So remember colleagues Sven Lindqvist: He was a non-fiction star

" For me it was his early writing is very important, I read him very young. He was a non-fiction star, with books that often were civics. An extremely important and influential writers, " says Agneta Pleijel.

– I liked very much and was impressed by his books on Latin america, for example, ”Earth Dawn”. Also ”the Myth of Wu Tao-tzu,” which was important for me when I was young. He was also really into their private, with ”A lover's diary” and ”A married man's diary”, says Agneta Pleijel.

– Sven Lindqvist and I met in 1949 in the South of the Latin quarter, around the magazine While the Laurels Grow. He became the tightest of friends, criticized hard in my early books but wrote about ”Half the kingdom” the finest essay I have received and saved the ”Airborne” by DN respond to my critics, writes Per Wästberg in a comment, and continues:

– He read my script and often had vehement objections, we remained friends. He went to the world's ökentrakter, he didn't want to encroach on my Afrikarevir. Olof Lagercrantz wished he or I succeeded him as editor-in-chief of DN. There I was, on condition that Sven got a part-time job. He was more valuable as a writer than as an administrator.

Per Wästberg says that he and Sven Lindqvist has met in many contexts during the 70 years of time. During the last year at high school wrote Per Wästberg in his diary:

”Sven knows how everything should be. He is a utopian idealist whose ultimate, well thought out, with clear goals. Connect never, nothing may be play, and nonsense. Squeezes out without sidelong, takes himself more seriously than anyone I know. His ärlighetskrav and critical gaze impresses and frightens. We can't share the same sea. He is a heavy purposeful icebreaker, where I is a skridskoseglare.”

– Simulates from 1952 seems to me valid today, although much more could be said about one of the 1900s most important and influential writings which will surely become permanent, writes Per Wästberg.

– Sven Lindqvist similar klimataktivisten Greta Thunberg in that he was not interested in hope or false optimism. He wanted the truth. His own bergfasta believe in the fundamental equality meant that he never was influenced by the colonial ojämlikhetens tropes or historicist excuses. And this belief was not, one suspected, ideological – it was a much deeper conviction than that. For Sven was equality simply truth, one of life's fact. I was so proud to be his publisher. He was an extraordinary writer – like They are, and Coetzee combines his work depth, with a consistent quality and dry beauty. In some ways, he was basically a travel writer – he looked at the world and found it insufficient. And who do not agree with it?

" He was a writer who worked on several levels and was very active in the Swedish context. One of his characteristics was that he wrote about politics, but with literary ability. It was something other than the usual political debattinläggen and built on basic skills, " says Ruth.

" He never wrote anything without finding out facts and find a perspective. The combination of facts and perspectives was a part of his art of letters simply. Sven Lindqvist is brought into the non-european world in the Swedish debate, he was not alone in that, but he was a very important person in his generation as both a writer and a journalist.

" I associate him with the book ”Ökendykarna”, it is a book that I would like to keep in it the longest. A small thin book that meant a lot when I read it and it will come back to me. It has got me to many times to think to yourself to visit the places in ökenområdena that I never thought I would get to.

– lindqvist's way of describing the landscapes and people he meets which is so fascinated. He awoke and recalled a latent interest that rests in me. Another book, of the more light-hearted battle, that spoke to me is lindqvist's book, ”Bench press”, it is never too late to add in a bench press. The two small volumes, I choose at first sight.

" He had a great intellectual ability with a huge demands on accuracy and analysis. I have read everything he has written. He was a strict and hard working, man who was incorruptible and incredibly vänfast. Young political people had a lot to learn, I have learned a lot from him.

" they Gave of themselves and thought in general, so you also had to answer up on it. This is what I mean by incorruptible – it was not just to like something but you also need to substantiate. He had a huge solid knowledge requirements.

" For me is Sven Lindqvist both as a person and with his writing career for integrity, honesty and curiosity. He writes sincerely and in no uncertain if racism and colonialism. But he is equally frank when he describes his own feelings and experiences of love and love in a way that few others dare to.

– I sit now and read about his book ”Eradicate every last bastard”, it is a masterpiece and it is so wonderful for Sven's voice is in it so completely brilliantly, and was donated by him to the Swedish literature bank.see, so that everyone can read it for free now. This also gives me the feeling that the big elephants move in death rates in any way. There are eras that goes in the grave with this author. I like his activism, he does not release his subjects when he has received the grain on them and realize the magnitude. He has meant very much for my idea of breaking eurocentrismen, the first I read of him as a 20-year-old was his ”Ground and power in Latin america” in two parts. It was extremely important for me.

After his book, ”Dig where you stand: how to explore a job”, I thought for a long time that I went in his footsteps to wherever I came and gave lectures on Moa Martinson had Sven been there. He was so incredibly versatile for later came the books ”A lover's diary” and A married man's diary”, he could write such literature also. It was a wonderful, amazing, and a great writer. I will miss his racket småskratt – my child still calls him ”Sven with nallarna”, he had a whole menagerie with personal teddy bears.

" I feel at once missing and admiration. Sven Lindqvist has made a great contribution in american literature. Dettalas much about the books as ”Eradicate every last bastard”, and his stinging critique of european colonialism. But more important in the long term is probably the vital genre he created, a documentary with dazzling elements of personal reflection and surprising observation, a genre that combines historical perspective, international perspective and accurate detail. This way to tell is an important line in contemporary Swedish literature.