Peder Sjögren
Encyclopedia
Peder Sjögren born as Gösta Sjögren, was a Swedish
writer who fought in the Spanish Civil War
and the Continuation War
. Many of his books were based on those experiences.
, in the province of Småland
, and at the age of 10 moved to Stockholm
. Aged 17, he was sent to Rome
, after which he travelled to the Balkans, Spain
, North Africa
, Poland
, and Finland
. As an antifascist during the Spanish Civil War
, he joined the International Brigades
and was wounded in combat. His experiences in the war provided him with themes for several of his novels. After his recovery, he was arrested as a suspected spy, but subsequently escaped from Spain on a British warship. Having worked as a journalist, his best articles were collected into his first book, Bar barbar (1937). In spite of this book and occasional radio plays and short stories, Sjögren did not attract attention until the appearance of Black Palms (Svarta palmkronor, 1944), which became a film by Lars-Magnus Lindgren
in 1968. His second novel, Bread of Love
(Kärlekens bröd, 1945), was based on his experiences as a volunteer in the Finnish Continuation War
of 1941-44. A film of the book directed by Arne Mattsson
(1953) was banned in Finland.
Sjögren died in 1966.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
writer who fought in the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and the Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
. Many of his books were based on those experiences.
Life and works
Gösta Tage Filip Sjögren was born in 1905, outside VäxjöVäxjö
Växjö is a city and the seat of Växjö Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden with 64 200 inhabitants in 2010. It is the administrative, cultural and industrial centre of Kronoberg County. Furthermore it is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Växjö. It has a population of about 64 200, out of a...
, in the province of Småland
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
, and at the age of 10 moved to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Aged 17, he was sent to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, after which he travelled to the Balkans, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. As an antifascist during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, he joined the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
and was wounded in combat. His experiences in the war provided him with themes for several of his novels. After his recovery, he was arrested as a suspected spy, but subsequently escaped from Spain on a British warship. Having worked as a journalist, his best articles were collected into his first book, Bar barbar (1937). In spite of this book and occasional radio plays and short stories, Sjögren did not attract attention until the appearance of Black Palms (Svarta palmkronor, 1944), which became a film by Lars-Magnus Lindgren
Lars-Magnus Lindgren
Lars-Magnus Lindgren was a Swedish film director and screenwriter. His film Dear John was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. His other works include Black Palms , a film of the 1944 novel by Peder Sjögren in 1968 .-External links:...
in 1968. His second novel, Bread of Love
Bread of Love
Bread of Love is a 1953 Swedish drama film directed by Arne Mattsson. It was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Folke Sundquist - Prisoner* Georg Rydeberg - Ledin* Nils Hallberg - Tom* Lennart Lindberg - Narrator* Erik Hell - Bouncer...
(Kärlekens bröd, 1945), was based on his experiences as a volunteer in the Finnish Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
of 1941-44. A film of the book directed by Arne Mattsson
Arne Mattsson
Arne Mattsson was a Swedish film director, born in Uppsala.His early movies were mostly comedies. His biggest success was Hon dansade en sommar , which earned him the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and a nomination for the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1952...
(1953) was banned in Finland.
Sjögren died in 1966.