Published in 2005, ‘The Ocean’ (Swedish: Oceanen) is a poetry collection by Swedish poet Göran Sonnevi that won the ‘Nordic Council Literature Prize’ in 2006. Born in Lund and grown up in Halmstad, Göran Sonnevi made his literary debut in 1961 with the collection of poems ‘Outfört’ and is one Sweden’s most famous poets. ‘The Ocean’ was published in 2005 and, as indicated by its title, it can be compared to an ocean: short poems shift like wave movements with long suites forming an ocean of words. Death is a central theme in the collection, and talks take place with the dead, including other poets (Dante, Hölderlin, Blake). The Ocean is also a poetic autobiography, spanning an as yet unfinished life. According to the Adjudicating Committee, ‘The Ocean’ is awash with words: one can submerge into them and be swallowed up. Sonnevi writes poetry with an intense necessity, in constant dialogue with social and political events as well as dealing with personal issues like guilt and responsibility.
