Bo Bergman
Encyclopedia
Bo Bergman was a Swedish writer, literary critic
and member of the Swedish Academy
, sitting in Seat 12 from 1925 until his death. His works form the inspiration for works by several major Swedish composers, including: Wilhelm Stenhammar
, Ture Rangström
, and Karin Rehnqvist.
Bergman spent his entire working life as a postal official in Stockholm, retiring in 1933. He started writing poetry whilst working for the Swedish postal service, his first poetry anthology, Marionettema, was published in 1903. In addition to his postal duties, Bergman also worked as a literary critic for Ord och Bild from 1900 until 1904. He worked for the major newspaper, Dagens Nyheter
, and he also served as a theatre critic from 1905 until 1939.
Bergman was a close friend of the pre-eminent Swedish novelist of his day, Hjalmar Söderberg
, with whom he maintained an extensive correspondence extending from 1891 until Söderberg's death in 1941. Like Söderberg, Bergman's writing was heavily influenced by the decadent movement
, in particular the flâneur
writings of Charles Baudelaire
. Bergman's early poetry is typically decadent and disillusioned, being informed by a determinist
view of a changing world in which all value systems and all scientific and metaphysical processes of understanding the universe are meaningless. Marionettema, which translates as The Marionettes, supposes that the destinies of men are in the hands of a bearded old man in control of their every move. Like Söderberg, Bergman's worldview gave way to a militant brand of humanism in his later works, a reaction against the growing threat of Nazism
.
Bergman is buried at the Norra begravningsplatsen
.
Literary criticism
Literary criticism is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often informed by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of its methods and goals...
and member of the Swedish Academy
Swedish Academy
The Swedish Academy , founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden.-History:The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 by King Gustav III. Modelled after the Académie française, it has 18 members. The motto of the Academy is "Talent and Taste"...
, sitting in Seat 12 from 1925 until his death. His works form the inspiration for works by several major Swedish composers, including: Wilhelm Stenhammar
Wilhelm Stenhammar
Carl Wilhelm Eugen Stenhammar was a Swedish composer, conductor and pianist.-Biography:Stenhammar was born in Stockholm, where he received his first musical education. He then went to Berlin to further his studies in music. He became a glowing admirer of German music, particularly that of Richard...
, Ture Rangström
Ture Rangström
Anders Johan Ture Rangström belonged to a new generation of Swedish composers who in the first decade of the 20th century introduced modernism to their compositions. In addition to composing Rangström was also a musical critic and conductor.Rangström was born in Stockholm, where initially he...
, and Karin Rehnqvist.
Bergman spent his entire working life as a postal official in Stockholm, retiring in 1933. He started writing poetry whilst working for the Swedish postal service, his first poetry anthology, Marionettema, was published in 1903. In addition to his postal duties, Bergman also worked as a literary critic for Ord och Bild from 1900 until 1904. He worked for the major newspaper, Dagens Nyheter
Dagens Nyheter
is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It has the largest circulation of Swedish morning newspapers, followed by Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet, and is the only morning newspaper that is distributed to subscribers across the whole country. In 2009 DN had a circulation of 316,000, reaching 881...
, and he also served as a theatre critic from 1905 until 1939.
Bergman was a close friend of the pre-eminent Swedish novelist of his day, Hjalmar Söderberg
Hjalmar Söderberg
Hjalmar Emil Fredrik Söderberg was a Swedish novelist, playwright, poet and journalist. His works often deal with melancholy and lovelorn characters, and offer a rich portrayal of contemporary Stockholm through the eyes of the flaneur...
, with whom he maintained an extensive correspondence extending from 1891 until Söderberg's death in 1941. Like Söderberg, Bergman's writing was heavily influenced by the decadent movement
Decadent movement
The Decadent movement was a late 19th century artistic and literary movement of Western Europe. It flourished in France, but also had devotees in England and throughout Europe, as well as in the United States.-Overview:...
, in particular the flâneur
Flâneur
The term flâneur comes from the French masculine noun flâneur—which has the basic meanings of "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", "loafer"—which itself comes from the French verb flâner, which means "to stroll". Charles Baudelaire developed a derived meaning of flâneur—that of "a person who walks...
writings of Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire
Charles Baudelaire was a French poet who produced notable work as an essayist, art critic, and pioneering translator of Edgar Allan Poe. His most famous work, Les Fleurs du mal expresses the changing nature of beauty in modern, industrializing Paris during the nineteenth century...
. Bergman's early poetry is typically decadent and disillusioned, being informed by a determinist
Determinism
Determinism is the general philosophical thesis that states that for everything that happens there are conditions such that, given them, nothing else could happen. There are many versions of this thesis. Each of them rests upon various alleged connections, and interdependencies of things and...
view of a changing world in which all value systems and all scientific and metaphysical processes of understanding the universe are meaningless. Marionettema, which translates as The Marionettes, supposes that the destinies of men are in the hands of a bearded old man in control of their every move. Like Söderberg, Bergman's worldview gave way to a militant brand of humanism in his later works, a reaction against the growing threat of Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
.
Bergman is buried at the Norra begravningsplatsen
Norra begravningsplatsen
Norra begravningsplatsen, literally "The Northern Cemetery" in Swedish, is a major cemetery of Metropolitan Stockholm. The cemetery is located in the municipality of Solna.Inaugurated on June 9, 1827, it is the burial site for a number of Swedish notables....
.
Anthologies
- 1903 - Marionetterna (The Marionettes)
- 1908 - En människa (One Man)
- 1917 - Elden (The Fire)
- 1922 - Livets ögon (The Eyes of Life)
- 1939 - Gamla gudar (Old Gods)
- 1944 - Riket (The Country)
- 1952 - Stunder (Moments)
- 1969 - Äventyret (The Adventure)
Novels
- 1904 - Drömmen och andra noveller (The Dream, and Other Stories)
- 1915 - Skeppet (The Ship)
Letters
- 1969 - Kära Hjalle – Kära Bo (Brevväxling med Hjalmar Söderberg) (Dear Hjalle, Dear Bo. Correspondence with Hjalmar Söderberg)