Now the evening star burns through the cloud.
Houses, trees, and fences are enlarged, grow
In the soundless avalanche of darkness.
And beneath the star more and more develops
Of the other, hidden landscape, that which lives
The life of contours on the night’s x-ray.”

(Tomas Tranströmer was awarded the Nobel prize for Literature in 2011 "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality".)

[Mohammed Abdikhader Firdhiye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read some of this author's poetry years before but only in anthology of swedish poetry. Reading his first published poetry collection cover to cover was very different experience. He is important poet in this country so i knew long before what kind of poetry he is famous for.

They were beautiful nature poems, poetry full of imagery of the everyday life and the mythical,larger than life.

These poems despite written when he was in his 20s still something special. The way he wrote about nature, the woods was very moving, made me ache after green woods, silent nature. The kind of poetry i like is like this when it says something to you and makes you look at the world differently. His poetry is complex, easy to read at the same time. You cant read him fast for fancy prose, rhymes. I look forward to reading his other collections since i have several of them at home.

[Victoria Peterson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Förstod inte någonting av detta. Kändes pretto alltihop. Fick verkligen känslan att den här poesisamling var 50talets motsvarighet till en 18årig kille som drar fram gitarren och spelar wonderwall på en fest och blir rörd av sin egen komplexitet. Alternativt jag som inte *förstår konst* men tror mer på det första tbh

[Malva Dovander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mycket vacker poesi. Från min stora samlingsbok som jag planerar att ta mig igenom under våren. Bilder bilder bilder. Bilder av många vita måsar, soluppgång i mars, frustande hav och att vara vaken sovande dagar. Jag känner mig ensam, och som en iakttagare, men en gemenskap med allt det vackra. Jag gillar att naturen får så mycket själ och att de nästan som beskriver händelseförlopp. En dikt som jag fastnade för, den skilde sig från de andra, var Gogol.

”Nu smyger solnedgången som en räv över detta land,
antänder gräset på ett ögonblick.
Rymden är fylld av horn och klövar och därunder glider kalechen skugglik mellan min faders upplysta gårdar.”

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tranströmer’s first collection is the work of a young poet with potential. I found the poems to be abstract almost to a fault at times, although certain lines and images created a haunting atmosphere. The final poem, “Epilogue,” was probably my favorite, as I always enjoy Expressionism, which this poem seems to invoke. While the inner states of darkness and silence might be a bit clichéd for Swedish art, Tranströmer does manage some clever and unique imagery. I am looking forward to reading more of his work.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue the neverending project of reading every single Nobel Prize in Literature laurete. This time Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer. Review in Swedish (short version: I don't understand poetry).

Jag förstår mig inte riktigt på poesi. Jag kan fastna för språket, för liknelserna och melodin, men allt som oftast så förstår jag inte alls vad det är jag läser. Jag förstår orden, men inte meningen bakom. Tranströmer skriver mycket om skepp, om hav (Östersjön?), om rymden och om fåglar. Jag tycker att ett flertal av stroferna låter vackra när man läser dem, men förstår inte vad Tranströmer riktigt vill visa oss med dem. Bara en diffus skiss av den bakomliggande meningen.

Med det sagt vill jag även tillägga att första versraden i "Preludium" är väldigt vacker och talande. ("Uppvaknandet är ett fallskärmshopp från drömmen").

[Mika Auramo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olikin aika tarttua pitkästä aikaa Tomas Tranströmerin lyriikkaan, jollaiseen sain ensikosketuksen jo lukioaikoina. Tämä ruotsalainen kirjailija lukeutuu modernin runouden merkittävimpiin edustajiin, ja sellaisesta kertoo myös palkinnot, kuten Neustadt (1990), Pohjoismaiden neuvoston kirjallisuuspalkinto (1990), August-palkinto (1996) ja Nobelin kirjallisuuspalkinnon vuonna 2011.

Olen aina pitänyt Tranströmerin teoksista, ja kootut niteet ovat olleet kirjahyllyssä vuosikymmeniä, ja aika ajoin on tullut palattua tämän modernin klassikon teoksiin ja yksittäisiin runoihin vähän samaan tapaan, kun tulee valittua mielimusaa LP-kokoemista.

Kirja sisältään nimensä mukaisesti 17 runoa, ja osa niistä on usean sivun mittaisia niin kuin kokoelman päättävät Elegia ja Epilogi. Niitä edeltävät teemoittain ryhmitellyt kolmeen osioon lisätyt runot, jolloin liikutaan Preludin jälkeen Tukholman saaristosta Theroaun ja Gogolin mukaan.

Luontoaiheet ovat kirjailijalla usein läsnä, kun lyyrinen minä kulkeutuu meren kimmeltävään untuvapukuun verhoutuneena. Hetken kuluttua lukijaa viedäänkin ”myrskyn myllynsiipien” mukana kauas pohjoiseen ja ”revontulten uuninpankolle”. Samalla kun käytetään luontoallegorioita, päästään ihan luontevasti paikasta ja olotilasta toiseen, kun lyyrinen minä kohoaa ”olemisen ylemmille ylängöille”.

Pääseepä myös itse Väinämöinen yhdeksi hahmoksi meren tunnelmia kuvaavaan runoon, ennen kuin ollaan jälleen ulapalla Elegiassa, vaikka liikutaan takaisin maan kamaralle ja talonpoikien peltotöihin liikuskeltaessa ”aikojen kidasta liikkumattomiin tyveniin”.

Erityisesti esikoisteoksessa viehättivät allegoria ja personifikaatiot, jollaisesta antaa esimakua mm. epilogin tunnelmat, kun taustalla säkkipillit soivat metsien marssiessa samalla kun liikutaan aikojen ja olotilojen eri sfääreissä ”vuosien potkiessa saappaita jaloistaan”.

[Teemu Helle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kirkkaan kuulasta, hienoa runoutta, josta kiitos kuuluu myös kääntäjä Caj Westerbergille (luettu Kootuista teoksista, Tammi 2011). Tulee mieleen Zbigniew Herbertin runous. Tranströmerillä on ilmiömäinen kyky rakentaa pienestä kuvasta oma universuminsa. Helposti lähestyttävä kieli toivottaa tervetulleeksi uudemmatkin runouden ystävät, ja silti perkaamista riittää meille paatuneimmillekin.

[Alva · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Under vråkens kretsande punkt av stillhet
rullat havet dånande fram i ljuset,
tuggar blint sitt betsel av tång och frustar
skum över stranden."

Han får mig att se så mycket. Att längta till platser. Många av dikterna är solklara, fastnade dock inte för alla.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jag ger en 3a för att jag önskar att jag fattade mer. Poesi e svårt!! Första dikten totalt golvade mig, jävlar vilket konstverk, sen blev jag bara besviken, svårt att börja boken med sin allra bästa dikt, kanske inte skulle gått ut så hårt???? Små glimtar guld här och var, men svårt i stora hela

[Elias Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see where the T.S Eliot inspiration comes in, but unlike T.S Eliot, I don't get the same attachment to the poems here. None of them are bad and I rather liked the songs, but there is none that will stick with me for a longer period.

[Tuhin Bhowal · Rating 3 out of 5]

The English version translated by Robin Fulton.

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Några riktiga guldkorn och några jag inte bär med mig

[Ulrika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ville så gärna hänföras men gjorde inte det.

[Miguel Vian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vackra dikter från en poet som fortfarande var ung. "Epilog" var min favorit.

"Som fartyget passerar genom dimman
utan att dimmsn märker något. Tystnad.
Lanternans svaga ljussken är signalen."

[مصطفى الريس · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written, doesn't make me jump from my seat.. doesn't make me shiver in my blanket… But very well written.