Cikada Prize

Last updated

The Cikada Prize is a Swedish literary prize for East Asian poets. It was founded in 2004 following the 100th anniversary celebration commemorating of the birth of Swedish Nobel Prize winner Harry Martinson. [1] The award consists of a diploma, 30,000 SEK and a piece of ceramic art designed by the Swedish ceramics artist Gunilla Sundström.[ citation needed ]

Contents

The award was initially (the first five prizes) presented in cooperation with the European Institute of Japanese Studies (EIJS) at the Stockholm School of Economics, the spa hotel Yasuragi, Judiska Teatern (The Jewish Theater), Östasieninstitutet (East Asia Institute) and Nyteboden. It has been financed by the Swedish Institute since 2013.[ citation needed ]

The name of the prize was inspired by Martinson's poetry collection Cikada, which was published in 1953 (Cikada is Swedish for the insect family Cicadidae). In this collection is also included the first 29 poems of his work Aniara , "The Song about Doris and Mima". The atomic bombs in Japan, followed by the construction of the world's first H-bomb in 1953, had a significant impact on Martinson's writing, which is reflected in Aniara. The prize focuses on East Asian poets, writing in Chinese, Korean, or Japanese, not only because of Martinson's interest in East Asian literature, but also because the initiators of the prize believe poetry written in these languages deserves better recognition.[ citation needed ]

Prize winners

Related Research Articles

Aniara is a book-length epic science fiction poem written by Swedish Nobel laureate Harry Martinson from 1953 to 1956. It narrates the tragedy of a large passenger spacecraft carrying a cargo of colonists escaping destruction on Earth veering off course, leaving the Solar System and entering into an existential struggle. The style is symbolic, sweeping and innovative for its time, with creative use of neologisms to suggest the science fictional setting. It was published in its final form on 13 October 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Martinson</span> Swedish writer

Harry Martinson was a Swedish writer, poet and former sailor. In 1949 he was elected into the Swedish Academy. He was awarded a joint Nobel Prize in Literature in 1974 together with fellow Swede Eyvind Johnson "for writings that catch the dewdrop and reflect the cosmos". The choice was controversial, as both Martinson and Johnson were members of the academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karin Boye</span> Swedish poet and novelist (1900–1941)

Karin Maria Boye was a Swedish poet and novelist. In Sweden, she is acclaimed as a poet, but internationally, she is best known for the dystopian science fiction novel Kallocain (1940).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Asia</span>

The culture of Asia encompasses the collective and diverse customs and traditions of art, architecture, music, literature, lifestyle, philosophy, food, politics and religion that have been practiced and maintained by the numerous ethnic groups of the continent of Asia since prehistory. Identification of a specific culture of Asia or universal elements among the colossal diversity that has emanated from multiple cultural spheres and three of the four ancient River valley civilizations is complicated. However, the continent is commonly divided into six geographic sub-regions, that are characterized by perceivable commonalities, like culture, religion, language and relative ethnic homogeneity. These regions are Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Asia.

Swedish literature is the literature written in the Swedish language or by writers from Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Vennberg</span> Swedish poet, writer and translator

Karl Vennberg was a Swedish poet, writer and translator. Born in Blädinge, Alvesta Municipality, Kronoberg County as the son of a farmer, Vennberg studied at Lund University and in Stockholm and worked as a teacher of Norwegian in a Stockholm folk high school. His first collection of poems "Hymn och hunger" was published in 1937. Along with Erik Lindegren he became the most prominent representative of the Swedish literary movement fyrtiotalism in the 1940s. The collection of poems Halmfackla was his literary breakthrough. During his career, he published 20 collections of poetry. His literary criticism, mainly as cultural editor in Aftonbladet from 1957 to 1975, had an important influence on the Swedish literary scene. Vennberg became known for translating and introducing the literary works by Franz Kafka to Swedish, including The Trial (1945). He also translated works by T.S. Eliot and Thomas Mann's Death in Venice to Swedish. In the 1970s he also became known as one of the translators of the Bible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ko Un</span> South Korean poet (born 1933)

Ko Un is a South Korean poet whose works have been translated and published in more than fifteen countries. He had been imprisoned many times due to his role in the campaign for Korean democracy and was later mentioned in Korea as one of the front runners for the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Asian literature is the literature produced in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haplogroup B (mtDNA)</span>

In human mitochondrial genetics, haplogroup B is a human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Li Kuei-hsien</span>

Li Kuei-hsien is a Taiwanese author, poet, cultural critic, translator, and inventor, born and raised in Taipei during the period of Japanese rule. He mainly writes poetry, but also provides reviews and translations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yang Mu</span> Taiwanese poet (1940–2020)

Yang Mu was a pen name of Wang Ching-hsien (王靖獻), a Taiwanese poet, essayist, critic, translator, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Literature at the University of Washington, and Founding Dean at NDHU College of Humanities and Social Sciences and HKUST School of Humanities and Social Sciences. He is considered one of the most accomplished poets writing in Chinese in the 20th and 21st century, known for his lyricism and linguistic ingenuity, modernising the Chinese diction and syntax while reviving a sublime style out of the idiom and imagery of Chinese and Western poetic traditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Hyesoon</span> South Korean poet

Kim Hyesoon (Korean: 김혜순) is a South Korean poet.

The Masaoka Shiki International Haiku Awards, named after the founder of modern Japanese haiku, were established on the principles set forth in the Matsuyama Declaration, adopted at the Shimanamikaido '99 Haiku Convention in Matsuyama held in September 1999. The establishment of this award attracts people's attention to Masaoka Shiki as a globally recognized poet and to haiku as a short form of world poetry.

East Asian literature is the diverse writings from the East Asian nations, China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and Taiwan. Literature from this area emerges as a distinct and unique field of prose and poetry that embodies the cultural, social and political factors of each nation. Prose within East Asian countries reflects the rich cultural heritage from which specificities of language, form and style shape writings. Similarly, East Asian poetry exemplifies how the diverse culture and distinct environments influence East Asian Literature. Reflected through the poetic forms, images and language employed in writings. The development of East Asian literature has been subjugated to both local and international influences. The presence of Western literature and the transnational exchange reflects an interrelationship in which East Asian Literature has benefited from the communication of ideas and perspectives as well as contributed to broader literature movements.

Noriko Mizuta is a scholar of comparative literature and a poet. She is the trustee of Jōsai University Educational Corporation in Japan. She was awarded the Pro Cultura Hungarica prize in 2011 and the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tōta Kaneko</span> Japanese writer (1919–2018)

Tōta Kaneko, was a Japanese writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Nobel Prize in Literature</span> Award

The 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to the Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer (1931–2015) "because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality." He is the seventh Swedish author to become a recipient of the prize after Harry Martinson and Eyvind Johnson who were jointly awarded in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Nobel Prize in Literature</span> Award

The 1974 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded jointly to Swedish authors Eyvind Johnson (1900–1976) "for a narrative art, farseeing in lands and ages, in the service of freedom" and Harry Martinson (1904–1978) "for writings that catch the dewdrop and reflect the cosmos." The winners were announced in October 1974 by Karl Ragnar Gierow, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, and later sparked heavy criticisms from the literary world.

References

  1. "Reality and how to put it to poetry take stage at Cikada Prize gathering". The Japan Times. 24 November 2016.
  2. "The Paradox of Pain: The Poetry of Paul Celan and So Sakon | Morton | Literature & Aesthetics". openjournals.library.usyd.edu.au. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2024.