SONNEVI, GORAN

(1939-)

One of Sweden's most famous modern poets, Sonnevi became known throughout Sweden in 1965, when he published his poem "Om kriget i Vietnam" (About the War in Vietnam), included inIngrepp-modeller(1965; Intervention Models). His literary debut was four years earlier, however, with the collectionOutfort(1961; Unaccomplished), which was followed byAbstrakta dikter(1963; Abstract Poems). The poems in these volumes are characterized by his reliance on themodernisttradition in Swedish literature. The collectionsoch nu! (1967; And Now!) andDet måste ga(1970; It Must Work) argue in favor ofdemocratic socialism and anti-imperialism and promote an activist stance on the part of common men and women.

Det oavslutade spraket(1972; The Unfinished Language) marks the beginning of a period in Sonnevi's oeuvre when he focused on writing long poems. Other volumes in this vein includeDet omojliga(1975; The Impossible) andSprak;Verktyg;Eld(1979; Language; Tools; Fire). While Sonnevi continued to speak in favor ofsocialism,Sprak;Verktyg;Eldalso recognized that socialism was no longer a viable option for most people.Sma klanger, en rost(1981; Small Tones, a Voice) is a collection of unrhymed sonnets.Oavslutade dikter(1987; Unfinished Poems) andTrädet(1991; The Tree) deal with current events. Other works areMozarts terdje hjarna(1996; Mozart's Third Brain) andKlangarnes bok(1998; The Book of Tones). In 2005 he received theNordic Prizeof the Swedish Academy for his lifetime poetic achievement.