Lars Gustafsson (1) (1936–2016)

I first discovered the writing of Lars Gustafsson several years ago when I found his novel, Bernard Foy's Third Castling, in a neighborhood bookstore. It was such a quirky, interesting and arresting book that I have sought out other works by Gustafsson over the years. One of these is The Death of a Beekeeper which opens with what Lars Gustafsson calls a “prelude” in which he says good-bye to the readers of this, the last part of his five-volume novel sequence. He presents himself as show more merely the editor of notes left behind on Lars Lennart Westin’s death, telling the reader that the speaker to whom he now hands over the narrative suffers from cancer of the spleen. Told in the form a journal or diary it tells the story of a man who was a schoolteacher, but now is dying; a man who is a beekeeper, and a man who is very human. We first read that he has received a letter from a local hospital, probably containing test results and the diagnosis of his ailment. He burns the letter. This brief, quiet novel speaks with a courageous voice. Refusing to die with his life unclarified, unexamined, he rejects the sterile confines of a hospital and, for the few months left to him, retreats to the isolated Swedish countryside to work among his bees, to endure the progression of pain, and to record his accompanying, disquieting insights. It is his humanity and the way he faces life that makes his story touching and gives meaning to what might otherwise be seen as mundane everyday events. Gustafsson, by juxtaposing the beekeeper's notes on his inner life, feelings, and memories, and his notes on his outer life, the daily running of the apiary, suggests by the inquiring, seemingly spontaneous entries the deep relatedness of life, death, and hope. show less

Enjoyed most of these stories, particularly the ones focusing on those isolated by their mental states such as the well-known Greatness Strikes Where it Pleases which is insightful into the world of the intellectually disabled. The Bird in the Breast records a case of schizophrenia and seems to imply that the individual's delusions are as meaningful to her as reality. There's also a picture of an ailing Nietzsche in a pension during his period of wandering and prior to his final collapse in show more Out Of The Pain. The rest weren't entirely to my taste, a couple being a bit too cerebral and over my head but Gustafsson had a strikingly original style and is very readable despite the complexity of his philosophy. For me his greatest strengths were his psychological insight and very immediate writing style. show less

I remember being mesmerized by Gustafsson's unique fictional world(s). This was my introduction to his work and it was an astounding discovery. The novel manages to narrate three disparate lives, all belonging to characters with the same name, done with a voice reminiscent of my favorite nineteenth century novels. The title is an obvious metaphorical reference to the game of chess, but the novel's complexity goes beyond that of mere characters moved about on a chessboard. It is truly show more indescribable and must be experienced, but it is a brilliant conception. show less

All time is eaten up by thoughts of time
that's past, or something that will happen soon.
Hope, and remembrance for the rest.

This selection brings together some of Gustafsson's most enigmatic, philosophical, and meditative poetry, populating a world of "distances and shadows" with birds, dogs, and a stillness that permeates everything. The poems only get better as the book goes along, and his work after 1975 is especially strong. Standouts include "On All That Glides in the Air," "The Decisive show more Battle," and, of course, the collection's eponymous poem. show less