This dissertation presents a diplomatic edition of a journal and notebook kept by the Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer (1931-2015) during 1952 when he composed most of the poems in his debut collection, 17 dikter (17 Poems, 1954). That debut began a career that saw him become the most internationally renowned Swedish writer besides Swedenborg and Strindberg (Espmark in Schiöler 14), and “one of the most translated poets of the post-war period, probably the most translated” (14), and culminated, in 2011, with his winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. Lightly edited type facsimiles of the journal and notebook, including his marks of revision, illustrated with reproductions of the poet’s sketches from the documents, and accompanied by en face English translations provide unprecedented insight into his composing process at the time when he was finding his poetic voice. These are in turn followed by an extensive section of commentary identifying literary allusions and echoes in the documents and analyzing his composition and revision process. Also included are metrical translations of the three long poems in blank verse that conclude 17 dikter two of which have not previously been translated in this manner. There are at present no scholarly editions of any of Tranströmer’s published or private works, so this edition represents a major contribution to studies of his poetry, and more broadly to a study of Swedish poetry at mid-century.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/47876 |
| Date | 01 December 2023 |
| Creators | Coyle, William Bradley |
| Contributors | Ricks, Christopher, Burnett, Archie |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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