Ekelöf, Gunnar

(1907-1968)

   A Swedish poet and essayist, Ekelof played a decisive role in introducing modernism to his homeland. Coming from a difficult family background, he felt like an outsider and thus had the temperament of someone who could bring about change. After a stay in Paris, he published his first volume of poetry, Sent pa jorden (1932; tr. Late Arrival on Earth, 1967), which, among other inventions, contained no capital letters. His next three volumes of poetry, Dedikation (1934; Dedication), Sorgen och stjar-nan (1936; The Sorrow and the Star), and Kop den blindes sang (1938; Buy the Blind Man's Song), show influence from romanticism and symbolism.

   Färjesang (1941; Ferry Song) attests to the impact of World War II on Ekelof, as he tries to come to terms with a world where such forces as fascism and communism play dominant roles. The book was not well received, as it did little to bolster the morale ofits Swedish readers. The title of the next collection, Non serviam (1945; I Will Not Be a Slave), emphasizes that Ekelof had no wish to be identified with any kind of collective, and certainly not with the Swedish welfare state. Om hosten (1951; In the Autumn) contains "Roster under jorden" (Voices from Underground), which presents past and present as a single temporal continuum and which can also be read as a description of how the poet has passed into a dream world.

   Ekelof's Strountes (1955; Nonsense), Opus incertum (1959), and En natt i Otocac (1961; A Night in Otocac) were considered anti-poetic by the poet, in that the meaning of language is presented as always deferred. En Moälna-Elegi (1960; tr. AMoälna Elgy, 1971) is highly allusive and shows influence from T. S. Eliot. One of the true masterpieces of Swedish poetry, it uses Latin graffiti on the left-hand page with Ekelof's Swedish text on the right. The effect thus created is both a juxtaposition of past and present and a confrontation of two different cultural heritages.

   While visiting Turkey in 1965, Ekelof experienced an unusual moment of inspiration which resulted in a poetic trilogy consisting of DTvanover Fursten av Emigion (1965; Divan about the Prince of Emigion), Sagan om Fatumeh (1966; The Tale of Fatumeh), and Vägvisare till underjorden (1967; tr. Guide to the Underworld, 1980). The Prince of Emigion undergoes much suffering, and Sagan om Fatumeh is a great love story. The final volume is an attempt to find harmony in a world of split and fragmented human experience. Ekelof also published several volumes of essays that attest to his wide reading: Promenader (1941; Promenades), Utflykter (1947; Excursions), and Blandade kort (1957; Shuffled Cards).