a book i proof-read the english translations for has just been published. i haven't seen the finished thing yet, but i hope i will fairly soon. per wästberg is regarded as one of the major figures of swedish literature, not just poetry. the following is from the ars interpres site

Ars Interpres announces the publication of Ortsbestämning (Determination of Place), which includes 18 poems from Tillbaka i tid (Back in Time), selected poems spanning 1950-2004 by the Swedish poet Per Wästberg. The book is a trilingual edition with the original Swedish poems, an English translation by Hildred Crill and a Russian translation by Regina Derieva and Alexei Prokopiev. It is now available from the publisher, Ars Interpres Publications

Per Wästberg was born in Stockholm in 1933. He received his Bachelor of Arts(comparative literature) from Harvard University in 1955 and PhD from Uppsala University in 1962; with a thesis on the African novel, 1945-60. He has been a critic and columnist at Dagens Nyheter, Sweden’s main daily, since 1953. From 1976-82, he was Chief Editor of the same paper. He is Vice President of International PEN, and was President of Swedish PEN, 1967-78. He founded the Swedish Amnesty in 1963. He has been a member of the European Academy of Arts & Sciences since 1980 and became member of The Swedish Academy, chair no. 12, in 1997. He has been a member of the Nobel Committee for Literature since 1998. His encounter with oppression and racism in Africa and the Third World is documented in Forbidden Territory (Förbjudet område), 1960, followed by On the Black List (På svarta listan), reportage, journal and political analysis on Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South Africa. The books were printed in altogether one million copies in nine languages. It led to the author being prohibited from entering Rhodesia until its independence in 1980 and from South Africa until Nelson Mandela’s release in 1990. Per Wästberg has published fifty books, novels, poetry and non-fiction.


Hildred Crill’s poems have appeared in Poetry, Colorado Review, Poet Lore, Kalliope, The Literary Review and other journals. In 2004 she completed the MFA program in poetry at New England College. She currently lives in Stockholm.

Alexei Prokopiev is a poet and translator of German, English and Swedish poetry. He translated most of the poems included in the recent bilingual edition of Tomas Tranströmer Selected. Alexei Prokopiev teaches a translation seminar at The Gorky Literary Institute in Moscow.

Regina Derieva (1949) has published 20 books of poetry, essays, and prose. Her work has been or is being translated into many languages, including English, Swedish, Arabic, French, and Italian. Derieva’s work has appeared in Poetry, Quadrant, MPT, Poetry East, Salt, The Liberal, Notre Dame Review as well as in many Russian magazines. Regina currently lives in Sweden. Her recent publications can be found at: www.derieva.com