Gabriel Jönsson
Quick Facts
Biography
Gabriel Jönsson (July 18, 1892 – April 23, 1984) was a Swedish author and poet, best known for his works inspired by Öresund and farming.
Was born into a free religious (Baptist) family. The Peter Jönsson father was a seaman but due to a back injuries from early in life, from carrying bricks in a nearby brick manufacturing plant Rya. Started a trading post/store in Ålabodarna, and later on the island Hven, Husvik. Gabriels mother was hired for the Husvik store and later married Gabriels father. Peter Jönsson died 1901, When Gabriel was 7, and at that time had 2 brothers and 1 sister. The mother was a good business woman and paid for at the time above the norm education for here 3 sons. Gabriel Jönssons wishes was to travel the oceans on sailings ship as a seaman like his father, but his mother wanted him to be educated.
First in Helsingborg at the Högre Allmänna Läroverket "Higher Public Learning Institute". He started at Lunds University, but never completed any degrees there.
Published works
1920 Flaskpost (Message in a bottle)
1927 Årsringar (Year rings)
1935 Skånska somrar, Bonniers (Scanian Summers)
1936 Mina skepp (My ships)
1941 Kustland (Coastland)
1944 Skånehistorier (Scanian stories)
1946 Himmel och blandsäd (Heaven and wheet)
1948 Diktens Skåne (Poetry of Scania)
1952 Dikter (Poetry)
1954 Än sjunger Öresund (The Sound is still singing)
1956 Min strand (My beach)
1964 Skåne i kameraögat (Scania in the camera eye)
1975 Minnen från kustlandet och betland (Memories from coastland and sugarbetland)
1978 Ung mellan backar och böljor, Bernces (Young between hills and vawes) ISBN 91-500-0370-4
1980 Porträtt och Poesier, Bernces (Portretts and Poetry) ISBN 91-500-0377-1
1991 Fotboll är också poesi, Förlagsband Förlaga Viken (Soccer is also poetry)
The girl from Backafall (Flickan från Backafall)
The poem "Vid Vakten" (At the helm), from the book Flaskpost "Message in a bottle" (1920) was turned into one of the more popular songs in Sweden "Flickan från Backafall" (The girl from Backafall) by Gunnar Turesson and is today a signature song of the island Hven where Backafall is located. Backafall translated to English means "falling slope" and is a reference to the area between the white church on the island of Hven's west side and small harbor below, by the same name.
The song describes a young seaman in the Caribbean on a long voyage longing for his girlfriend at home that is waiting for him.