Bodil Malmsten
Encyclopedia
Bodil Malmsten is a Swedish
poet and novelist. She was born close to Östersund
in Jämtland
, Sweden
and grew up at her grandparents.
The English translation of her novel, Priset på vatten i Finistère (The Price of Water in Finistère, translated by Frank Perry), was selected as a Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4
. In the novel, having decided to pack up and leave her country
of birth, she recounts the story her settling into her new home in the Finistère
département, in the northwest of France
. It is told in a series of vignette
s about gardening, learning the language, dealing with French bureaucracy
, and struggling with writer's block
.
She was awarded a doctorate honoris causa ad gradum (honorary degree
) by the Faculty of Human Sciences at the Mid-Sweden University in Östersund
in 2006.
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....
poet and novelist. She was born close to Östersund
Östersund
Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
in Jämtland
Jämtland
Jämtland or Jamtland is a historical province or landskap in the center of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders to Härjedalen and Medelpad in the south, Ångermanland in the east, Lapland in the north and Trøndelag and Norway in the west...
, Sweden
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....
and grew up at her grandparents.
The English translation of her novel, Priset på vatten i Finistère (The Price of Water in Finistère, translated by Frank Perry), was selected as a Book of the Week on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
. In the novel, having decided to pack up and leave her country
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....
of birth, she recounts the story her settling into her new home in the Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
département, in the northwest of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is told in a series of vignette
Vignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
s about gardening, learning the language, dealing with French bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
, and struggling with writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
.
She was awarded a doctorate honoris causa ad gradum (honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
) by the Faculty of Human Sciences at the Mid-Sweden University in Östersund
Östersund
Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
in 2006.
Published works
- Dvärgen Gustaf (1977) ISBN 91-0-041910-9
- Damen, det brinner! (1984) ISBN 91-0-046074-5
- Paddan & branden (1987) ISBN 91-0-047171-2
- B-ställningar (1987) ISBN 91-0-047423-1
- Svartvita bilder (1988) ISBN 91-7448-975-5
- Nåd & onåd Idioternas bok (1989) ISBN 91-0-047741-9
- Nefertiti i Berlin (1990) ISBN 91-0-047980-2
- Landet utan lov (1991) ISBN 91-0-055283-6
- Det är ingen ordning på mina papper (1991) ISBN 90-364-8761-7
- Inte med den eld jag har nu : dikt för annan dam (1993) ISBN 91-0-055573-8
- Den dagen kastanjerna slår ut är jag långt härifrån (1994) ISBN 91-0-055900-8
- Nästa som rör mig (1996) ISBN 91-0-056230-0 — The next one who touches me
- Undergångarens sånger (1998) ISBN 91-0-056660-8
- Priset på vatten i Finistère (2001) ISBN 91-0-057718-9 (published in English as The Price of Water in Finistère ISBN 1-84343-164-5)
- Det är fortfarande ingen ordning på mina papper (2003) ISBN 91-0-010147-8