Persian Literature - The Influence of Persian Literature On World Literature - Western Literature - Swedish Literature

Swedish Literature

During the last century, numerous works of classical Persian literature have been translated into Swedish by baron Eric Hermelin. He translated works by, among others, Farid al-Din Attar, Rumi, Ferdowsi, Omar Khayyam, Sa'adi and Sana'i. Influenced by the writings of the Swedish mystic Emanuel Swedenborg, he was especially attracted to the religious or Sufi aspects of classical Persian poetry. His translations have had a great impact on numerous modern Swedish writers, among them Karl Wennberg, Willy Kyrklund and Gunnar Ekelöf. Excerpts from Ferdousi's Shahnama has also been rendered into Swedish prose by Namdar Nasser and Anja Malmberg.