Wikipedia

Gunnar Harding

Karl Gunnar Harding (born 11 June 1940) is a Swedish poet, novelist, essayist and translator, considered 'one of Sweden's foremost poets'.[1] Among his other poetry collections is Starnberger See from 1977. Among his novels is Luffaren Svarta Hästen from 1977. He published the children's book Mannen och paraplyet in 1990.[2] He was awarded the Dobloug Prize in 2011.[3]

Gunnar Harding
Born (1940-06-11) 11 June 1940 (age 83)
Sundsvall, Sweden
NationalitySwedish
Occupation(s)Poet, novelist, essayist and translator
AwardsDobloug Prize (2011)

Biography edit

Gunnar Harding was born in Sundsvall and brought up in Bromma as the son of the doctor Gösta Harding. He studied painting in Stockholm and was a jazz musician before making his literary debut in 1967 with Lokomotivet som frös fast. During his early career, Harding travelled extensively in America, and this influenced his work.[4]

Harding is noted primarily for his poetry (mostly in free verse but also significant prose-poetry). Alongside this, he has written essays, a book about the origins of jazz called Kreol, and a few stories.[5]

He has also worked as an editor, for Lyrikvännen ('poetry-lover') 1971–1974, for Artes for many years, and for Artes International during its five-year run.[6] He has been a member of the Samfundet De Nio (chair number 5) since 1993[7] and served on the 1973 Swedish Bible committion 1981–1989.[8]

Harding's literary significance is partly as an introducer of foreign modernism, especially French, American and British poetry, into Swedish literature.

Harding also takes a lively interest in jazz and likes to read his poetry with jazz as background music.

Bibliography edit

Literary writing edit

  • 1967 – Lokomotivet som frös fast
  • 1968 – Den svenske cyklistens sång
  • 1969 – Blommor till James Dean
  • 1970 – Örnen har landat
  • 1971 – Guillaume Apollinaires fantastiska liv
  • 1972 – Skallgång
  • 1974 – Poesi 1967–1973
  • 1975 – Ballader
  • 1977 – Starnberger See
  • 1977 – Luffaren Svarta Hästen och det hemska rånmordet i Leksand
  • 1978 – Bilddikt, with Olle Kåks
  • 1978 – Den trådlösa fantasin
  • 1980 – Tillbaka till dig
  • 1983 – Gasljus
  • 1987 – Stjärndykaren
  • 1989 – Guillaume Apollinaires gåtfulla leende: en ändlös biografi
  • 1990 – Mannen och paraplyet, text: Gunnar Harding; pictures: Catharina Günther-Rådström
  • 1990 – Mitt vinterland
  • 1991 – Kreol
  • 1993 – Överallt där vinden finns: dikter i urval 1969–1990
  • 1995 – Stora scenen
  • 2001 – Tal på Övralid 6 juli 2001
  • 2001 – Salongsstycken kring Dante Gabriel Rossetti
  • 2003 – Det brinnande barnet
  • 2007 – Dikter 1965–2003
  • 2009 – Innerstad
  • 2012 – Blues for Jimmy ; Nordvästexpressen ; Martin Luther King [from the author's original manuscript of Blommor till James Dean] (Tragus)
  • 2013 – Mitt poetiska liv (autobiography)

Translations by Harding into Swedish edit

Translations of Harding's work into English edit

  • 1970 – The Fabulous Life of Guillaume Apollinaire, trans. by Sydney Bernard Smith (Iowa City: Windhover, 1970; Dublin: Raven Arts, 1982) [part of Guillaume Apollinaires fantastiska liv]
  • 1973 – They Killed Sitting Bull and Other Poems, trans. by Robin Fulton (London: Magazine Editions) [a selection of 25 early poems], repr. with additional translations by Anselm Hollo as Tidewater (Grosse Pointe Farms, MI: Marick Press, 2009)
  • 2014 – Gunnar Harding, Guarding the Air: Selected Poems of Gunnar Harding, ed. and trans. by Roger Greenwald (Boston, MA: Black Widow Press) [selected poems]

Anthologies edit

  • 1979 – Modern Swedish Poetry in Translation, with Anselm Hollo

Discography edit

Prizes and distinctions edit

References edit

  1. ^ Roger Greenwald, 'Introduction', in Gunnar Harding, Guarding the Air: Selected Poems of Gunnar Harding, ed. and trans. by Roger Greenwald (Boston, MA: Black Widow Press, 2014), p. 13.
  2. ^ Godal, Anne Marit (ed.). "Gunnar Harding". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  3. ^ Godal, Anne Marit (ed.). "Doblougprisen". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Oslo: Norsk nettleksikon. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  4. ^ Roger Greenwald, 'Introduction', in Gunnar Harding, Guarding the Air: Selected Poems of Gunnar Harding, ed. and trans. by Roger Greenwald (Boston, MA: Black Widow Press, 2014), p. 13.
  5. ^ Roger Greenwald, 'Introduction', in Gunnar Harding, Guarding the Air: Selected Poems of Gunnar Harding, ed. and trans. by Roger Greenwald (Boston, MA: Black Widow Press, 2014), p. 13.
  6. ^ Roger Greenwald, 'Introduction', in Gunnar Harding, Guarding the Air: Selected Poems of Gunnar Harding, ed. and trans. by Roger Greenwald (Boston, MA: Black Widow Press, 2014), p. 13.
  7. ^ url=http://www.samfundetdenio.se/pdf/Harding.pd.
  8. ^ Roger Greenwald, 'Introduction', in Gunnar Harding, Guarding the Air: Selected Poems of Gunnar Harding, ed. and trans. by Roger Greenwald (Boston, MA: Black Widow Press, 2014), p. 13.
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