Per Olov Enquist

Enquist was born in Hjoggböle, Skellefteå, Västerbotten. After gaining a degree in the history of literature at Uppsala University Enquist worked as a newspaper columnist and TV debate moderator from 1965 to 1976. His work soon made him an influential figure on the Swedish literary scene. From 1970 to 1971 he lived in Berlin on a grant from the German Academic Exchange Service and in 1973 he was a visiting professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has worked as an independent writer since 1977.

Enquist's works are characterized by a chronically pessimistic view of the world. They invariably describe the restrictions imposed by a pietistic way of living, and this is especially so in March of the Musicians (1978) and Lewi's Journey (2001). He gained international recognition with his novel The Visit of the Royal Physician (1999), which tells the story of Johann Friedrich Struensee, the personal physician of King Christian VII of Denmark. A number of his works have been translated into English by Tiina Nunnally.

Recognition

Enquist won the Nordic Council's Literature Prize in 1968 for his account of Sweden's deportation of Baltic-country soldiers at the end of the second world war. Subsequent awards have included the Selma Lagerlöf Prize in 1977, the Dobloug Prize in 1988, and the Italian the Flaiano Prize in 2002. He also received the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize as well as the Nelly Sachs Prize in 2003 for Livläkarens Besök (translated into English as "The Visit of the Royal Physician"). In 2010, Enquist was awarded the Austrian State Prize for European Literature for his storytelling. In 2010, he received the Swedish Academy's Nordic Prize, known as the 'little Nobel'.

At the 27th Guldbagge Awards Enquist was nominated for the award for Best Screenplay for the film Il Capitano: A Swedish Requiem.