Göran Sonnevi
Göran Sonnevi (born 3 October 1939 in Lund, Skåne County) is a Swedish poet and translator. Sonnevi grew up in Halmstad; he studied literature and linguistics at the University of Lund, also getting librarian training. For many years he has lived in Järfälla outside Stockholm.
Göran Sonnevi
Magnus Fröderberg · Magnus Fröderberg/norden.org · Nordic Co-operation website (norden.org) · CC BY 2.5 dk
- Name
- Göran Sonnevi
- Born
- 3 October 1939
- Birthplace
- Lund, Sweden
- Education
- University of Lund
- Nationality
- Sweden.
- Occupation
- linguist, poet, translator, writer and philosopher.
- Fields
- literary activity and translating activity.
- Known for
- The Ocean.
- Honours
- Sveriges Radio's Poetry Prize, Carl Emil Englund prize, Aftonbladet Literary Award, Aniara Award, Bellman Prize and Svenska Dagbladet Literature Prize.
- Languages
- Swedish.
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Documentary summary
Göran Sonnevi (born 3 October 1939 in Lund, Skåne County) is a Swedish poet and translator. Sonnevi grew up in Halmstad; he studied literature and linguistics at the University of Lund, also getting librarian training. For many years he has lived in Järfälla outside Stockholm.
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q728626 · wikipedia · Göran Sonnevi
In this article
Biography
Biography
Sonnevi is one of the most esteemed poets of modern Sweden and is known as well as a successful and conscientious translator (e.g. of Osip Mandelstam, Ezra Pound and Friedrich Hölderlin). Some of his poems look into topical and political matters of the contemporary scene: the Vietnam War, the Cold War and its ending phases, globalization, immigration and ethnic/cultural conflicts, 9/11 and the Iraq War (both mentioned in the long titular suite of Oceanen), but his conclusions are more searching than easy. The rhythmic and musical qualities of his free verse, with sharp line breaks in the middle of phrases or long, flowing and building lines, are present even when he brings in formal or highly specialized scientific expressions. His work has been translated into several languages.
Göran Sonnevi studied at Lund University. The recorded working language is Swedish. The field of work recorded is literary activity and translating activity. Works named in the authority record are The Ocean. Work by Göran Sonnevi is recorded in the collections of Nationalmuseum. Distinctions recorded are Sveriges Radio's Poetry Prize, Carl Emil Englund prize, Aftonbladet Literary Award and Aniara Award.
Göran Sonnevi, vinnare av Nordiska rådets litteraturpris läser ur sin bok Oceanen under bokmässan i Göteborg 2006.
Johannes Jansson · Johannes Jansson/norden.org · Nordic Co-operation website (norden.org)
Göran Sonnevi, vinnare av Nordiska rådets litteraturpris läser ur sin bok Oceanen under bokmässan i Göteborg 2006.
Johannes Jansson · Johannes Jansson/norden.org · Nordic Co-operation website (norden.org)
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Göran Sonnevi • Birth Name — Göran Sonnevi • Born — 3 October 1939 • Birthplace — Lund, Sweden • Education — University of Lund • Period — 1961– • Notable Works — The Ocean
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1939
Göran Sonnevi born at Lund.
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
Göran Sonnevi received Sveriges Radio's Poetry Prize, Carl Emil Englund prize, Aftonbladet Literary Award, Aniara Award, Bellman Prize and Svenska Dagbladet Literature Prize.
Awards and honors
In 2005, he won the Swedish Academy Nordic Prize, known as the 'little Nobel'. In 2006, he won The Nordic Council's Literature Prize for his collection Oceanen (the Ocean).
Literature
Literature
Göran Sonnevi, A Child Is Not a Knife, 2023. Göran Sonnevi: An Introduction, A Child Is Not a Knife, 1993. Sonnevi, Göran, Kindlers Literatur Lexikon (KLL), 2020.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Citizenship
1- SwedenPlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,960 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Göran Printz-PåhlsonAuthor
- Göran RosenbergAuthor
- Göran RothmanAuthor
- Goran SimićAuthor
- Göran TunströmAuthor
- Gorazd KocjančičAuthor
- Gorch FockAuthor
- Gordana KuićAuthor
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