Nils Ferlin
Nils Ferlin (1898-1961) was a Swedish poet and lyricist.
Nils Ferlin | |
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| Born | Nils Johan Einar Ferlin December 11, 1898 |
| Died | October 21, 1961 (aged 62) |
| Occupation(s) | poet, lyricist |
| Spouse | Henny Lönnqvist |
Nils Ferlin was born in Karlstad, Värmland, where his father worked at Nya Wermlands-Tidningen. In 1908 the family moved to Filipstad, and his father started his own newspaper. His father died the next year, however, and the family moved from their comfortable residence to a humbler dwelling in the industrial district so that Ferlin could finish his education. He graduated at the age of sixteen.
Ferlin had a minor career as an actor and debuted at the age of seventeen in Salomé by Oscar Wilde. He continued his career with a traveling theater company.
Although many of Ferlin's poems are melancholic, they are not without humor. Several were set to music and became popular songs such as En valsmelodi, an attack on the music industry. Ferlin sold over 300,000 volumes of his poetry during his lifetime. His lasting appeal is partly attributed to his vivid portrayal of central Stockholm before urban renewal and his association with the popular culture that flourished there then.
Several statues of Nils Ferlin have been erected in Sweden: one in Filipstad of him sitting on a park bench, one in the Karlstad city square of him standing on a table, and one near Klara kyrka in Stockholm of him lighting a cigarette.
Ferlin’s lyrics have been translated into English by Martin S. Allwood,[1] Fred Lane,[2] Thord Fredenholm[3]and Roger Hinchliffe.[4]
Bibliography
- 1930 En döddansares visor (Songs of a death dancer)
- 1933 Barfotabarn (Barefoot children)
- 1938 Goggles
- 1944 Med många kulörta lyktor (With plenty of colored lanterns)
- 1951 Kejsarens papegoja (The emperor's parrot)
- 1957 Från mitt ekorrhjul (From my squirrel wheel)
See also
References
- ^ Scandinavian Songs and Ballads edited by Martin S. Allwood, (Mullsjö: Anglo-American Center, 1950).
- ^ Swedish Songs LP, trans. by Fred Lane, (Stockholm: Troll Flute, 1974).
- ^ With Plenty Of Colored Lanterns by Nils Ferlin, trans. by Thord Fredenholm, (Mullsjö: Persona Press 1986).
- ^ Swedes On Love CD, trans. by Roger Hinchliffe, (Stockholm: Roger Records, 1991).
External links
Swedish
- Nils Ferlin sällskapet
- Nils Ferlin at Swedish music and film.
- Cirkusartisten som blev vår folkkäraste poet
English
- Nils Ferlin at Find a Grave.
- Nils Ferlin at the Internet Archive.
Translations
- Couplet (På Arendorffs tid)
- In folk-song fashion (I folkviseton)
- Not a single (Inte ens en grå liten fågel)
- When beauty arrived in town (När skönheten kom till byn)
Videos
- Får jag lämna några blommor (May I offer you some flowers)
- Inte ens en grå liten fågel
- En valsmelodi (A waltz melody)
- A waltz melody Song begins at 8:36 of medley.
- In folk-song fashion Song begins at 7:42 of medley.
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