GUSTAFSSON, LARS

(1936-)

A Swedish poet, novelist, short story writer, and essayist, Gustafsson has a doctorate in philosophy from Uppsala University, and his works give evidence of a strong interest in existential and epistemological questions. He has also been well received in the English-speaking world and has been a faculty member at the University of Texas, Austin, since 1983. In his native Sweden, however, he has often been criticized for being too self-absorbed, arrogant, and excessively theoretical.

Although Gustafsson also wrote prose, in the early part of his literary career he was more important as a poet and published several volumes of poetry. Selections from some of these early collections appeared in English asThe Stillness of the World before Bach: New Selected Poems(1988); this book also contains a portion of Gustafsson's long poemKarleksförklaring till en sefardisk dam(1970; Declaration of Love to a Sephardic Lady), a watershed event in his oeuvre, in which he introduces the Jungian concept of the anima as his image of womanhood. Another successful volume of poetry wasVarma rum och kalla(1972; tr.Warm Rooms and Cold, 1975).

Gustafsson's earliest prose works are rather unremarkable. In the 1960s he published three novels. One of these,Broderna: En allegorisk berattelse(1960; The Brothers: An Allegorical Story), introduces the difficulties of childhood into his work. The short story collectionFörberedelser till flykt och andra berattelser(1967; Preparations for Flight and Other Stories) introduced motifs that were to become central to Gustafsson's next several novels.

Five prose works written during the 1970s —Herr Gustafsson själv(1971; Mr. Gustafsson Himself),Yllet(1973; Wool),Familjefesten(1975; The Family Celebration),Sigismund: Ur en polsk barockfurstes minnen(1976; tr.Sigismund: From the Memories of a Baroque Polish Prince, 1985), andEn biodlares dod(1978; tr.The Death of a Beekeeper, 1981)—all share a protagonist named after the author, Lars. A mixture of social criticism and philosophical themes, they were later published together asSprickorna i muren(1984; The Cracks in the Wall). The joy of intellectual activity is strongly present inTennisspelarna(1977; tr.The Tennis Players, 1983). Set in Austin, Texas, it reflects Gustafsson's stint there as a visiting professor. At this time he also published two collections of poetry,Sonnetter(1977; Sonnets) andArtesiska brunnar cartsianska drommar: Tjugotva larodikter(1980; Artesian Wells, Cartesian Dreams: Twenty-two Didactic Poems).

Gustafsson's novels from the 1980s show the influence ofpostmodernistideas about writing. The action inSorgemusik för frimurare(1983; tr.Funeral Music for Freemasons, 1987) takes place on several continents, and it is unclear who is the novel's protagonist.BernardFoys tredje rockad(1986; tr.BernardFoy's Third Castling, 1988) offers three interrelated stories. The novelEn kakelsattares eftermiddag(1991; tr.A Tiler's Afternoon, 1993) was intended as a thematic sequel toEn biodlares dodand focuses on an aging man's relationship to the past.Historien med hunden: Ur en texansk konkursdomares dagbocker och brev(1993; tr.The Tale of a Dog: From the Diaries and Letters ofa Texan Bankruptcy Judge, 1998) is set in Austin, Texas, and features the killing of a dog as well as the murder of a Belgian-born professor who, as it turns out, had published some anti-Semitic articles in his native land during WorldWarII. In a literary context it is difficult not to think about the Belgian-born deconstructionist Paul de Man, whose character was in the process of being assassinated by some at the time Gustafsson's novel was written.

More recently, Gustafsson has published the novelsTjanarinnan: En karleksroman(1996; The Maid: A Love Story),Windy beratter(1999; Windy Narrates),Blom och den andra magentan(2001; Blom and the Second Magenta), a thriller that features the search for a rare postage stamp, andDekanen(2003; The Dean), a combination of mystery story and philosophical novel. A recent collection of poetry isEn tid i Xanadu(2002; A Time in Xanadu). Gustafsson has also written philosophical, cultural, and literary essays.