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🇸🇪 Sweden /Culture & Society

Lennart Sjögren's 'Vi är en, vi är många' Explores Humanity's Journey Toward the Impossible

From Svenska Dagbladet · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Lennart Sjögren's new poetry collection, 'Vi är en, vi är många,' explores themes of humanity's journey toward the impossible.
  • The collection reflects on the late stages of human existence, both for individuals and humanity as a whole.
  • Critic Therese Eriksson finds Sjögren back in his element, reading a poet whose work confronts the impossible.

Lennart Sjögren's latest poetry collection, 'Vi är en, vi är många' (We are one, we are many), delves into humanity's trajectory towards the impossible. In this new work, the waters themselves are given a voice, as poet Therese Eriksson observes in her review for Svenska Dagbladet.

Sjögren's previous collection, 'Regnbågen' (The Rainbow) from 2024, contained the lines, "We came from the possible / towards the impossible we traveled." Eriksson suggests these lines also encapsulate the essence of his new book. 'Vi är en, vi är många' arrives at a late hour for humanity, signaling a collective movement towards an unattainable state.

We came from the possible / towards the impossible we traveled

— Lennart SjögrenQuoted in the review as appearing in Sjögren's previous book, 'Regnbågen' (2024), and relevant to the themes of his new collection.

Eriksson describes the collection as a return for Sjögren to his natural domain. The poems confront the idea that humanity, both individually and collectively, is heading towards an impossible future. The review highlights Sjögren's exploration of profound themes, positioning him as a poet deeply engaged with the human condition and its existential challenges.

We are one, we are many

— Lennart SjögrenThe title and a recurring phrase from Sjögren's new poetry collection.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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