Resources:
New Collected Poems
The Great Enigma: New Collected Poems
The Half-Finished Heaven
For the Living and the Dead
Baltics (1974); Paths
Windows and Stones (1972)
Find out about Tomas Tranströmer
Tomas Transtromer
Nobel Prize for Literature 2011
Bloodaxe Books
Tomas Tranströmer
Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer, is the winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize for Literature. His work has been translated into more than fifty languages. His books of poetry in English include New Collected Poems (Bloodaxe Books, 2011); The Great Enigma: New Collected Poems (2003); The Half-Finished Heaven (2001); For the Living and the Dead (1995); Baltics (1974); Paths (1973); and Windows and Stones (1972).
According to the American Society of Poets, his work has gradually shifted from the traditional and ambitious nature poetry written in his early twenties toward a darker, personal, and more open verse. His work barrels into the void, striving to understand and grapple with the unknowable, searching for transcendence.
Tranströmer suffered a stroke in 1990, which deprived him of most of his speech and left him unable to use his right arm. But he is also an accomplished classical pianist. Unable to speak more than a few words, he can still express himself through music, despite only being able to play
left-hand piano pieces. Swedish composers have written several left-hand piano pieces especially for him to play.
His other honors and awards include the Aftonbladets Literary Prize, the Bonnier Award for Poetry, the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, the Oevralids Prize, the Petrach Prize in Germany, and the Swedish Award from International Poetry Forum.
