John Anyuru

Johannes Anyuru at the Gothenburg Book Fair on September 23, 2010

Johannes Anyuru (born March 23, 1979 ) is a Swedish writer and poet . He is one of the authors of the so-called Swedish immigrant literature .

Life

Anyuru, son of a Swede and a Ugandan , made his debut in 2003 with the collection of poems Det är bara gudarna som är nya (German only the gods are new ). Inspired by Homer's epic Iliad , he described life in districts with a high proportion of migrants . The Mörners-Weg in Växjö , where Anyuru spent his childhood, is often mentioned in his collection of poems . Critics compared Anyuru's style to that of the Swedish modernist Göran Sonnevi and the hip-hop band The Latin Kings . In the foreword to the published lyrics of this band, which is successful in Sweden and originating from the immigrant milieu, Anyuru positions itself on the importance of immigrant literature for Swedish culture.

Anyuru's second collection of poems, Omega, is marked by the mourning of two deceased friends. These experiences drove him into depression. Anyuru's third collection, Städerna inuti Hall , was published in 2009 and describes a socio-political landscape of mourning . In autumn 2010 he made his debut with the novel Skulle jag dö under andra himlar (German should I die under other heaven ).

Besides books, Anyuru has also worked on poetry in sound form. For example, in 2003 he traveled through Sweden with the presentation of the Riksteatern Abstract rap (German Abstract Rap ) and performed spoken word events as part of the Broken Word group .

On December 11, 2009, the premiere of his debut play Förvaret (German security ) took place at the Gothenburg City Theater , which he wrote together with Aleksander Motturi. It is about refugees who are in prison waiting to be deported .

In 2007 , Anyuru converted to Islam .