För dem som dö, om ej de finge drömma : Sigurd Agrell och symbolismen

Sammanfattning: Sigurd Agrell published six volumes of melancholic and highly stylised poetry between 1903 and 1912, and has since then been largely ignored in 20th century Swedish literary history. His writing shows influences from decadence and symbolism, and his frequent use of the sonnet, as well as other metrical devices, also connects him to an older tradition. In this essay I examine what tradition he belongs to, and in what ways his verse fits in with other writers of the turn of the last century. I analyse poems by Sigurd Agrell in order to identify what themes, motifs and literary techniques he shares with contemopary poets, and in what ways he differs from them. We will see that while Agrell shares many traits with the symbolist movement, he also stands out in certain important respects.