Chambers of the Heart extract

introduced and translated by Benjamin Mier-Cruz

Spanning over 50 years, Claes Andersson’s poetic oeuvre is as versatile and diverse as his career. In 1962 Andersson published his first poetry collection Ventil (Valve), which ushered in a blunt, lyrical expression that sharply departed from the established tradition of Finland-Swedish modernist poetry by harshly yet playfully attacking contemporary Finnish society and its political establishments. In later collections, however, the poet also looked inward and offered intimate, self-critical glimpses into the morbid world of the individual. As a psychiatrist and politician, Andersson thus delivers biting commentary on the human condition, masterfully penetrating the human psyche and the social systems that attempt to govern it. His striking use of irony, dark humor, and dizzying metaphor makes his take on Finnish life emotionally compelling, and being a jazz pianist, he has charged his poetry with a resonating musicality over the course of his career. Together, these  qualities have universalized Andersson’s unique style of expression, which  relates across many cultures and languages.

In the untitled poem from Genom sprickorna i vårt ansikte (Through the  Cracks in our Face) (1977), Andersson paints a grim picture of our everyday experience of death. The decomposition of society is made gruesomely palpable in the spiritual and physical decay of the body. The poet skillfully juxtaposes concrete and abstract language to produce a jarring image of reality. The untitled piece from Under (Wonder) (1984) offers an eerie perspective of the poet’s self-effacing expression. Irrepressible childhood fears wrap him in a haunting web of linguistic uncertainty; ironically, the speaker’s words come alive in this confession of discursive failures. In the selection from ‘Eight Poems on Love,’ taken from Andersson’s most recent collection Jag älskar dig med mina höstliga dimmor (I Love You with My Autumn Mist, 2012), the ardent speaker of the poem uses bombastic rhetoric, anchored by maritime terms, as a wry commemoration of the immemorial feeling of infatuation. 

Andersson, born in 1937, is an accomplished author, translator, musician, psychiatrist, and politician. He has authored 24 collections of poetry and eight prose works. Andersson received his medical degree in 1962, and in 1965 he founded the avant-garde magazine Finlands Bästa Tidning (1965-68). He has also served as a member of the Finnish Parliament (1987-99; 2007-08), as chairman of the Vänsterförbundet (Left Wing Union) (1990-98) and Finland’s Minister of Culture (1995-99). The poet has received several literary awards, including Eino Leino-priset (1986), Svenska Akademiens Finlandspris (1988), Tollanderska priset (1994), and Bellmanpriset (2007).