Pär Fabian Lagerkvist (1891-1974)

Awarded the Prize “for the artistic vigour and true independence of mind with which he endeavours in his poetry to find answers to the eternal questions confronting mankind.”

Swedish poet, dramatist and novelist. Lagerkvist was born on May 23, 1891 in Vaxjo, Sweden. He enrolled at the University of Uppsala in 1911 when he had started to write poetry and fiction with philosophical themes. He studied art and literature for two years, but without taking a degree. His work firstly published in 1912. In 1940, he was elected to the Swedish Academy. Lagerkvist died in Stockholm on July 11, 1974.
Major Works:
Guest of Reality (1925); The Conquered Life (1927); Anguish (1916); Songs from the Heart (1926); The Difficult Hour I, II, III (1918); The Secret of Heaven (1919); The Hangman (1933); The Man without a Soul (1936); Victory in the Darkness (1939); The Dwarf (1944); Barabhas