Sweden-Lars Gustaffsson
Lars Gustafsson
From https://larsgustafssonblog.blogspot.com:
Lars Gustafsson (born May 17, 1936) is a Swedish, poet, novelist and scholar. He was born in Västerås, completed his secondary education at the Västerås gymnasium and continued to Uppsala University; he received his Licentiate degree in 1960 and was awarded his Ph.D. in Theoretical Philosophy in 1978. He lived in Austin, Texas until 2003, and has recently returned to Sweden. He served as a professor at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, where he taught Philosophy and Creative Writing, until May 2006, when he retired. Gustafsson is one of the most prolific Swedish writers since August Strindberg. Since the late 1950s he has produced a voluminous flow of poetry, novels, short stories, critical essays, and editorials. He is also an example of a Swedish writer who has gained international recognition with literary awards such as the Prix International Charles Veillon des Essais in 1983, the Heinrich Steffens Preis in 1986, Una Vita per la Litteratura in 1989, a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship for poetry in 1994, and several others.
Story
We will read Greatness Strikes Where It Pleases.
“Greatness Strikes Where It Pleases” by Swedish writer Lars Gustafsson, was first published in Sweden in 1981. Translated into English in 1986, it appeared in Stories of Happy People (Norton, 1986; in print). It can also be found in You’ve Got to Read This: Contemporary Writers Introduce Stories That Held Them in Awe, edited by Ron Hansen (New York, 1994).
Themes
- Being “Different”
- Sensorial Learning
- Siblings and Families
- Schools, Institutions, and Teaching Pedagogies
- Nature Deprivation
- Epiphanies
Notes and References
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/greatness-strikes-where-it-pleases>
- Louv, Richard. October 15, 2019. What is Nature-Deficit Disorder? https://richardlouv.com/blog/what-is-nature-deficit-disorder
- Mcleod, Saul.February 1, 2024. Jerome Bruner’s Theory Of Learning And Cognitive Development. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bruner.html. Especially read about Bruner’s idea of the Spiral Curriculum.
Song for the Story !!
A terrific comment on education itself!!
Artistes: Super Tramp ( Roger Hodgson )
Album: Breakfast in America
Year: 1979
Chart Position: #6(US); #1(Australia, Canada, Norway, France, ..)
From https://genius.com/Supertramp-the-logical-song-lyrics
“The Logical Song” was the lead single from Supertramp’s chart-topping album Breakfast In America. It was internationally successful, reaching the top 20 in several countries including a #6 peak in the US and a #7 peak in the UK – their best showing in both countries. In Canada, “The Logical Song” not only topped the Canada Singles Chart, but was the #1 song of the entire year.
“The Logical Song,” not unlike others in that period (eg – Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”) is a scathing criticism of British school and education at the time.
When Paul McCartney was asked his favorite song of 1979, he chose “The Logical Song”. The song also won (Roger) Hodgson an Ivor Novello award from The British Academy of Composers and Songwriters in 1980.
Writing Prompts
- I never let my Schooling interfere with my Education.(Mark Twain)
- Describing a Concept metaphorically using words from an unrelated field. Inspiration: Primo Levi’s immortal story, “Carbon”.
- On being the odd child in a group of siblings (no victim-mentality-based ranting, please!)