Peter Johan Sandelin (30 May 1930 – 16 February 2019) was a Finland-Swedish poet and visual artist. He lived in Helsinki.
Born in Jakobstad, Sandelin was the son of Carl Victor Sandelin, a medical doctor, and Marianne Hackman. From 1954 he worked as a freelance literary and art critic for Hufvudstadsbladet and as a correspondent for the magazine Paletten. Between 1973 and 1983 he was on the board of Society of Swedish Authors in Finland (Finlands svenska författareförening).
Sandelin made his debut as a poet in 1951 with Ur svalans loggbok published by Schildts Förlag. He wrote in a modernist tradition. His poetry is said to be inspired by Gunnar Björling and Rabbe Enckell. He was awarded with the Swedish Academy Finland Prize in 2005.
Sandelin was also a visual artist. He graduated from the Svenska aftonläroverket in Helsinki in 1952 and then studied at Fria konstskolan in 1953 and the Helsingin yliopiston piirustussali from 1954 to 1955. He had several solo exhibitions, culminating in a retrospective exhibition at the Amos Anderson Art Museum in Helsinki in 2000. His abstract painting, often in small format, was intimate and restrained, in harmony with the imagery of poetry.
Sandelin died in Helsinki at the age of 88 in 2019.
Bibliography 1951 – Ur svalans loggbok 1953 – De lysande och de döda 1957 – Etyder 1960 – Stunder av ljus 1962 – Hemma i universum 1965 – En vanlig solig dag 1968 – Minuter på jorden 1970 – Fågeln i stenmuren 1971 – Tyst stiger havet 1973 – Var det du? 1975 – Barnen på rymdens strand 1977 – Klockan 5 och klockan ingenting vid havet (dikturval) 1977 – Dikter med varandra 1980 – Dikter mellan vinter och vinter 1982 – Vägen upphör men jag fortsätter 1984 – Den undermedvetna staden 1986 – Den vita orten 1989 – Existens 1991 – Ljuset över leran (dikturval) 1992 – Regnets uråldriga sätt att regna 1995 – Vedhuggaren i natten 1998 – Tystnader, ljud 2000 – I skuggan av ingenting 2003 – Cyklar utan att hålla i 2007 – Bo vid en flod 2009 – Stenar och ljus 2013 – Måsen och skeppet
Awards 1961, 1966 – State Prize in Literature (Finnish: kirjallisuuden valtionpalkinto) 1961, 1966, 1969 – Society of Swedish Literature in Finland's prize 1973 – Konstsamfundet's pris 1990 – Tollander-prize 2001 – Pro Finlandia-medal 2005 – Swedish Academy Finland Prize
Literature
References