Forssell, Lars

(1928-)

   A Swedish poet, playwright, and novelist, Forssell has produced an eclectic oeuvre, with both serious and more popular texts. One theme is role-playing, as in his second collection of poetry, Narren (1952; The Jester). The poetry collections Telegram (1957), Roster (1964; Voices), and Jack uppskararen (1966; Jack the Ripper) combine seriousness and whimsy, fear and a sense of security. Forssell has reached a large audience with his less serious poetry, found in the volume Snurra min jord och andra visor (1958; Spin, My Earth, and Other Songs). There is a significant political dimension to Visor svarta och roäda (1972; Songs Black and Red). The war in Vietnam had a strong impact on Forssell, who objected to the U.S. bombing of Hanoi in Forsok (1972; Attempt), which followed Oktoberdikter (1971; October Poems), a volume of less specific political poetry. But Forssell also has a strong sense of the poetic tradition, as evidenced by a volume of sonnets, Sanger (1986; Songs).

   Forssell's numerous plays move from an early concern with people's use of masks to a preoccupation with politics. Examples of the former are N rren som tillhoärde sin bjaällor (1953; The Jester Who Belonged to His Bells) and G lenp nn n (1964; The Madcap), which deals with the life of the dethroned Swedish king Gustaf IV Adolf. Two of his political dramas are Sverige, Sverige eller Borgerlighetens fars (1967; Sweden, Sweden, or, The Farce of the Middle Class) and Borgaren och Marx (1970; The Bourgeois and Marx). Many of Forssell's plays have historical settings; for example, Berg-spraängaren och hans dotter Eivor (1989; The Dynamite Blaster and His Daughter Eivor) takes place in the 1930s.

   Forssell's novel De rika (1976; The Rich) constitutes an unmasking of middle-class norms. Its ideas are similar to those of his political poetry and drama.