Heptachord

Harry Martinson was born in Jämshög, Sweden on May 6, 1904. When he was six his father died and then his mother immigrated to America, leaving him and his sisters as parish orphans, fostered out to various families. He ran away from his foster parents and went to sea from 1920 to 1927. After returning to Sweden, ill with tuberculosis and destitute, he came under the care of his future wife, Moa Swartz, who became a well-known author in her own right.

His first book of poetry, Spökskepp (Ghost Ship), was published in 1929. He also wrote a collection of poetry entitled Passad (Trade Wind) and an epic poem about space travel entitled Aniara. His novels include Nässlorna Blomma (Flowering Nettle), Vägen Ut (The Way Out), Kap Farväl (Cape Farewell), and Vägen till Klockrike (The Road). He was elected to the Swedish Academy in 1949, a notable achievement for a writer with no formal education. He shared the 1974 Nobel Prize for Literature with novelist Eyvind Johnson. Their honors were considered controversial, since they were close friends and both had been long-time members of the Swedish Academy. He was offended by the insinuation of corruption and withdrew into depression. He committed suicide on February 11, 1978.

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