The 2011 Nobel Prize in literature was awarded Thursday to Tomas Transtromer, a Swedish poet whose surrealistic works about the mysteries of the human mind won him acclaim as one of the most important Scandinavian writers since World War II.
The Swedish Academy said it recognized the 80-year-old poet – long considered a favorite for the award – ”because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality.”
In 1990, Transtromer suffered a stroke, which left him half-paralyzed and unable to speak, but he continued to write and published a collection of poems – ”The Great Enigma” – in Swedish in 2004 and in English two years later.Transtromer’s most famous works include the 1966 ”Windows and Stones,” in which he depicts themes from his many travels and ”Baltics” from 1974.
His works have been translated into more than 50 languages and influenced poets around the globe, particularly in North America.
Transtromer’s poems had been published in several journals when in 1954 he made his debut with ”17 poems” to much acclaim in Sweden. His love for nature and music guided his writing. Gradually, Transtromer’s poems became darker, probing existential questions of life, death and disease.The Swedish Academy has also been criticized for being too Euro-centric, ignoring writers from other parts of the world. Seven of the last 10 winners have been Europeans
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