The Gustavus Adolphus College Department of Scandinavian Studies will welcome Swedish poet Aase Berg to campus on Monday, April 20 for a week-long stay as the College’s Out of Scandinavia Artist-in-Residence for 2015.
As part of her stay on campus, Berg will give a lecture at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 22 in the Melva Lind Interpretive Center titled, “To Lose Control over the Words.” Copies of the four titles of Berg’s poetry that have been translated into English will be on sale at the event, which is free and open to the public. Berg and her English-language translator, poet Johannes Göransson, will also present a talk titled, “New Swedish Poetry” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 23 at the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. This event is also free and open to the public.
Berg emerged as a poet as part of the Surrealist Group in Stockholm, which published collections of poetry and prose in the late 1980s. Her first book, Hos rådjur (With Deer), was published in Sweden in 1996. Since then she has published Mörk materia (Dark Matter), Forsla fett (Transfer Fat), Uppland (Uppland) and Loss (Loss). Her first book to appear in English, Remainland: Selected Poems, was published by Action Books in 2004. She is considered one of the most influential and unique poets in Sweden, earning her translations into English and various European languages as well. She is also active as an editor and critic, serving as editor of one of Sweden’s most-prominent literary journals BLM (Bonniers Litterära Magasin), and as a cultural critic for the Swedish newspaper Expressen.
In addition to annually holding a public lecture as part of the program, the annual Out of Scandinavia Artist-in-Residence also visits classes and engages with students and community members during their week-long stay on campus. This year Berg’s visit is tied to the special topics seminar “Nordic Poetry,” and she will also visit Swedish language courses as well as courses on creative writing in the Department of English during her stay on campus.
The Out of Scandinavia Artist-in-Residence program was initiated in 1989 to serve the Gustavus community and beyond. The program’s specific goals are to enhance the College’s academic program, to foster and develop stronger cultural ties with the Nordic countries, and to showcase Scandinavian art and artists to American audiences.
Questions about Berg’s visit or the Out of Scandinavia program can be directed to Assistant Professor in Scandinavian Studies Kjerstin Moody at kmoody@gustavus.edu.
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