Swedish poet awarded Nobel prize
The 2011 Nobel Prize in literature has been awarded to Tomas Transtromer, a Swedish poet whose surrealistic works about the mysteries of the human mind won him acclaim.
The Swedish Academy said it recognised the 80-year-old poet “because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality”.
He is seen as one of the most important Scandinavian writers since the Second World War.
Transtromer has been a perennial favourite for the 10m kronor (€1.34m) award, and in recent years Swedish journalists have waited outside his apartment in Stockholm on the day the literature prize was announced.
Transtromer’s most famous works include the 1966 Windows and Stones, in which he depicts themes from his many travels and Baltics from 1974.
His works have been translated into more than 50 languages and influenced poets around the globe, particularly in North America.
