A new perspective on the River Thames
March 2012
Sven Lindqvist
Resident in A Room for London from 26 - 29 March 2012.
The Tang Dynasty painter Wu Daozi one day stood looking at a mural he had just finished. Suddenly, he clapped his hands and the temple gates in the picture opened. He entered into his work, the gates closed behind him and he was never seen again.
When I first heard this tale as a child, entering a picture seemed a very natural thing to do.
Sven Lindqvist is a major Swedish writer. Since 1955 he has published 30 books of essays, aphorisms, autobiography, documentary prose, travel and reportage. Many of them have been the centre of Swedish literary and political controversy during these decades. Internationally he is best known for his books on China, Latin America and Africa.
Sven Lindqvist was born in Stockholm in 1932. He has a PhD in History of Literature from Stockholm University, an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University and an honorary professorship from the Swedish government. He has two children, Aron and Clara. Since 1986 he is married to Agneta Stark, a leading feminist economist.
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