Tomas Tranströmer has been writing for a long time. It shows. Join us in celebrating his poetry and life this National Poetry Month.
“We do not surrender. But want peace, ” says his poem “Allegro.” Maybe this is what every good poem (and poet) says to the world.
Photo by Familymwr, Creative Commons, via Flickr.
L.L. Barkat is the Managing Editor of Tweetspeak Poetry and the author of six books for grown-ups and four for children, including the popular Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity & Writing. She has also served as a writer for The Huffington Post blog and is a freelance writer for Edutopia. Her poetry has appeared on NPR and at VQR and The Best American Poetry. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
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clbeyer says
Wow. Such a peaceful passion that man exudes. I will have to read some of his work soon.
L.L. Barkat says
C, so far my favorite happens to be the very first poem of his that I read. Those words… “we do not surrender. But want peace” are the kind of words a person might only pen once. (And I am taking them with me over and over.)
clbeyer says
Any favorite collection of his, L.L. Barkat?
L.L. Barkat says
I’m just getting started with Transtromer, as Maureen Doallas gave him to me for my Poetry Dare for National Poetry Month.
Last night I sat and read his work aloud in Swedish (ha, don’t ask… because, truly, I haven’t a clue what Swedish should sound like) and then I read it in English. I liked the Swedish better and wished I knew what I was reading.
The books I’m working from for NPM are ‘The Half-Finished Heaven’ and ‘Friends, You Drank Some Darkness’ (the latter is 3 Swedish poets).