Axel

By Bo Carpelan

When Finnish poet Bo Carpelan found mention of his great-uncle Axel in the biography of the composer Jean Sibelius, it was the genesis of one of his most acclaimed novels. Axel is Carpelan’s fictional diary of the uncle’s dual obsession with music and with a man who, unlike him, had enough confidence in his creativity to compose his own.

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About the author

Bo Carpelan (1926-2011) created outstanding literary works throughout his sixty-five year long career. He was the first author to receive the Finlandia Fiction Prize twice. He was also granted the Nordic Council Literary Prize, the Finnish State Prize for Literature four times, and Carpelan also received Le Prix Européen for his poetry.Bo Carpelan’s works are distinguished by reliving of a moment from the past and also by a love for direct, close human contact. His poetry and prose have been published in translation in 17 languages. All his works were originally written in Swedish.