Ivar Lo-Johansson was a Swedish writer of the proletarian school.

He described the situation of the Swedish land-workers, statare

Statare

Statare were married agricultural laborers in Sweden who received payment primarily in kind. The system existed mainly in the south of Sweden and reached its maximum extent in the late 19th century. Thereafter the system gradually declined until it was formally abolished in 1945.These agricultural...

, in his novels, short stories and journalism, which encouraged the adoption of certain land reforms in Sweden. He also caused much controversy with his features on old-age pensioners, Gypsies and other non-privileged people.

Lo-Johansson is however best known for his vivid recollections of the life in Swedish trade-unionist and literary circles of the twenties, thirties and forties. He also continued throughout his long life to insist that literature should face the world from the under-dog's perspective.

Works

• Vagabondliv i Frankrike (1927)
• Kolet i våld. Skisser från de engelska gruvarbetarnas värld (1928)
• Ett lag historier (1928)
• Nederstigen i dödsriket. Fem veckor i Londons fattigvärld (1929)
• Zigenare. En sommar på det hemlösa folkets vandringsstigar (1929)
• Mina städers ansikten (1930)
• Jag tvivlar på idrotten (1931)
• Måna är död (1932)
• Godnatt, jord (1933)
• Kungsgatan (1935)
• Statarna (1936–37)
• Jordproletärerna (1941)
• Bara en mor (1939)
• Traktorn (1943)
• Geniet (1947)
• "En proletärförfattares självbiografi" (1951–60)
  • Analfabeten (1951)
  • Gårdfarihandlaren (1953)
  • Stockholmaren (1954)
  • Journalisten
  • Författaren
  • Socialisten
  • Soldaten
  • Proletärförfattaren
• Elektra Kvinna år 2070 (1967)
• "Passionssviten" (1968–72)
• Lyckan (1962)
• Astronomens hus (1966)
• Ordets makt (1973)
• Lastbara berättelser (1974)
• Memoirs (1978–85)
  • Pubertet. (1978)
  • Asfalt. (1979)
  • Tröskeln. (1982)
  • Frihet. (1985)
• Till en författare (1988)
• Skriva för livet (1989)
• Blå Jungfrun (posthumous, 1990)
• Tisteldalen(posthumous, 1990)