Dan Andersson (1888-1920)

byname of Daniel Andersson

Swedish musician and writer of working class background who became one of the most popular Swedish poets. Andersson gained fame posthumously; during his lifetime he suffered from financial

difficulties, and critics who lacked an understanding of his work.

Andersson was born in Skattlösberg, Grangärde. His father, Adolf Andersson, was a deeply religious, self-taught teacher in a small school, who earned additional income for the family by binding books.

Dan's home was poor, and the family had to find extra income from odd jobs. His elder brother, Anders, used to read the Bible the whole day and sometimes shouted in the night like possessed. Nobody slept then.

In his youth Andersson lead a wandering life, working as woodsman, temperance lecturer, factory worker, and traveling salesman. At the age of 14 Andersson was sent for some time to the United States to

explore possibilities for immigration. He worked there at his aunt's and uncle's farm and after eight months of toiling he returned to Skattlösberg only with blisters on heels and without any money. In 1905

Adolf Andersson rented a crofter's cottage called Mårtenstorp and tried his luck as a charcoal burner. The family had a horse, a couple of cows, a calf, chickens, and a borrowed cat. Between the years 1905

and 1908 Andersson was a charcoal burner, and later depicted his experiences in several poems. He also sold knives in Eskilstuna, worked at a paper factory, and acted as a substitute for a teacher.

In 1908 Andersson's father gave up Mårtenstårp and moved with his family to Skattlösberg, where he worked as a shoemaker. In 1910 Andersson served in the army but was discharged because of

tuberculosis. He then spent a vagrant life, working occasionally as an itinerant lecturer for a society of popular education. His early published poems Andersson wrote in his spare time at home or in empty

crofter's cottages. He read such thinkers as Kant, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. Among his friends was Martin Koch who later published large workig-class novels.

From 1913 Andersson devoted himself entirely to writing. In 1914 appeared his first book, KOLARHISTORIES, (Charcoal Burners Tales) which was followed the next year by KOLVAKTARENS

VISOR (1915). (Charcoal Watcher´s Songs)After completing a course in 1914-15 at Brunnsvik, a folk high school, Andersson published a collection of short stories, DET KALLAS VIDSKEPELSE

(1916).

(It Is Called Superstition)During the year in Brunnsvik Andersson read widely, devouring Oscar Wilde's De profundis, Rabindranath Tagore's works, Bhagavadgita, and Dostoyevsky. Based on these

influences and religious feelings of sin and quilt, he developed a personal nietzschean philosophy, which later changed from biological materialism to more religious world view. He also found his first influental

supporters, Niklas Bergius, who worked as a teacher at Brunnsvik, and Richard Sandler, who later became a foreign minister.

After Brunssvik Andersson lived in great poverty, trying to earn a living by writing. In 1915 his father moved with his family from Skattlösberg to Gräsberg, where he built a house. In its cold attic room

Andersson wrote several of his stories, including the collection Det kallas vidskepelse, SVARTA BALLADER (1917), (Black Ballades) a collection of poems. DE TRE HEMLÖSA (1918)(The Tree

Homeless Ones) was an autobiographical work, which continued in DAVID RAMMS ARV (1919)(The Heritage after David Ramm).  They received mostly good critics but as a writer Andersson remained

unknown for the large public.

In De tre hemlösa and David Ramms arv Andersson returned to his childhood and youth and outlined his world view in which suffering, hatred, and crimes are only grotesque reflections of the higher spirit.

The protagonist is, David Ramm, the son of a poor tailor. He grows up with his brothers in a remote village plagued by religious fanaticism. David goes to sea, experiences his degradation in London, and is

saved by a self-sacrifying prostitute.

In 1917 Andersson worked as a journalist for the Ny Tid newspaper which appeared in Göteborg. He resigned in 1918 and returned to Gräsberg. In 1918 he married Olga (Turesson) Andersson, and settled

in the small village of Gonäs where his wife worked as teacher. However, his restless travelling continued - he visited his friends in Stockholm, Sigtuna, Brunnsvik, Gräsberg, Skattlösberg and other places.

Andersson's financial situation did not improve although he received grants and contributed several magazines.

Andersson died of cyanide poison during a visit in Stockholm on September 16, 1920, in a hotel. The cyanide was used to kill fleas and other bugs from the bed, but the bedding had been aired badly.

Andersson's novel EFTERSKÖRD was published posthumously in 1929, like unfinished portraits of his friends, TRYCKT OCH OTRYCKTS (1942).

God natt - god sömn jag önskar er,

ni alla vandringsmän.

Vi sluta sjunga och skiljas - vad mer

om aldrig vi träffas igen.

Jag har sagt något litet och fattig av det

som brunnit hos mig och så snart brinner ner,

men kärlek, där fanns, ej förgäbgselse vet -

god natt - god sömn åt er.

For further reading: En bok om Dan Andersson by Waldemar Bernhard (1941); Dan Andersson före svarta ballader by Eric Uhlin (1950); Orestes och försoningen by Gustaf Fredén (1955); Dan

Andersson by Anne-Marie Odstedt (1965); Dan Anderssons väg by Gösta Ågren (1955); Kärlek som i allting bor Gösta Ågren (1971); En bilderbok om Dan Andersson by E.R. Gummerus (1975);

Den allra högstra sången by Jan Arvid Hellström (1981); Dan Anderssons härstamning by Erik Hellerström (1964, 2nd editition 1981); Att läsa för glädje och skriva sig hel by Bertil Lauritzen (1983);

Diktaren och arvet by Hans Åkerberg (1985); Finnmarkens spelman by Gunde Johansson (1988)

Selected works:

KOLARHISTORIER, 1914 - Charcoal Burner's Tales

KOLVAKTARENS VISOR, 1915 - Charcoal Watcher's Songs

DET KALLAS VIDSKEPELSE, 1916

SVARTA BALLADER, 1917 - Black Ballads

DE TRE HEMLÖSA, 1918 - The Three Homeless Ones

DAVID RAMMS ARV, 1919 - David Ramm's Heritage

CHI-MO-KA-MA, 1920

EFTERSKÖRD, 1929 - Late Harvest

SAMLADE SKRIFTER, 1930 (5 vols.)

TRYCK OCH OTRYCKT, 1942 - Printed and Unprinted

CHARCOAL BURNER'S BALLAD & OTHER POEMS, 1943

FRAGMENT UR DEN UNDERBARA BYTTANS BERÄTTELSE, 1954

KULTURJOURNALITIK, 1971

NATTVANDRARE, 1972

VALDA BREV 1-2, 1972-76

EN SPELMANSSAGA, 1973

SORGMARCHEN, 1973

MILRÖK, 1974

Andersson translated also into Swedish Kipling's book The Seven Seas (1918) and Baudelaire's poems - Anderssonilta on suomennettu runovalikoima Miilunvartijan lauluja ynnä muita runoja vuonna 1948. Teoksessa on erinomainen

Otto Varhian elämäkerrallinen johdanto.