Karl Vennberg

Karl Vennberg (11 April 1910 – 12 May 1995) was a Swedish poet, writer and translator. Born in Blädinge parish, Alvesta Municipality, Kronoberg County as the son of a farmer, Vennberg studied at Lund University and in Stockholm and worked as a teacher of Norwegian in a Stockholm folk high school. His first collection of poems ''"Hymn och hunger"'' ("Hymn and Hunger") was published in 1937. Along with Erik Lindegren he became the most prominent representative of the Swedish literary movement fyrtiotalism in the 1940s. The collection of poems ''Halmfackla'' (1944, "Straw Torch") was his literary breakthrough. During his career, he published 20 collections of poetry. His literary criticism, mainly as cultural editor in Aftonbladet from 1957 to 1975, had an important influence on the Swedish literary scene. Vennberg became known for translating and introducing the literary works by Franz Kafka to Swedish, including ''The Trial'' (1945). He also translated works by T.S. Eliot and Thomas Mann's ''Death in Venice'' to Swedish. In the 1970s he also became known as one of the translators of the Bible.

Generally considered a leading Swedish Modernist poet, several dissertations has been written about Vennberg's works. His poems are analytical but also often make use of irony. Vennberg is often said to be influenced by T. S. Eliot. He was awarded several literary prizes, including Samfundet De Nios pris (1957), Bellmanpriset (1960) and the Nordic Council Literature Prize (1972). He was a member of Samfundet De Nio from 1962 and became a honorary doctor at Stockholm University in 1980. Provided by Wikipedia