Lars Gyllensten
Lars Johan Wictor Gyllensten (12 November 1921 – 25 May 2006) was a Swedish author and physician, and a member of the Swedish Academy. Gyllensten was born and grew up in a middle-class family in Stockholm, son of Carl Gyllensten and Ingrid Rangström, and nephew of Ture Rangström. He studied at the Karolinska Institute, becoming a doctor of medicine in 1953, and was an associate professor of histology there from 1955 to 1973.
Also recorded as Lars Johan Wictor Gyllensten
Lars Gyllensten

Michael Normann · Alvin/Uppsala universitetsbibliotek · CC BY 4.0
- Name
- Lars Gyllensten
- Birth Name
- Lars Johan Wictor Gyllensten
- Born
- 12 November 1921
- Birthplace
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Died
- 25 May 2006
- Occupation
- author, physician
- Nationality
- Sweden
- Education
- Karolinska Institutet · Norra Real
- Honours
- Selma Lagerlöf Prize · Dobloug Prize · Samfundet De Nio's Grand Prize · Kellgren Award
- Languages
- Swedish
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Documentary summary
Lars Johan Wictor Gyllensten (12 November 1921 – 25 May 2006) was a Swedish author and physician, and a member of the Swedish Academy. Gyllensten was born and grew up in a middle-class family in Stockholm, son of Carl Gyllensten and Ingrid Rangström, and nephew of Ture Rangström. He studied at the Karolinska Institute, becoming a doctor of medicine in 1953, and was an associate professor of histology there from 1955 to 1973.
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Note VALÉORINE
Lars Gyllensten (1921–2006) was a pathologist, physician and university teacher, among other activities, of Swedish nationality. The pathologist was born and died in Oscar Parish.
Lars Gyllensten was educated at Karolinska Institutet and Norra Real. The pathologist worked for Karolinska Institutet and was a member of Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Swedish Academy. Lars Gyllensten held the positions of seat 14 of the Swedish Academy and Swedish Academy permanent secretary.
Languages used include Swedish. Honours include Dobloug Prize, Kellgren Award and Samfundet De Nio's Grand Prize, among others.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
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wikidata · Q921268 · wikipedia · Lars Gyllensten
In this article
Biography
Biography
His first written work, published under the pseudonym Jan Wictor in 1946, was a collection of poetry by Gyllensten and Torgny Greitz entitled Camera Obscura, a straight-faced parody of Swedish modernist 1940s poetry. The Swedish Academy biography refers to his "dialectic" prose trilogy Moderna myter ('Modern myths', 1949), Det blå skeppet ('The blue ship', 1950) and Barnabok ('Child book', 1952) as the "real" beginning of his authorship. His last work was published in 2004. He left the Karolinska Institute to become a full-time author in 1973. He has been described as a Swedish counterpart to Thomas Mann and Albert Camus. Few of his works have been translated into English, French and German. He became a member of the Swedish Academy in 1966, was permanent secretary of the Academy from 1977 to 1986, served on the Swedish Academy's Nobel Prize committee from 1968 to 1987, became a member of the Nobel Foundation in 1979 (serving as chairman from 1987 to 1993), and was an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities. Gyllensten left the Swedish Academy in 1989 as a result of its failure to support Salman Rushdie following the fatwa calling for Rushdie's death because of his controversial novel The Satanic Verses. According to the rules of the Academy, Gyllensten remained a passive member for the remainder of his life.
Lars Gyllensten studied at Karolinska Institutet and Norra Real. The recorded working language is Swedish. Employment is recorded with Karolinska Institutet. Positions recorded include seat 14 of the Swedish Academy and Swedish Academy permanent secretary. Distinctions recorded are Selma Lagerlöf Prize, Dobloug Prize, Samfundet De Nio's Grand Prize and Kellgren Award.

Foto 1960
Lars (Lon) Olsson
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Lars Gyllensten • Birth Name — Lars Johan Wictor Gyllensten • Born — 12 November 1921 • Birthplace — Stockholm, Sweden • Died — 25 May 2006 • Place of death — Stockholm, Sweden • Resting Place — Norra begravningsplatsen • Occupation — author, physician • Language — Swedish
Career and activity
Career and activity
He was employed by Karolinska Institutet. Recorded positions include seat 14 of the Swedish Academy and Swedish Academy permanent secretary. He belonged to Swedish Academy, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities.
Identity
Identity
Lars Gyllensten is recorded with the occupation university teacher. Recorded as writer, university teacher, physician and pathologist.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1921
Lars Gyllensten was born on 12 November 1921.
2006
Lars Gyllensten died at Oscar Parish.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Lars Gyllensten”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q921268: Lars Gyllensten
General reference · Wikidata
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General reference
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.
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