Tomas Transtromer Wins Nobel Prize for Literature

By Jason Boog 

Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer has won the 2011 Nobel Prize for Literature. The committee gave a short explanation: “”because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality.”

His poem, “After a Death,” is appropriate today, as the world remembers the life of Steve Jobs. It opens: “Once there was a shock / that left behind a long, shimmering comet tail.

Follow these links to the Poetry Foundation and Poets.org to read his work online. A number UK gambling site had given Transtromer (pictured, via) 10/1 odds of winning the prize. The Complete Review has great coverage of the award.