Hjalmar Gullberg
Encyclopedia
Hjalmar Gullberg was a Swedish
writer, poet
and translator of Greek drama into Swedish
.
Gullberg was born in Malmö
, Skåne. As a student at Lund University
, he was the editor of the student magazine Lundagård
. He was the manager of the Swedish Radio Theatre 1936-1950. In 1940 he was made a member of the Swedish Academy
, and he also became a honorary doctor
of philosophy
at Lund University (1944).
As a friend of composer Lars-Erik Larsson
he wrote the libretto of the religious (tonal) lyrical suite God in Disguise. Gullberg, often described as a "black" (i.e. using heavy but controlled emotions) poet, revealed a somewhat surprising and brighter and less melancholic side to his artistry in God in Disguise.
God in disguise ends with these following phrases:
"Bids us a human eye his silent fiest of love;
us distant and slow as men are most,
puts, as heavenly healing för deep wounds of souls,
a friend, freed from astuteness, his hands in ours,
See we a sunray linger in our bed of torment
-then in disguise sits a God at your side"
"God in Disguise" refers to an underlying theme in the cycle meaning that on Earth there is God walking amongst us, but as he is in disguise (living the life of an ordinary person) we have difficulties identifying him. Thus it takes a lot from a person to be able to make changes in one´s mentality in order to become someone who can recognize the god amongst us.
Basic Christian beliefs thus become the bearer of the mission of the musical work itself.
Gullberg committed suicide at Yddingesjön, Skåne.
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, poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and translator of Greek drama into Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
.
Gullberg was born in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, Skåne. As a student at Lund University
Lund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
, he was the editor of the student magazine Lundagård
Lundagård (newspaper)
Lundagård is a student newspaper published by the Lund University Student Union . Lundagård was first published in 1920 and is the oldest student newspaper still in circulation in Sweden...
. He was the manager of the Swedish Radio Theatre 1936-1950. In 1940 he was made 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"...
, and he also became a honorary doctor
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...
of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at Lund University (1944).
As a friend of composer Lars-Erik Larsson
Lars-Erik Larsson
Lars-Erik Larsson was a notable Swedish composer of the 20th century.-Biography:Lars-Erik Vilner Larsson was born in Åkarp in 1908...
he wrote the libretto of the religious (tonal) lyrical suite God in Disguise. Gullberg, often described as a "black" (i.e. using heavy but controlled emotions) poet, revealed a somewhat surprising and brighter and less melancholic side to his artistry in God in Disguise.
God in disguise ends with these following phrases:
"Bids us a human eye his silent fiest of love;
us distant and slow as men are most,
puts, as heavenly healing för deep wounds of souls,
a friend, freed from astuteness, his hands in ours,
See we a sunray linger in our bed of torment
-then in disguise sits a God at your side"
"God in Disguise" refers to an underlying theme in the cycle meaning that on Earth there is God walking amongst us, but as he is in disguise (living the life of an ordinary person) we have difficulties identifying him. Thus it takes a lot from a person to be able to make changes in one´s mentality in order to become someone who can recognize the god amongst us.
Basic Christian beliefs thus become the bearer of the mission of the musical work itself.
Gullberg committed suicide at Yddingesjön, Skåne.
Selected translations and interpretations of other writers' work
- AristophanesAristophanesAristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
: Fåglarna (The BirdsThe Birds (play)The Birds is a comedy by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed in 414 BCE at the City Dionysia where it won second prize. It has been acclaimed by modern critics as a perfectly realized fantasy remarkable for its mimicry of birds and for the gaiety of its songs...
) (1928) - EuripidesEuripidesEuripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
: Hippolytos (HippolytusHippolytus (play)Hippolytus is an Ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides, based on the myth of Hippolytus, son of Theseus. The play was first produced for the City Dionysia of Athens in 428 BC and won first prize as part of a trilogy....
) (1930) - Euripides: MedeaMedea (play)Medea is an ancient Greek tragedy written by Euripides, based upon the myth of Jason and Medea and first produced in 431 BC. The plot centers on the barbarian protagonist as she finds her position in the Greek world threatened, and the revenge she takes against her husband Jason who has betrayed...
(1931) - Aristophanes: Lysistrate (LysistrataLysistrataLysistrata is one of eleven surviving plays written by Aristophanes. Originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC, it is a comic account of one woman's extraordinary mission to end The Peloponnesian War...
) (1932) - Eurypides: Alkestis (AlcestisAlcestis (play)Alcestis is an Athenian tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. It was first produced at the City Dionysia festival in 438 BCE. Euripides presented it as the final part of a tetralogy of unconnected plays in the competition of tragedies, for which he won second prize; this arrangement...
) (1933) - SophoclesSophoclesSophocles is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose plays have survived. His first plays were written later than those of Aeschylus, and earlier than or contemporary with those of Euripides...
: AntigoneAntigone (Sophocles)Antigone is a tragedy by Sophocles written in or before 442 BC. Chronologically, it is the third of the three Theban plays but was written first...
(1935) - MolièreMolièreJean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
: Den girige (L'Avare/The MiserThe MiserL'Avare is a 1668 five-act satirical comedy by French playwright Molière. Its title is usually translated as The Miser when the play is performed in English....
) (1935) - CalderónPedro Calderón de la BarcaPedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño usually referred as Pedro Calderón de la Barca , was a dramatist, poet and writer of the Spanish Golden Age. During certain periods of his life he was also a soldier and a Roman Catholic priest...
: Spökdamen (La Dama Duende/The Phantom Lady) (1936) - Alfred de MussetAlfred de MussetAlfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.Along with his poetry, he is known for writing La Confession d'un enfant du siècle from 1836.-Biography:Musset was born on 11 December 1810 in Paris...
: Lek ej med kärleken (On ne badine pas avec l'amour) (1936) - Gabriela MistralGabriela MistralGabriela Mistral was the pseudonym of Lucila de María del Perpetuo Socorro Godoy Alcayaga, a Chilean poet, educator, diplomat, and feminist who was the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1945...
: Dikter (1945) - Federico García LorcaFederico García LorcaFederico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
: Blodsbröllop (Bodas de sangre) (1946) - Gabriela Mistral: Den heliga vägen (1949)
- Molière: Den inbillade sjuke (Le Malade imaginaireLe Malade imaginaireThe Imaginary Invalid is a three-act comédie-ballet by the French playwright Molière. It was first performed in 1673 and was the last work he wrote. In an ironic twist of fate, Molière collapsed during his fourth performance as Argan on 17 February and died soon after...
/The Hypochondriac) (translated for Sveriges RadioSveriges RadioSveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
1954) - Gåsmors sagor (1955)
- Själens dunkla natt and other interpretations of foreign lyrics (1956)
- AeschylusAeschylusAeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
: Agamemnon (1960) - Franskt 1600-tal (published posthumously in 1962 with an introduction by Olle Holmberg)
- William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
: Köpmannen i Venedig (The Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of VeniceThe Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
) (1964) - William Shakespeare: Som ni behagar (As You Like ItAs You Like ItAs You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
) (1964)