Untitled - Region Västerbotten

To journey through literature is to discover new places.
In this folder you will find some of the literary places in
Västerbotten and Norrbotten counties, for example Sara
Lidman’s home in Missenträsk and Eyvind Johnson’s cottage
bakery in Björkelund, Boden.
Enjoy your reading – enjoy your journey!
Literary
places
västerbotten
Frida Åslund: Umeå / kvarteret Ripan, Backens kyrka ........................ 4
Sara Lidman: Skellefteå / Missenträsk, Åliden ................................... 6
Torgny Lindgren: Norsjö / Raggsjö .................................................... 8
Katarina Mazetti: Umeå / kvarteret Ripan, Nya konditoriet ............. 10
Bernhard Nordh: Vilhelmina / Marsliden, Fatmomakke ..................12
Per Olov Enquist: Skellefteå / Hjoggböle, Burträsk .......................... 14
Lars Widding: Umeå / kvarteret Ripan, Döbelns park ...................... 16
norrbotten
Eyvind Johnson: Boden / Björkelund .............................................. 18
Einar Wallquist: Arjeplog / Silvermuseet ....................................... 20
Åsa Larsson: Kiruna / Jukkasjärvi, Kurravaara ............................... 22
Bengt Pohjanen: Överkalix / Sirillus gård (Tallvik)
Pajala / Kassa .................................................................................... 24
Authors from Tornedalen / Pajala, Övertorneå, Haparanda ............ 26
List of publications ........................................................................... 28
All literary quotations translated into English especially for this publication.
in Västerbotten and Norrbotten
© Lantmäteriet Gävle 2010. Medgivande I2010/1452
Umeå / kvarteret Ripan, Backens kyrka
Frida Åslund
“Now it so happened that Folke’s
father’s house was the next to last
on the wide birch-lined street in
the eastern quarter of town, and
the house where Frida’s mother
and siblings lived was the last. Both
houses had green courtyards and
red outbuildings with a crowd of
pleasant storehouses and nooks
and crannies to play in. Between
the two houses ran a red fence, but
with a stile consisting of two steps,
so that the children might run over
to each other without running on
to the street and in through the
gate.”
västerbotten
From Folke och Frida, new edition 2008.
4
The house where Frida lived stood
on today’s Kungsgatan in the then
newly projected quarter called Öst
på stan (East in town), and Folke
lived on the other side of today’s
street Pilgatan on the block called Ripan. The built-up parts had
partly rural characteristics and the
town planning followed the garden
city vision with large, open, verdant plots.
In the Peterson-Berger home,
Katarina Mazetti would eventually work, and Lars Widding was
brought up in the neighbouring
house, precisely where Frida and
Folke played.
The two children belonged to surveyors’ families and had siblings
who were much older than them.
Frida’s elder half-brother Helmer
later adopted the name Osslund
and became “the artistic discoverer
of the whole of northern Sweden”.
Folke’s eldest brother, Wilhelm
Peterson-Berger, became one of
Sweden’s most beloved composers.
The three autobiographical novels Folke and Frida (1925), Frida i
Per-Nils-gården (1928) and Tiden går
(1932) tell of Frida’s childhood and
the nature of life in Umeå in the
1880s and 1890s.
We witness the great church fire of
Christmas 1887 and the town fire of
1888. After the town fire, Frida moved with her family to Grisbacka
and she had a whole new world to
explore, including the large mediaeval church at Backen. Her maternal grandfather’s father, Dean J.
A. Linder, among others is buried
here. He was perhaps Umeå’s foremost cultural personality of the
19th century. He was not only a
priest but also a prolific writer and
architect. Baggböle Manor, the
churches in Holmsund and Hörnefors are examples of his work.
He was also a keen proponent of
temperance – more than 21 drinks
a day was unsuitable – unless there
were special circumstances.
Frida, who died in 1937, lies buried together with her parents in
the west graveyard near the former
hospital. Frida’s childhood home
The Peterson-Berger home at the crossing Kungsgatan–Pilgatan. Below: Frida Åslund’s
maternal grandfather’s father, J.A. Linder, lies buried at Backen church in Umeå.
no longer exists, but the home of
Wilhelm Peterson-Berger, a listed
building, still stands on its original
site. x
THE AUTHOR
Frida Åslund was born in 1879. Her father, Daniel
Åslund, died when she was a young girl, and she
would grow up with her mother and maternal
grandmother. Frida trained as a schoolteacher,
one of few professions daughters in middle-class
families could enter. For her entire life, she then
worked in Horndal in Dalarna. She wrote prolifically and by the time of her death in 1937 she had
published 20 novels and over 200 shorter works.
The original manuscripts have been donated to
Umeå University and are archived in the university
library. The autobiographical trilogy of children’s
books Folke och Frida, Frida i Per-Nils-gården and
Tiden går have been published in a new twovolume edition: Folke och Frida (2008) and Fridas
nya värld (2009).
THE PLACE
Do you want to learn more about Frida’s world?
Explore it by downloading a walker’s guide on
www.atriumforlag.se. It is free of charge.
5
Skellefteå / Missenträsk
västerbotten
Sara Lidman
6
The five novels that make up the
Jernbane epic are based on the life
of Erik Lidman, Sara Lidman’s paternal grandfather. Erik Lidman,
in the novel Didrik Mårtensson,
is a “snallare”, that is, one of the
smallholders who carried out the
exhausting transport of goods from
Skellefteå up to Arvidsjaur on the
“snallare” route. Didrik has a dream – an iron road will be built here
and will bring happiness and prosperity to the interior of northern
Sweden. The Jernbane epic is the
story of ordinary people’s greatness
and great people’s pettiness.
“And the line of horses started
moving and reached the top of the
slope without rest. Once they were
there the road curved and came into
the shade of the firs. At every southward facing slope the same was repeated; longer and longer stretches
were bare ground and needed to be
covered with snow. The sun does
not warm ’but she certainly wears
down the surface’. Their eyes were
sore. The horses sweated and nibbled at snow from the sides.”
From Vredens barn, 1979
Once the king had finally inaugurated the last stretch of the main
northern line in Jörn on 2 August
1894, three minutes late, Didrik is
overthrown from his position as
the great man of the region, chairman of the municipal council and is
on his way to Långholmen Prison,
declared bankrupt and condemned
and sentenced for embezzlement of
emergency aid funds.
After serving his sentence, on the
train home from Långholmen, he
meets Forest Supervisor Bredfelt
who like Spadar-Abdon in his day
is enthusiastic about his project
– draining marshes to create new
farmland.
“Within half a century, little Ecksträsk will have grown from eight
homesteads to thirty – perhaps a
hundred: properties capable of feeding large families, each owning
two or three horses. Foresters they
shall be! An army of foresters and
log-drivers! But lime is called for!
Thanks to the railway we can now
bring in the lime. And timothy
grass seed. And clover.”
From Järnkronan, 1985
Didrik settles in Ecksträsk and
starts a career cultivating new land.
As for example in her first novels
Tjärdalen (1953) and Hjortronlandet
(1955) Sara Lidman here returns
to her home village, Missenträsk.
The village lies surrounded by vast
drained marshlands, up along the
“snallare” road, which was eventually transformed into the east-west
Jörn-Arvidsjaur railway.
Marshland cultivation was a gigantic failure, but an incidental
result was that that in many places
Sara Lidman’s home in Missenträsk.
people found prehistoric skis deep
in the marshes. The oldest known
ski found in this way is the Kalvträsk Ski – 5,300 years old – which
is on display in Västerbotten Museum. x
THE PLACE
Through a donation by Sara Lidman, Umeå University has at its disposal Sara’s home in Missenträsk. The buildings can be rented as dwellings for
researchers and writers with a need for a creative
and secluded work environment, for recreation
and for small meetings/conferences (max 14
persons). Bookings administered by the Buildings
Division (Lokalförsörjningsenheten)
at Umeå University,
phone +46 90-786 53 11.
THE AUTHOR
Sara Lidman (1923–2004) was born in Missenträsk, Västerbotten. She ranks as one of the
greatest and most innovative users of language
in Swedish literature. Her debut was in 1953 with
the novel Tjärdalen which introduced the village of
Ecksträsk, where for the first time the reader gets
to know her characteristic prose, based on dialect
and biblical language. In 1975 she began her
major work, called the Jernbane epic, comprising
five novels about the modernisation and colonisation of northern Sweden, later complemented with
the standalone sequels Lifsens rot (1996) and
Oskuldens minut (1999). Sara Lidman received
an honorary doctorate at Umeå University in 1978
and a professorship in 1999. She also won a large
number of literary prizes and honours.
The main goal of the Sara Lidman Society is to
promote interest in Sara Lidman’s writings and
social commitment by arranging the publication
and dissemination of her texts.
7
Norsjö / Raggsjö
västerbotten
8
There are two very strong traditions in northern Västerbotten:
organ-building and storytelling.
Organ-building naturally stems
from the revivalist movements,
but organs also had secular use. A
particular characteristic of organs
from the Norsjö area is what is
known as the Västerbotten voice,
soft and with lingering melancholy.
Perhaps storytelling too has a
sort of Västerbotten voice, reflective and with lingering memories and fantasies, and Minnen
(Memories) is in fact the title of
Torgny Lindgren’s latest book.
Also in Torgny Lindgren’s book
The Way of a Serpent (Ormens väg på
hälleberget, 1982), the organ plays an
important role, although here the
organ is a simpler one – a harmonium. The music helps the mother,
Tea, to deal with everyday worries
and also to earn an income, to pay
the storekeeper’s bills if possible.
In the novel Hash (Pölsan, 2002),
schoolteacher Lars Högström and
the German immigrant Robert Maser (Martin Bormann) set off on a
culinary odyssey in the Norsjö area
to find the perfect plate of hash. In
Raggsjö they are served the most
excellent hash by the young tubercular Torgny Lindgren who explains
that there is certainly a Raggsjö
hash, “although in fact it was more
complicated than that. Raggsjö was
photo: dynamedia.se
Torgny Lindgren
more precisely a conglomeration of
smaller villages, and every village
had its hash with its own characteristics and peculiarities, and even
home hash and hill hash and bellclapper hash were basically Raggsjö
hashes, though a little different.”
An ongoing project – Literary tourism in Torgny Lindgren’s footsteps
– is aimed to make literary Raggsjö
more accessible to the public. x
Rebuilding Torgny Lindgren’s paternal grandmother’s summer cottage in Raggsjö. Lower: the
cableway between Mensträsk and Örträsk.
THE AUTHOR
Torgny Lindgren was born in 1938 in Raggsjö, near
Norsjö in Västerbotten. He trained as a teacher in
Umeå. He worked as a sixth-form teacher of social
science subjects until the mid-1970s, mostly in
Vimmerby. Torgny Lindgren now lives in Tjärstad
near Rimforsa in the county of Östergötland. Torgny Lindgren’s writing is shaped by his childhood
in Västerbotten, his interest in philosophy and his
Christian beliefs. In his texts his social criticism is
often ironic. After his breakthrough with The Way
of a Serpent his novels and short stories have sold
in considerable numbers and been filmed. In 1991
he was elected to the Swedish Academy and holds
Chair number 9.
THE PLACE
Raggsjö Village Association and Norsjö Municipality are setting up a visitor destination in the village
including Torgny Lindgren’s paternal grandmother’s
summer cottage. Raggsjö village hall will be the centre
of the visitor centre, a building which may be the original mission building in the novel Norrlands akvavit
(2007). In the village hall there will be exhibitions, a
café and opportunities to experience special settings
in both sound and image. Here visitors can also order
guided viewings.
The visitor centre is planned to open in June 2011. For
more information, contact Anna Hansson through
Norsjö Municipality on +46 918-140 00 or:
anna.hansson@norsjo.se.
As the project progresses, developments at the visitor
centre can be monitored on www.raggsjoliden.se.
THE CABLEWAY
The world’s longest cableway, 13,613 metres long, runs
between Örträsk and Mensträsk in Norsjö Municipality. The cableway’s highest point is 20 metres and the
lowest 7 metres. Rides on the cableway are offered
year-round. For information: www.linbanan.com.
9
Umeå / kvarteret Ripan, Nya konditoriet
Katarina Mazetti
“Radio Nordost is housed in an
18th-century tradesman’s home in
the middle of town and it is far too
small for our activities. Next year
construction will start on a new radio building, but at the moment it
looks like this: a large two-storey
wooden building in grey-green,
with corners and window frames in
grass-green. Tiled curb roof, heavy
brown door with small windows
above, and an ugly little porch stuck
on the outside as an afterthought,
like an uncomfortable backpack.
Right up until a couple of years ago
there were ceramic stoves in the upstairs rooms – but they were torn
out when the latest computers were
installed in all the work stations.”
västerbotten
From Tyst! Du är död!, 2001
10
For 15 years, Katarina Mazetti
worked for local radio (Sveriges Radio) in Umeå, among other things
presenting the well-known programme Radio Ellen. For some of
this time the radio unit was housed
in the Peterson-Berger home on
the crossing of Kungsgatan and Pilgatan – the home where Folke and
Frida, the main characters in a series of books by Frida Åslund, had
played a hundred years before.
In 1998, Katarina Mazetti had
a breakthrough among readers
and critics with the novel Benny
& Shrimp (Grabben i graven bredvid,
which was translated into a large
number of languages. When the
book was later filmed – the director
was Kjell Sundvall from Luleå – it
was as big a success as the book.
In the following book, a detective novel, the setting is the radio
building – Tyst. Du är död! (2001).
The story is a closed room mystery,
further complicated by the fact that
the murder takes places during a
live broadcast. The victim is a colleague – a thoroughly disliked but
popular presenter. The hero, the
trainee Malla, is the one who finally
solves the mystery.
It is a cold winter and Malla is eating greasy pizzas and fighting the
icy winds between her flat, the radio building and some of the many
cafés in Umeå; that is, those that
have not yet been transformed into
latte temples. “We sat in Sandberg’s
coffee house and meditatively chewed on their filled-to-bursting Napoleon cakes. (Sandberg’s is the
only place in town where you can
still experience your childhood’s
coffee house visits, complete with
tired aspidistras, weekly magazines
and PVC furniture. All the other
cafés in town have been re-vamped
and given an English name and serve eighteen types of espresso and
American brownies as big as toilet
lids. And you are supposed to sit on
a high stool until you get cramp in
your thighs.)”
Nya konditoriet.
However, another café meets
with approval under Malla’s critical gaze: “I sat and chilled in Nya
Kaféet (The New Café). (New? It
should be a listed building, or at
least their Danish pastries should
be listed!).” Sandberg’s, like Café
Linnéa, Nykterhetskaféet, Focus
and all the others that were the
natural meeting places for Umeå’s
young people, has sadly gone. Nya
Konditoriet however (the book’s
Nya Kaféet?) is still there as a last
remnant of the café culture that
once existed in Umeå.
Katarina Mazetti has written a
further two books that take their
inspiration from Umeå: the earliermentioned Benny & Shrimp and its
sequel Familjegraven (2005). x
THE AUTHOR
Katarina Mazetti was born in Stockholm in 1944
and grew up in Karlskrona. She studied in Lund
where she took a BA in the history of literature. In
1989 she took a post at Sveriges Radio as an editor and reporter, working among other things with
Radio Ellen and Freja. She lived in Sörfors near
Umeå until 2002, when she returned to Lund.
Visit Katarina Mazetti’s website:
www.katarinamazetti.com.
THE PLACE
Walks in the Umeå writers’ footsteps are organised through mail to: kulturkontakt@hotmail.com.
11
Vilhelmina / Marsliden, Fatmomakke
västerbotten
Bernhard Nordh
12
Bernhard Nordh was a cotter’s son
from northern Uppland who fell in
love with the mountain world, in
particular Kultsjödalen, to which
he often returned. The background
material to the stories I Marsfjällets
skugga (1937), Fjällfolk (1938) and
Undan frostpiskan (1938) was taken
from real life through extensive
interviews and conversations with
villagers.
In his two books about the settler
in Marsliden, Lars Pålsson, Bernhard Nordh paints an accurate picture of two periods in the second
half of the 19th century: the founding of the settlement of Marsliden
and the introduction of the cultivation limit in 1867, all depicted
against the background of relations
with the indigenous Sámi population.
From the state’s point of view it
was desirable to have new farms
established in the mountain areas.
The fact that viable farming was
practically impossible in the highlying areas was something of which
the central authorities had no
knowledge and even less interest.
To the settlers, hunting and fishing
were crucial.
“The first thing Pålsson did in
Marsliden was construct a dwelling
of the most primitive kind. Farther
up among the foothills, the forest
was untouched by fire, and Pålsson
chopped stakes and dragged brush.
He drove the stakes into the ground
on one side of the large fir tree, tied
one pole to the tree, cut osier and
bound more stakes for a lean-to
roof. Between the stakes he braided
fir twigs, to make both walls and
a roof, and Britta bound together
a large mat of birch twigs to make
the floor.”
From I Marsfjällets skugga, 1937
At the ancient Sámi church
site Fatmomakke, Sámi and settlers met and of course it was here
among other places that the often
deep-rooted conflicts came to the
surface.
Still today, people meet at Fatmomakke, for more than 300 years
the site of a chapel at the mouth of
Ransarån stream, and even though
they may not surface in the same
way as in Bernhard Nordh’s books,
many of the unresolved centuriesold conflicts between the Sámi and
the settlers from Sweden proper
still remain.
Nothing survives of the first primitive shack, unlike the simple cottage that he would eventually build.
The much-frequented cottage is
open in the summertime. Many of
the visitors come from Germany,
where Bernhard Nordh became a
renowned author. x
View from Marsliden. Below: Lars Pålsson’s cottage.
THE AUTHOR
Bernhard Nordh was born in 1900 in Björklinge,
northern Uppland, and grew up a cotter’s son.
At the age of 16 he tried his hand at railroad construction and soon advanced to foreman. Around
this time he came into contact with the syndicalist
movement and also began to take an interest in
northern Sweden. From 1926 on, he made his
living from writing and belonged to the Folket i
Bild circle, and was a close friend of Jan Fridegård.
By the time of his death in 1972, he had published
about thirty novels that appeared in large editions
and were translated, above all into German.
THE PLACE
The former Kyrkans fjällgård, a mountain farmstead in Marsliden, has been designated a writers’
and scholarship centre by Norrländska litteratursällskapet and Författarcentrum Norr. Marsliden is
mostly associated with Bernhard Nordh’s novels
about Lars Pålsson’s settler family. Other authors
too have found inspiration for their novels in this
place. For those interested in Bernhard Nordh and
his life and works, there is more information on
the Bernhard Nordh Society website:
www.bernhardnordh.se.
13
Skellefteå / Hjoggböle, Burträsk
Per Olov Enquist
“Up on the slope, above the green
house, stood the outbuilding with
the woodshed and the shithouse,
or the privy as we were told to call
it. The privy was where you could
read the paper in peace, and it was
connected to the woodshed. It was
on fairly high ground: if you opened the door you could see over
the whole valley, and the lake. You
could sit there for a long time listening to the cows lowing“
västerbotten
From Captain Nemo’s Library, 1992
14
The privy, with the connected
woodshed, becomes the link between the earthly world away from
the litanies of the chapel and the
enforced confessions on Saturdays.
The great events in The March of
the Musicians (Musikanternas uttåg,
1978) are all connected to privies
of different types: Aron is severely beaten up behind the privy for
grassing to the company leadership; Nicanor and Elmblad are beaten even worse by the Burträsk villagers when they dare to go there as
agitators and the issue of whether
or not to build a company privy
causes feelings to run high among
the strikers in Bureå sawmill: “Are
the socialists going to ban shitting
now too! He bellowed in an increasingly furious voice, and evidently
found the approach right and fruitful, because he immediately added
the variant “I’s thinking shiteing
be nowt to do wi t’strike! Then he
took a deep breath and in his agitation let the argument culminate
with a forceful I’s thinking them
strikers better leave em to shite in
peace!”
From The March of the Musicians, 1985
But the privy also came to be seen
as a symbol for the fall of mankind
and backsliding: “Sanfrid Gren in
Västra Hjoggböle was the only one
in the village to have two shithouses: a privy divided into two sections. And he became famous for
it.”
“It was arrogance to have two
shithouses, James Lindgren, who
read from Rosenius, would say.
And arrogance is punished by God.
And then it didn’t help if the Son
of Man interceded and said to God
to spare you. That’s how badly it
could go for someone who built
two shithouses.”
From Captain Nemo’s Library, 1992
In the two novels Captain Nemo’s
Library (Kapten Nemos biliotek) and
The March of the Musicians, Per Olov
Enquist took the background setting from the Hjoggböle of his
childhood years. Recurring motifs
include the privy, the cave and the
lake (which can no longer be seen
from the yard) – places offering
calm and links to another world. x
The privy above the green house. Below: Ostens hus (The House of Cheese) in Burträsk.
THE AUTHOR
Per Olov Enquist, born in 1934, son of
the schoolmistress in Hjoggböle. Losing
his father at an early age, he was brought
up by his mother, who was a member
of the religious movement Evangeliska
Fosterlandsstiftelsen, which influenced
his writing. After his studies in Uppsala
he worked among other things as a culture critic for the national daily Svenska
Dagbladet. His writing debut came in 1961 and he
has written a score of novels and a dozen dramas.
Per Olov Enquist has won a large number of national and international prizes for his writings. The
Hjoggböle region has produced other authors:
Anita Salomonsson, Kurt Salomonsson, Hjalmar
Westerlund. In Ett annat liv Per Olov Enquist also
associates Stieg Larsson with the village.
THE PLACE
A visitor centre has been set up in Sjöns meeting
house, next to Per Olov Enquist’s childhood
home, and provides information about the authors of Hjoggböle. For more information:
www.forfattarbyn.se
or contact Gunnar Hedman on +46 910-801 92.
“Many times have I tried, with my tongue,
to understand what is special about this
cheese. But it is like the coastal region: almost
inhospitably sharp, not instantly charming,
but at the same time like chewing a spruce bud
in spring when it is light green. This cheese is
hard to define, not inviting instant love; but
it captivates, and then you are caught.”
From Per Olov Enquist’s introduction in the culinary guide
Med smak av Västerbotten – Ett möte med mat, människor och
miljöer, 2003.
15
Umeå / kvarteret Ripan, Döbelns park
västerbotten
Lars Widding
16
Lars Widding has used the Umeå of
his youth, both in the ”small town
chronicle” of Umeå from the 1930s
to the end of the Second World
War, published in 1978–1981, and
in the young people’s novels Inga
stormar än (1950) and Sista sommarlovet (1952). The small town
chronicle is partly based on wellknown figures of the time in Umeå
and many claim to recognise some
of them. The most talked-about of
them included Thorsten Hellström,
administrative director of the paper
company MoDo and Sigrid Holmström, a legendary restaurateur at
Sävargården.
“And it was true: just behind the
church the brown house towered,
turning its mighty façade and one
side towards the pavements. Slowly
she walked through a squeaking
gate into the yard, marvelling at
the clever, ornate carpentry that
framed the large porch, stepped up
the stairs, had time to realise that
the entire courtyard was enclosed
with low wings and outbuildings
that had doors so wide they must
have served as coach-houses, and
rang on the door.”
From Pigan och härligheten, 1978
The door she rings on is to Director Sullivan’s residence and she
makes the mistake of going to the
main entrance instead of the kitchen entrance near it. The house
described here is today a listed building, called the Ringstrand Villa,
built for the administrative directors of MoDo.
One of the main characters in the
novel series is Ville Sandin, illegitimate son of the town prosecutor.
In the novel, the Sandin family is
living in what Widding calls the
“Donner Residence”. No such residence has ever existed. Instead he
has given a somewhat altered portrait of his own childhood home in
the Ripan neighbourhood at what
was then Nytorget square. In the
same neighbourhood we also find
the Peterson-Berger home, where
the heroes of Frida Åslund’s novels Folke and Frida got up to mischief and where Katarina Mazetti
worked at the local radio studio.
Ville is something of an alter ego
of Widding. Many of the events
Ville goes though in the novels are
described by Widding as belonging
to his own childhood in his memoirs Min historia (1983), events
which slightly amended recur in his
young people’s novels.
Ripornas gård (Ptarmigan House), as Lars Widding calls his childhood home, still stands on the
corner of Kungsgatan and Nytorgsgatan. It was originally built in the
1870s by a warden at the prison. x
Ringstrand Villa. Below: Monument in Döbeln’s Park.
THE AUTHOR
Lars Widding was born in 1924. His father ran
a legal bureau and married a society girl from
Umeå. After finishing school, Widding joined the
air force, but had to break off his pilot’s training
when he contracted tuberculosis. At Österåsen
sanatorium he came into contact with literature
and eventually decided to become a writer. Over
the years he wrote about 40 novels, countless
short stories and magazine articles, and radio
and TV shows and he was often enlisted to write
screenplays. Lars Widding became the first honorary citizen of Umeå, and after his death in 1994,
his manuscripts and archives were donated to
Västerbotten Museum where the Umeå Exhibition
contains a Lars Widding section.
THE PLACE
Västerbotten Museum: www.vbm.se
Tel +46 90-17 18 00.
Town walks in the footsteps of Umeå writers are
arranged through: kulturkontakt@hotmail.com.
Phone +46 70-556 55 33.
17
Boden / Björkelund
norrbotten
Eyvind Johnson
18
In Björkelund, Boden, there are
several houses from the early 20th
century and among them the little
cottage bakery where Nobel Laureate Eyvind Johnson was born in
1900.
It is easy to get the feel of the turn
of the century here among the narrow winding streets and the traces
of past ages’ agriculture and the
then emerging town within the
town.
In 1904, the family moved to Vinterstigen and came to be the neighbours of the Rost family, Eyvind
Johnson’s aunt and husband. Both
houses remain to this day and bear
commemorative plaques.
When Eyvind Johnson’s father
fell ill with silicosis the family’s
life changed. Eyvind Johnson grew
up with the Rost family, and one
can understand the author’s words
when standing on the road between
the two houses: “I went away although I was going home and sometimes went home when I was going
away.”
Björkelund is then Eyvind Johnson’s childhood setting. There is a
display on the wall of the cottage
bakery showing pictures of the
family and accounts of different
events in the author’s life. You can
read here about events including
that where Eyvind Johnson and his
friends ran races to the stream. The
boys get there at the same time in a
state of collapse from the effort. He
remembers this almost fifty years
later when, to impress a woman,
he runs in the classical stadium at
Delphi.
Eyvind Johnson left Norrbotten
in 1919 for travels in Europe and
was living in Stockholm at the time
of his death on 25 August 1976. The
following day, Bengt Russberg wrote in the regional daily Norrländska
Socialdemokraten:
“He was ours, a European and
cosmopolitan, an honorary doctor and a Nobel Prize winner. His
roots are still here in the north. The
whole county mourns its greatest
in the world of poetry.”
Eyvind Johnson’s birth date, 29
July, is annually commemorated
with events at the cottage bakery. x
THE AUTHOR
Eyvind Johnson wrote almost 50 books. He
also wrote a large number of letters and travel
accounts and wrote a column for Norrländska
Socialdemokraten, among other newspapers.
Many of these documents have been published,
for example the excellent collection of letters
Resebrev 1921–1952 (2006). In 1957, Eyvind
Johnson was elected to the Swedish Academy,
occupying Chair 11. In 1974 he was awarded the
Nobel Prize, jointly with Harry Martinson, for ”…
a narrative art, far-seeing in lands and ages, in the
service of freedom”
Boden Municipality annually awards a prize in
memory of the region’s great author: the Eyvind
Johnson Prize, which is awarded to artistically
interesting writings or work of prose. The Eyvind
Johnson Society: www.eyvindjohnson.org.
A walk in Eyvind Johnson’s footsteps.
THE PLACE
At the train station, a town walk starts
that is based on Vinterresa i Norrbotten
(1955), in which the author writes about
people and places from his youth. The
walk includes eight peepshows with
photographs and extracts from his books.
Theories are presented as to which places
in Boden feature in the author’s works.
Read about the town walk on: www.
bibblo”www.bibblo.se/boden/blog.
You can find information about the
walk in the left-side menu under Eyvind
Johnson. Do not miss the park at the
Kungsbron bridge where the monument
Gestalt i norr by Berto Marklund was
raised on Eyvind Johnson’s hundredth
anniversary in 2000. There is a portrait
of Eyvind Johnson in the church in
central Boden, in a large mural by Simon
Sörman. Visit the cottage bakery: go
along Stationsgatan past the train station
towards Svartbjörnsbyn, and turn right at
Eyvind Johnsons väg. The cottage bakery
is open in summer, and guided tours can
be booked at any time of year. Boden Tourist Information Bureau, +46 921-624 10.
Boden Municipal Library, +46 921-624 80.
Vinterstigen: the house (foreground) where Eyvind Johnson grew up with the Rost family, and the house in the background where his parents and siblings lived.
19
Arjeplog / Silvermuseet
norrbotten
Einar Wallquist
20
The year is 1922 and a new doctor
arrives in the “wilderness village”
of Arjeplog, on the shore of Lake
Hornavan, to take over the only
medical practice in an area as large
as Belgium. Doctor Einar Wallquist
is just 26 years old and has practically no experience of being a doctor or of life in the wilderness.
In one of the short stories in his
debut book Can the doctor come?
(Kan doktorn komma?, 1935), he describes a journey undertaken by
horse and sleigh to see a patient:
“When we were progressing across
a small lake, the old man stood at
the back to ride for a while. It was
so wonderfully beautiful, with frost
on the trees, and straight ahead a
golden-yellow moon, slowly rising
above the edge of the marsh, large
and round and beaming. Here on
the lake, Algot became unsure of
the way, and the taciturn youth turned to the talkative man at the back
and asked which way he should steer the horse. Barely pausing in his
narrative to me, the man barked
out:
Head for the moon, Algot!
And Algot headed for the moon,
and it was the right way.”
Today it is easier to get to Arjeplog, but the moon may shine as
beautifully now as then.
The doctor travelled widely
around Arjeplog and many times he
spent the night under his patient’s
roof since there were no other options. It is these journeys and meetings that form the backbone of Einar Wallquist’s literary works.
For those wishing to learn more
about Einar Wallquist’s sociohistorical legacy, there is much to
study in Arjeplog. He founded the
Silvermuseet (the Silver Museum)
and in addition to the impressive
silver collection, it houses exhibitions about people’s conditions and
everyday life and in the early 20th
century.
Einar Wallquist lived in a house
not far from the Silver Museum until his death in 1985. The Doctor’s
Villa, which remains intact from
the author’s era, can be booked for
guided viewings. The desk remains
where Wallquist wrote his short
stories and other works, as well as
his imposing book collection comprising almost 3,000 volumes and
the room where Sweden’s current
king spent the night shortly after
his coronation. x
The author’s desk in the Doctor’s Villa. Below: The Silver Museum, Arjeplog.
THE AUTHOR
Einar Wallquist published a large number of
collections of stories and short stories, as well as
non-fiction. His literary works have been translated into several languages and his debut novel
was filmed. Einar Wallquist was twice awarded
honorary professorships by Umeå University: in
philosophy and medicine.
THE PLACE
The centre for Einar Wallquist’s works is the Silver
Museum at Storgatan 20. Here visitors can see
the impressive silver collection and a fine gift
shop featuring local crafts and literature about
and from the Arjeplog region. Via the Silver Museum you can also book a viewing of the Doctor’s
Villa, call +46 961-145 00 or go to reception at the
Silver Museum. www.silvermuseet.arjeplog.se.
21
Kiruna / Kiruna, Jukkasjärvi, Kurravaara
norrbotten
Åsa Larsson
22
“As she stands up there at the altar
she sees the lower part of the organ.
It is almost completely hidden by
a wooden strut across the church
interior extending from the ceiling
down a third of its height. But she
can see the lower part of the organ.
And she sees a pair of feet hanging
down in front of the organ loft.” It
was here, in Jukkasjärvi church, that
Åsa Larsson had the priest Mildred
Nilsson hanged in Blood spilt (Det
blod som spillts, 2004).
Åsa Larsson places her murders
in and around Kiruna, and does so
with care. Sometimes she asks her
father for help, such as when preparing her fourth detective novel Till
dess din vrede upphör (2008) she was
searching for a lake deep enough to
conceal an aeroplane. Vittangijärvi,
was her father’s answer.
From that, the book begins with
the chilling and agonising account
of the death by drowning of two
young people.
Åsa Larsson’s principal character
is Rebecka Martinsson, a lawyer
working in Stockholm but who is
returning to Kiruna, increasingly
often after the first novel. Rebecka
lives in the house of her beloved paternal grandmother in Kurravaara,
on a bay in the River Torne.
“I want to stand out here on the
yard and putty the window and
now and then simply lift my gaze
and look out over the window. I
want to drink my coffee on the
porch steps on a summer’s morning
before work. I want to dig the car
out from the snow in the winter. I
want the frost to make flowers on
my kitchen window.”
That’s how she wants it, Rebecka,
when she is not getting mixed up in
different murder investigations.
In the fifth book, due to be published in spring 2011, with the suggestive Biblical title Till offer åt Molok
(For Sacrifice to Moloch), the action
has been moved to the Hjalmar
Lundbohm Home. It is generally
known that the home is haunted
and Åsa Larsson knows why. All according to the author herself. Hjalmar Lundbohm was the first director of the LKAB mine.
Authentic places are described in
Åsa Larsson’s books, but with the
author’s artistic licence to omit or
add. x
THE AUTHOR
Åsa Larsson was born and brought up in Kiruna
and now lives in Mariefred. She has worked as
a tax lawyer and was on maternal leave when
she decided to do something for amusement.
That something was to write books. The author’s
grandfather was the legendary competitive skier
“Kiruna-Lasse”, Erik Larsson, who won an Olympic gold in 1936 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Part of the altarpiece in Jukkasjärvi Church. Below left: the Hjalmar Lundbohm home.
Below right: Åsa Larsson’s Kurravaara.
THE PLACE
Jukkasjärvi is just under 20 kilometres from Kiruna.
It features the renowned and fantastic 17th century
church with Bror Hjort’s colourful altarpiece. Jukkasjärvi is also the site of the world-famous Icehotel.
Kurravaara is ten kilometres from Kiruna. The Hjalmar
Lundbohm home is near the town centre, at Ingenjörsgatan 2. Kiruna Tourist Information Office:
+46 980-188 80.
23
Överkalix / Sirillus gård (Tallvik).
Pajala / Kassa
norrbotten
Bengt Pohjanen
24
The noted and praised novels Smugglarkungens son (2007) and Tidens
tvång (2009) have produced a boom
in tours of the smugglers’ country
around Kassa, on the River Torne
in Pajala Municipality, Tornedalen.
Coach tours along the river follow the smuggler books. The river,
which forms the border between
Sweden and Finland, was previously not a border that separated people from each other. On the
contrary, it united people living on
either side. And of course it was of
immense significance to smuggling.
It is the author Bengt Pohjanen
himself who guides visitors in Kassa and at his childhood home. One
of the tales one can hear concerns
the author’s birth. For different reasons there was a problem getting
in touch with the midwife and ultimately only uncle Armas was on
hand. Armas had been at a boarding school in Piteå for a few years
to learn Swedish, a contemporary
euphemism for being in psychiatric care. And the uncle was fond of
alcohol. Armas cycled to fetch the
midwife Hilma, who weighed over
a hundred kilos.
“Hilma was placed on the luggage
rack. Then they set off northwards.
The handlebar inebriation had increased a little. To Hilma’s horror
he swore like a calendar printer in
December. [...] The rig skidded in
the gravel. They hit a wall full on.
Hilma scraped her face and her
bare legs. Naturally she was angry
– all hundred kilos of her, and she
said that Armas must have a screw
loose, which he willingly admitted.
He had it on paper too, signed and
sealed, which many people don’t
have.”
The author owns the cycle.
“Perhaps Sweden’s most literary
bicycle,” he muses.
Bengt Pohjanen is closely associated with meänkieli (Tornedalen
Finnish) which in 2000 was designated one of Sweden’s five minority languages. He published the first
literary work written in meänkieli
(Lyykeri, 1985) and has published
everything from grammar books to
librettos in meänkieli. His input in
promoting the language is invaluable.
On a property on the River Kalix in Överkalix stands the Russian Orthodox church that Bengt
Pohjanen built – Sirillus. It is not
only the church services that bring
tourists; the author receives visitors
in the church and tells his inimitable stories. His books can also be
bought here, translated into several
languages, and one can see the exhibition of icons painted by Monica
Pohjanen. x
Church interior.
The Russian Orthodox church at Tallvik in Överkalix, and the author on perhaps Sweden’s most
literary bicycle.
THE AUTHOR
Bengt Pohjanen made his debut in 1979 and has published around thirty books. He has written for both adults
and young people. The publications include novels, short
stories, poems, film scripts, songs, factual books, librettos,
and meänkieli grammar books.
THE PLACE
To book viewings, contact the author on +46 70-567 75 29
or bengt.pohjanen@sirillus.se.
The road to Sirillus in Överkalix is signposted “Katolsk
kyrka”; and the building stands in the Tallvik area.
The village of Kassa is on Road 99 between Övertorneå
and Pajala.
www.sirillus.se.
25
Pajala, Övertorneå, Haparanda
norrbotten
Tornedalen writers
26
Through history, the River Torne
has united people, not separated
them.
When in 1809 the river came to
form the national border, contacts
became more difficult, but did not
cease. To this day, people in the valley, in Kiruna, Pajala, Övertorneå
and Haparanda, have close relations with their neighbours on the
Finnish side. The River Torne is a
unifying, life-giving, remunerative
and adventuresome artery between
the two countries. You can read
about this in many of the books
that have been – and still are – written by writers from the region.
Tornedalen can boast many exciting writers. Their story begins with
Antti Keksi who lived in the 17th
century. His lay is still sung today.
Later authors include Bengt Pohjanen, Gerda Antti, Hilja Byström,
David Vikgren, Gunnar Kieri,
Mona Mörtlund, Ester Cullblom,
Mikael Niemi and Bengt Kostenius
among many others.
Hilja Byström, born Kallioniemi,
was the first to depict Tornedalen
in a literary way, which she did with
her collection of short stories Ett år i
Järvi (1932). She paints a picture of
the conflict between ancient traditions and young people’s interests
and creates a number of portraits
of strong women in her works. The
first book begins with a surprising
picture of a relationship between a
husband and wife in Tornedalen.
’Oh, Mari. Wake up and you’ll get
coffee!’
The smith pours the sleep-dispelling drink and goes to wake his better half, who enjoys the privilege,
rare among housewives in Tornedalen, of every morning having
coffee in bed. Mari opens her eyes a
little, yawns and stretches her arms
up. The bed is lovely but the clock
is cold-hearted.”
Hilja Byström’s writings have
been re-discovered and the novel
Byn (1940) has appeared in a new
edition (Barents Publisher, 2008).
It is the author’s descriptions of
Tornedalen, its people, nature and
the arrival of modernity in the
village above all that fascinate.
In summer 2008, to mark Hilja
Byström’s 100th anniversary the
musical performance Sånger från
Matojärvi, based on the author’s
texts, was presented.
Those wishing to learn more
about the writings of Hilja Byström
and other Tornedalen authors can
go on guided coach tours that follow the River Torne.
For those with a special interest,
there is an impressive collection
of literature about the area in the
library Nordkalottbiblioteket in
Övertorneå. The oldest books are
from the 17th century and many
The River Torne at Jukkasjärvi.
of the rarities can be read in digital
form on the library’s website. The
unique collection is complemented with press cuttings, genealogical archives and sound and image
archives. Naturally there is also a
portrait of Hilja Byström, signed
Monica Pohjanen. x
THE AUTHORS
Antti Keksi, Bengt Pohjanen, Gerda Antti, Hilja
Byström, David Vikgren, Gunnar Kieri, Mona
Mörtlund, Ester Cullblom, Mikael Niemi, Bengt
Kostenius and others.
THE PLACE
For guided literary tours, call Marita MattssonBarsk on +46 927-770 37, +46 70-345 09 02
or e-mail: marita.mattsson@barsk.se
For viewing and visiting Nordkalottbiblioteket, call
+46 927-720 00. The library’s address is
Matarengivägen 24, opposite the bus station and
the church in Övertorneå.
www.bibblo.se/overtornea/blog.
Övertorneå Tourist Information Office
+46 927-100 44.
From Edward Daniel Clarke’s book Travels in Various Countries of Europe, Asia and Africa (London, 1819). One of Clarke’s journeys was to Arctic
Scandinavia, of which he wrote with curiosity and
interest.
27
list of publications (selection)
frida åslund
Folke och Frida, new edition 2008
Fridas nya värld, new edition 2009
sara lidman
Din tjänare hör, 1977
Vredens barn, 1979
Naboth’s stone, 1989
(Nabots sten, 1981)
Den underbare mannen, 1983
Järnkronan, 1985
torgny lindgren
Bathsheba, 1988 (Bat Seba, 1984)
Merab’s Beauty and Other Stories,
1989 (Merabs skönhet, 1983)
The Way of a Serpent, 1990
(Ormens väg på hälleberget, 1982)
Light, 1992 (Ljuset, 1987)
Sweetness, 2000
(Hummelhonung, 1995)
Hash, 2004 (Pölsan, 2002)
Minnen, 2010
katarina mazetti
Benny & Shrimp, 2008
(Grabben i graven bredvid, 1998 )
Tyst! Du är död! 2002
Familjegraven, 2005
bernhard nordh
I Marsfjällets skugga, 1937
Fjällfolk, 1938 (also published
as Flickan från fjällbyn, 1944)
Nybyggarna vid Bäversjön, 1942
Starkare än lagen, 1943
28
per olov enquist
The March of the Musicians, 1985
(Musikanternas uttåg, 1978)
Captain Nemo’s Library, 1992
(Kapten Nemos bibliotek, 1991)
The Visit of the Royal Physician,
2002 (Livläkarens besök, 1999)
Lewi’s Journey, 2005
(Lewis resa, 2001)
The Story of Blanche and Marie,
2006 (Boken om Blanche and Marie,
2004)
Ett annat liv, 2009
lars widding
Inga stormar än, 1950
Sista sommarlovet, 1952
Majors avsked, 1969
Småstadskrönikan /
Small Town Cronicle
Pigan och härligheten, 1978
Herrskapet och evigheten, 1979
Längesen förbi, 1980
Då tystnar sången, 1981
eyvind johnson
Return to Ithaca, 1952
(Strändernas svall, 1946)
The Days of His Grace, 1968
(Hans Nådes tid, 1960)
1914, 1970 (Nu var det 1914, 1934)
Dreams of Roses and Fire, 1984
(Drömmar om rosor och eld, 1949)
einar wallquist
Can the Doctor Come?, 1936
(Kan doktorn komma?, 1935)
åsa larsson
Sun Storm, 2006 (Solstorm, 2003)
Also as The Savage Alter, 2007
Blood Spilt, 2007
(Det blod som spillts, 2004)
The Black Path, 2008
(Svart stig, 2006)
Till offer åt Molok, 2011
bengt pohjanen
Lyykeri, 1985
Trevliga djävlar, 2003
Smugglarkungens son, 2007
Tidens tvång, 2009
ester cullblom
Olga – Kejsarinnan av Kummavuopio, 2004
Berta och byn. En kvinnas liv
i Tornedalen, 2007
gunnar kieri
Av dig blir det ingenting, 1976
Pil med järnskodd spets, 1990
Finnmarken brinner – Ruija pallaa,
2010
bengt kostenius
Kuolema karhuunpesässä, 2008
Döden sover, 2009
mona mörtlund
Jag passerar Juhonpieti när rallarrosen blommar, 2001
Mörtlunds Mona, 2009
mikael niemi
Näsblod under högmässan, 1988
Popular Music from Vittula, 2003
(Populärmusik från Vittula, 2000)
Astrotruckers, 2007
(Svålhålet, 2004)
Skjut apelsinen, 2010
Tornedalen writers
gerda antti
Kväll efter kväll, 1965
Inte värre än vanligt, 1977
Min man David, 2008
hilja byström
Ett år i Järvi, 1932
Byn, 1940
david vikgren
Anttikeksiskväde, 2010
Folkmun, 2011
You can read more about the authors
from on the literature page
of Norrbotten County Library:
www.norrbottensforfattare.se
29
literary tourism in the north
The project Literary Tourism in the
North (Litterär turism i norr) has aimed at supporting, developing and
marketing literary tourism in the
counties of Norrbotten and Västerbotten.
Literary tourism means tourism
linked to historical or living writers and to fictional literary figures
and literary landscapes. Both in
and outside Sweden it has become
common to follow in the footsteps
of authors and literary characters.
One example of literary tourism in
Sweden is found in Ystad, where
literary walks are arranged in the
footsteps of Henning Mankell’s police inspector Wallander. In Vimmerby, there is tourism centred on
Astrid Lindgren’s writings.
Literary tourism in Norrbotten comprises for example guided
tours that follow the River Torne
and deal with the many Tornedalen
authors, and town walks in Eyvind
Johnson’s footsteps and visits to the
30
Eyvind Johnson home in Boden.
In Västerbotten, you can for example travel to Raggsjö, in Norsjö
Municipality, and see the landscape that is featured in Torgny
Lindgren’s novels and visit places
from the author’s childhood. In
Umeå, town walks are offered on a
literary theme where you can learn
about Katarina Mazetti, Lars Widding and Frida Åslund.
Literary Tourism in the North (Litterär turism i norr) is an EU project that began in 2008 and ends
in April 2011. The project involves Västerbotten and Norrbotten
counties and its purpose is to develop literary tourism in the two
northern Swedish counties.
Besides funding from the European Regional Development Fund,
the project is part-funded by Västerbotten County Council, Norrbotten County Council, and the
municipalities of Skellefteå and
Umeå. x
31
List of photographers, author portraits:
Frida Åslund. Photo: The Research Archives,
Umeå University
Sara Lidman. Photo: Photo archives,
Västerbotten Museum
Torgny Lindgren. Photo: Thron Ullberg
Katarina Mazetti. Photo: Alfabeta publishers
Bernhard Nordh. Photo: Bernhard Nordh
Society
Per Olov Enquist. Photo: Ulla Montan
Lars Widding. Photo: Photo archives,
Västerbotten Museum
Eyvind Johnson. Photo: Boden Municipality
Einar Wallquist. Photo: Photo archives,
Silver Museum
Åsa Larsson. Photo: Erja Lempinen
Bengt Pohjanen. Photo: Kjell Öberg
The picture at page 31 is taken by Maria Öman.
Second edition.
Text & photography, Västerbotten section: Lars Flodström.
Text & photography, Norrbotten section: Maria Öman.
Translation: Elex, Pajala.
Literary places in Västerbotten & Norrbotten is published by Litterär turism i norr.
Project owner: Västerbotten County Library.
Editor & graphic designer: Peo Rask.
Editorial committee: Steering group of Litterär turism i norr.
Digital image processing: Stig Ahlstrand.
Cover made by Mikael Heinonen.
Printed by Bulls Graphics, Halmstad, 2011.
To journey through literature is to discover new places.
In this folder you will find some of the literary places in
Västerbotten and Norrbotten counties, for example Sara
Lidman’s home in Missenträsk and Eyvind Johnson’s cottage
bakery in Björkelund, Boden.
Enjoy your reading – enjoy your journey!