Kristina Lugn
Quick Facts
Biography
Gunhild Bricken Kristina Lugn (Swedish: [kɹisˌtiːna ˈlɵŋːn]; born 14 November 1948) is a Swedish poet and dramatist and member of the Swedish Academy.
Life and career
Lugn was born in Tierp, Uppland and was raised in Skövde, Västergötland, and after finishing her academic education she has devoted her time to poetry, as literary critic and a playwright. Since 1972 she has published seven books of poetry. Her plays have been staged at Dramaten (the Swedish Royal Dramatic Theatre), Stockholm City Theatre, and at Teater Brunnsgatan Fyra. Much appreciated by the Swedish audience, she touches subjects of loneliness, death and middle-age crises with irony, cynicism and black humour. Some of her poetry has been translated into Serbian by Eleonora Luthander.
From 1997 to 2011, she ran the small independent theatre Teater Brunnsgatan Fyra in Stockholm (at the address of Brunnsgatan 4), established by the popular Swedish actor Allan Edwall. After 2011 it was run by her daughter, the author Martina Montelius.
Awards and distinctions
On 20 December 2006, Lugn was elected into the Swedish Academy to replace Lars Gyllensten in chair 14.
She has won awards including the Doblouska prize in 1999, the Selma Lagerlöf Foundation literature prize in 1999, the Bellman prize in 2002, the Gustaf Fröding society's lyrics prize in 2007, and the Övralids prize in 2009.
Bibliography – a selection
- Om jag inte (If I Not) 1972
- Till min man, om han kunde läsa (To My Husband, If He Could Read) 1976
- Döda honom! (Kill Him!) 1978
- Om ni hör ett skott (If You Hear A Gun Shot) 1979
- Percy Wennerfors 1982
- Bekantskap önskas med äldre bildad herre (Looking For Acquaintance With Educated Older Gentleman) 1983
- Lugn bara Lugn (Calm Just Calm) 1984
- Hundstunden (The Dog Hour) 1989
- Samlat lugn (Collected Calm) 1997
- Nattorienterarna (The Night Orienteers) 1999
- Hej då, ha det så bra (Good Bye, Have A Great Time) 2003
Plays – a selection
- När det utbröt panik i det kollektiva omedvetna (When Panic Broke Out in the Collective Unconscious) 1986
- Titta det blöder (Look It's Bleeding) 1987
- Det vackra blir liksom över (The Beautiful Things Is Kind Of Left Out; American title, "The Hour of the Dog"; performed in New York and Edinburgh) 1989
- Tant Blomma (Aunt Flower; American title, "Aunt Blossom"; performed in New York) 1993
- Idlaflickorna (The Idla Girls) (American title, "The Old Girls at Lake Garda"; performed in New York) 1993
- Silver Star (performed in New York) 1995
- De tröstlösa (The Inconsolable) 1997 (written with Allan Edwall)
- Titta en älg (Look A Moose) 1999
- Stulna juveler (Stolen Jewels; performed in New York) 2000
- Eskil Johnassons flyttfirma (Eskil Johnasson's Mover Business) 2000
- Begåvningsreserven (The Talent Reserve) 2002
- Kvinnorna vid Svansjön (The Women by The Swan Lake) 2003
- Två solstrålar på nya äventyr (Two Sunbeams On New Adventures) 2003
- Var är Holger, Harald och Herrman? (Where Are Holger, Harald and Herrman?) 2004
- Vera 2005
- Det finns ett liv därborta i Vällingby (There Is A Life Over There at Vällingby) 2005
- Gråt inte mer, Cecilia. Och inte du heller, Ursula (Don't Cry Anymore, Cecilia. And Not You Either, Ursula) 2005
- Katarina den stora (Catherine The Great) 2006
- Hjälp sökes (Help Sought) 2013
- Hej, det är jag igen (Hi, It's Me Again) 2014