Anders Olsson is a Swedish

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 writer, professor

Professor

A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...

 of literature

Literature

Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...

 at Stockholm University

Stockholm University

Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...

, literary critic and member of the Swedish Academy

Swedish Academy

The Swedish Academy , founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden.-History:The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 by King Gustav III. Modelled after the Académie française, it has 18 members. The motto of the Academy is "Talent and Taste"...

. Olsson has written some 15 books on poetry

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

 and the history of literature

History of literature

The history of literature is the historical development of writings in prose or poetry which attempts to provide entertainment, enlightenment, or instruction to the reader/hearer/observer, as well as the development of the literary techniques used in the communication of these pieces. Not all...

; together with his friend and ally Horace Engdahl

Horace Engdahl

Horace Oscar Axel Engdahl is a Swedish literary historian and critic, and has been a member of the Swedish Academy since 1997. He was the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, i.e. its spokesman, from 1999 to June 2009, when he was succeeded by historian Peter Englund.-Biography:Engdahl was...

 he was a key introducer of the work of Jacques Derrida

Jacques Derrida

Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher, born in French Algeria. He developed the critical theory known as deconstruction and his work has been labeled as post-structuralism and associated with postmodern philosophy...

 and other post-structuralist thinkers into Swedish literary research and criticism. His doctoral dissertation on Swedish poet and essayist Gunnar Ekelöf

Gunnar Ekelöf

Gunnar Ekelöf was a Swedish poet and writer. He was a member of the Swedish Academy from 1958. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate in philosophy by Uppsala University in 1958...

 was published in 1983 and met with mostly favourable reviews.

In February 2008, Olson was elected a member of the Swedish Academy

Swedish Academy

The Swedish Academy , founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden.-History:The Swedish Academy was founded in 1786 by King Gustav III. Modelled after the Académie française, it has 18 members. The motto of the Academy is "Talent and Taste"...

, by secret ballot to succeed poet and writer Lars Forssell

Lars Forssell

Lars Hans Carl Abraham Forssell was a Swedish writer and member of the Swedish Academy. Forssell was a versatile writer who worked within many genres, including poetry, drama and songwriting. He was married from 1951 until his death to Kerstin Hane, and was the father of Jonas and Malte...

who died in 2007., and he formally took his seat in the 18-member assembly on 20 December 2008.

Selected bibliography

• Mälden mellan stenarna 1981
• Ekelöfs nej 1983 (doctoral dissertation)
• Intertextualitet 1984
• Dagar, aska 1984
• De antända polerna 1986
• Den okända texten 1987
• Bellerofontes resa 1988
• Solstämma 1991
• Den Andra Födan, 1992
• Det vita 1993
• Ekelunds hunger 1995
• Att skriva dagen 1995
• Gunnar Ekelöf 1997
• Ett mått av lycka 1998
• Läsningar av intet 2000
• Skillnadens konst 2006
• Men så oändligt lätt att svara dig 2010