Erik Asklund

Erik Asklund (born June 20, 1908 in Stockholm as Lars Erik Josef Larsson , † November 6, 1980 ibid) was a Swedish writer and screenwriter .

Life

Asklund was born as the son of the sawmill worker Lars Gustaf Larsson and his wife Amanda Zander in the municipality of Södermalm . He grew up in poor conditions and had to contribute to the family's livelihood at the age of 9. Even as a child he had a keen interest in reading and wanted to become a writer. Asklund and his friend Josef Kjellgren visited the Stockholm Arbetarinstitutet , where popular science lectures on literature and ideology were held and listened to political discussions. He and Kjellgren soon began to write poems and prose sketches , which they initially left with the membership newspaper of a church youth association. A little later they started selling poems and novels to newspapers and magazines. At the age of 20 he came into contact with other young working-class writers such as Artur Lundkvist and Gustav Sandgren . In 1929 Asklund made his debut as part of the modernist team of writers Fem unga (German The Young Five ) with the anthology of the same name , which contained modernist poetry and prose. Fem unga consisted of Asklund, Lundkvist, Kjellgren, Sandgren and Harry Martinson . In the same year he published his first novel Bara en början (German only a beginning ). With that, Asklund became a professional writer for the rest of his life.

In many works he describes Stockholm in the early 19th century from the perspective of a working-class writer. In contrast to Kjellgren, he did not have strong political convictions. Overall, Asklund was an attentive observer, but did not take a fixed position in his works. His descriptions of poverty and injustice in the often brutal society in which he grew up appear without social indignation .

From 1940 he was married to Olof Lagercrantz's sister , Lis Asklund, who divorced him in 1980.

Works (selection)

Books

Fem unga, antologi , 1929 Bara en början , 1929 Ogifta , 1931 Modern poetry, antologi , 1931 Kvinnan är stor , 1931 Frukt , 1932 Lilla land , 1933 Fanfar med fem trumpeter , 1934 Svensk idyll , 1937 Modisterna , 1937 The vita ön , 1938 Solo i kör , 1938 Ynglingaresan , 1941 Stad i Norden , 1941 Silverligan , 1941 Torkel Oxdrivare , 1942 Fattig crane , 1943 Avsikter, antologi , 1945 Stockholm - Sommarstaden (German: Stockholm, the summer city ), 1946 Männniskor under jorden , 1947 Ensamma lyktor , 1947

Manne , 1949 Stockholm Ofcom facades , 1949 Skeppsholmen , 1950 Röd skjorta , 1951 Mormon Boy , 1951 Se min stad , 1953 Yngling i spegel , 1955 Söder om Trosa , 1956 Kvarteret Venus , 1957 Guest i natures , 1958 Prosadicter , 1958 Brokigt sällskap , 1958 Boken om Manne , 1959 Stadens sånger, antologi , 1962 Bröderna i Klara , 1962 Livsdyrkarna , 1963 Under Stockholms broar , 1964 Drakens Gränd , 1965 Staden mellan broarna , 1965 Stockholm och skärgården , 1981

Scripts

• Åh, en så'n grabb , 1939
• Adolf i eld och lågor , 1939
• Söderpojkar (based on Fanfar med fem trumpeter ), 1941

Prizes and awards

• Literature Prize of the newspaper Vi 1951

Web links

• Literature by and about Erik Asklund in the catalog of the German National Library
• A boy from Hornstull from Sankt Eriks årsbok from 1987 (Swedish), accessed on September 15, 2010