Birger Sjöberg Explained

Birger Sjöberg
Birth Date:	6 December 1885
Birth Place:	Vänersborg, Sweden
Death Place:	Växjö, Sweden
Occupation:	poet, novelist, songwriter

Birger Sjöberg (1885 - 1929) was a Swedish poet, novelist and songwriter, whose best-known works include the faux-naïf song collection Fridas Bok (Frida's Book) and the novel Kvartetten Som Sprängdes (The Quartet That Split Up),^[1] a somewhat Dickensian relation about stock-exchange gambling in the twenties, and the frantic efforts to recover.

Originally a journalist, Sjöberg wrote songs in his spare time. His debuted as a serious writer with the 1922 publication of Fridas Bok (Frida's Book), which was both a critical and popular success. Following a series of concert tours, he withdrew from public life and focused on his writing.^[1]

After his death in 1929, a new series of songs and a selection of poems were published.^[1]

Selected works

Prose and poetry by Birger Sjöberg:

• Fridas Bok (Frida's Book) 1922
• Kvartetten Som Sprängdes (The Quartet That Split Up) 1924
• Kriser Och Kransar (Crises And Laurel Wreaths) 1926
• Fridas Andra Bok (Frida's Second Book) 1929
• Minnen Från Jorden (Memories From The Earth) 1940

Translations of his works in English

• Anthology of Swedish Lyrics 1930 ^[2]
• Modern Swedish Poetry Pt. 2 1936 ^[3]
• Scandinavian Songs and Ballads 1950 ^[4]
• Twentieth Century Scandinavian Poetry 1950 ^[5]
• Twelve Pieces from Frida’s Book 1975 ^[6]
• When First I Ever Saw You LP 1980 ^[7]
• Swedes On Love CD 1991 ^[8]
• Frida's New Clothes 2008 ^[9]

His life in English

• A History of Swedish Literature 1961 ^[10]
• A History of Swedish Literature 1989 ^[11]
• A History of Swedish Literature 1996 ^[12]

See also

• Swedish ballad tradition

External links

• .
• Birger Sjöberg at the Umeå Academic Choir.

Swedish

• Birger Sjöberg at Swedish music and film.
• Fridas bok at Project Runeberg.
• Fridas andra bok at Project Runeberg.
• Fridas bok at Swedish Wikisource.

English

• Birger Sjöberg profile
• Paris of the North

Translations

• The butterfly at Haga (Fjärilen på Haga)
• Frida cleans house (Frida i vårstädningen)
• The first time that I saw you (Den första gång jag såg dig)

Notes and References

1. https://books.google.com/books?id=eKNK1YwHcQ4C&pg=PA1038 Merriam-Webster's encyclopedia of literature, (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster,1995) p. 1038.
2. Anthology of Swedish Lyrics, trans. by Charles Wharton Stork, (New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1930).
3. Modern Swedish Poetry Pt. 2, trans. by C. D. Locock, (London: H. and W. Brown, 1936).
4. Scandinavian Songs and Ballads, trans. by Helen Asbury, (Mullsjö: Anglo-American Center, 1950).
5. Twentieth Century Scandinavian Poetry, trans. by Helen Asbury and Martin S. Allwood, (Stockholm: Kooperativa Förbundets Bokförlag, 1950).
6. Twelve Pieces from Frida’s Book, trans. by Michael Roberts,(Grahamstown: Michael Roberts, 1975).
7. When First I Ever Saw You LP, trans. by Tom Fletcher and MichaelRoberts, (Stockholm: Sonet, 1980).
8. Swedes On Love CD, trans. by Roger Hinchliffe, (Stockholm: Roger Records, 1991).
9. Frida's New Clothes, trans. by Stork, Locock, Asbury, Roberts . . ., (Vänersborg: Birger Sjöberg-sällskapet, 2008).
10. A History of Swedish Literature by Alrik Gustafson, (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1961).
11. A History of Swedish Literature by Ingemar Algulin, (Stockholm: Swedish Institute, 1989).
12. A History of Swedish Literature edited by Lars G. Warme, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1996).