Erik Axel Karlfeldt

Swedish poet. Born in a rural area of ​​Dalarna. In his six poetry collections, from "Poems of Wilderness and Love" (1895) to "Autumn Horn" (1927), he repeatedly sang of the scenery and human feelings of his hometown Dalarna in highly musical lyric poetry. He became an Academy member in 1904, and permanent secretary general in 1912. In 1931, he was posthumously awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He also wrote critical biographies of poets and some prose. He sang of his hometown to his heart's content in the movement to preserve local culture that arose as a reaction to the industrialization of Sweden, and he lived a life that was not only glorious as a poet, but also blessed in real life. To appreciate the works of this man who earned him the nickname "the Dalarna Poet," one must understand the unique climate and human feelings of Dalarna, where people are proud of their traditions, despite the barren soil and harsh nature of the region.

[Michio Tanaka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

スウェーデンの詩人。ダーラナ地方の農村出身。『荒野と愛の詩集』（1895）から『秋の角笛(つのぶえ)』（1927）に至る6編の詩集のなかで、音楽性の高い叙情詩に託して郷里ダーラナの風物、人情を繰り返し歌い上げた。1904年アカデミー会員、12年常任事務総長となった。31年ノーベル文学賞を死後受賞。ほかに詩人の評伝、若干の散文もある。スウェーデン工業化の反動としておこった郷土文化保存運動のなかで、心ゆくまで郷里を歌い上げた彼は、詩人としての栄光ばかりか現実の生活でも恵まれた生涯を送った。「ダーラナの詩人」と称された彼の作品を鑑賞するには、ダーラナ地方のやせた土地柄、厳しい自然の中に、伝統に心のよりどころをもつ誇り高い、この特殊な風土、人情への理解が望まれる。

［田中三千夫］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例