FORSSELL, LARS

(1928-)

A Swedish poet, playwright, and novelist, Forssell has produced an eclectic oeuvre, with both serious and more popular texts. One theme is role-playing, as in his second collection of poetry,Narren(1952; The Jester). The poetry collectionsTelegram(1957),Roster(1964; Voices), andJack uppskararen(1966; Jack the Ripper) combine seriousness and whimsy, fear and a sense of security. Forssell has reached a large audience with his less serious poetry, found in the volumeSnurra min jord och andra visor(1958; Spin, My Earth, and Other Songs). There is a significant political dimension toVisor svarta och roäda(1972; Songs Black and Red).Thewarin Vietnam had a strong impact on Forssell, who objected to the U.S. bombing of Hanoi inForsok(1972; Attempt), which followedOktoberdikter(1971; October Poems), a volume of less specific political poetry. But Forssell also has a strong sense of the poetic tradition, as evidenced by a volume of sonnets,Sanger(1986; Songs).

Forssell's numerous plays move from an early concern with people's use of masks to a preoccupation with politics. Examples of the former areN rren som tillhoärde sin bjaällor(1953; The Jester Who Belonged to His Bells) andG lenp nn n(1964; The Madcap), which deals with the life of the dethroned Swedish king Gustaf IV Adolf. Two of his political dramas areSverige, Sverige eller Borgerlighetens fars(1967; Sweden, Sweden, or, The Farce of the Middle Class) andBorgaren och Marx(1970; The Bourgeois and Marx). Many of Forssell's plays have historical settings; for example,Berg-spraängaren och hans dotter Eivor(1989; The Dynamite Blaster and His Daughter Eivor) takes place in the 1930s.

Forssell's novelDe rika(1976; The Rich) constitutes an unmasking of middle-class norms. Its ideas are similar to those of his political poetry and drama.