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I stick my knife in its sheath and head out to the yard. I look out on the road to see if the car’s coming, but it’s still way too early. Next I go over to the gate and carve my name in the wood. I’ll never forget this day when we were chopping carrots, when it was raining and the rain turned to sleet, and when the Aunt from America was coming here to stay. Stig Dagerman (b. 1923 in Älvkarleby, d. 1954), was one of the most prominent Swedish authors in the aftermath of World War II. During 1945–49 he enjoyed phenomenal success writing novels, short stories, plays, poems and a large amount of journalism. His work deals predominantly with the universal problems of morality and conscience, of sexuality and social philosophy, and of love, compassion and justice. Despite the somewhat sombre content, he displays a wry sense of humour that occasionally turns his writing into burlesque or satire. In the autumn of 1954, Stig Dagerman was found dead. However, his existential texts transcend time and place and continue to be widely published in Sweden, as well as abroad.
Author
Stig Dagerman was one of the most prominent Swedish authors during the 1940s. In the course of five years, 1945-49, he enjoyed phenomenal success with four novels, a collection of short stories, a book about postwar Germany, five plays, hundreds of poems and satirical verses, several essays of note and a large amount of journalism. Then, with apparent suddenness, he fell silent. In the fall of 1954, Sweden was stunned to learn that Stig Dagerman, the epitome of his generation of writers, had been found dead in his car: he had closed the doors of the garage and run the engine. Dagerman's works deal with universal problems of morality and conscience, of sexuality and social philosophy, of love, compassion and justice. He plunges into the painful realities of human existence, dissecting feelings of fear, guilt and loneliness. Despite the somber content, he also displays a wry sense of humor that occasionally turns his writing into burlesque or satire.
