Karin Boye

KARIN

 

Nyhet den 12 jan:”Några Karin” ManifestNominerad 2015! Avgörs den 6 feb på NALEN!

Vill du köpa den fysiska skivan kan du göra det här! Do you want the physical Cd you can buy it here!

Skicka ett mail till info@sofielivebrant.com. Den kostar 100:- inkl porto och moms. Send a mail to info@sofielivebrant.com. The Cd costs 100SEK.

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“NÅGRA KARIN” KONSERT DEN 23 NOVEMBER KL16.00 I KATARINA KYRKA MED IRMA SCHULTZ MFL.

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“Några Karin” – Minialbum – Release 24 april 2014

“A couple of Karin” – new musical interpretations of Swedens foremost loved poetess Karin Boye. Was released in April 2014! Please scroll down to see english translations of these wonderful poems made by David McDuff

The mini album is recorded in Gothenburg together with producer Petter Eriksson, musicians are Henrik Cederblom and Olle Linder. Åsa Gustafsson on harmonica and Freddie Wadling with backing vocals added their lovely flavor.

Here you can listen to OSÅRBAR.

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As a 9 year old I found Karin Boyes poetry book in my mothers’ bookshelf and immediately put music to some of her poems. After a resting period of maybe thirty  years, while working with other poets, lots of signs came up as a great reminder of Karin. By a mistake I had my hair cut short in Florens this summer, people came and talked about her, over and over again..At last I received the message and decided to open her poetry book again. In a half an hour many the songs came. Thank you, Karin!

The songs are recorded in Gothenburg where she was born 1900. The release tour will be in her places: Gothenburg, Huddinge (suburb to Stockholm) and Alingsås, where she died 1941 leaning towards a stone.

Karin Boye Tour May:

May 7th Alingsås, Konstmuseet

May 8th Huddinge, Fullersta Gård, Stockholm

May 9th Stadsbiblioteket, Gothenburg

May 10th Folkteatern, Gothenburg

Words about the record Några Karin:

Här är en artikel om detta i MittiHuddinge!

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Ovan en artikel i DN 28 juli 2014

LIRA skriver

Kristianstadbladet skriver…

ARBETET skriver

Kafe K skriver

En Recension från Nordisk Tidskrift för Visor och Singer/Songwriters:

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Sofies egna ord om projektet:

Karin kom till mig första gången då jag var nio år och jag tonsatte “Så drivs vi vilsna själar” och andra för mig svårförstådda men lockande dikter. Sen har hon vilat och grott fram tills nu då många tecken kommit till mig…jag råkade klippa håret kort i samma frisyr som Karin, människor kom slumpartat till mig om och om igen och påminde om henne, så jag förstod att det kanske är dags nu…att återvända till Karin, att sjunga på svenska, till barndomens mörker och ljus, till kärnan av mitt musikfångande…

Musiken är inspelad…i Karins födelsestad Göteborg…hon levde mellan 1900 – 1941 och jag är i år 41 i år…fina sammanträffanden som jag gläds åt…musans gudinna, ge mig kraft!

Sofie Studio Epidemin Göteborg
Sofie Studio Epidemin Göteborg

 

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Henrik Cederblom and Olle Linder by the piano!

TRANSLATIONS

Translations to english by David McDuff. Please go to his website for more information about him and Karin Boye

DEDICATION  (Tillägnan)

9.

On my knees I want to give thanks
because you smiled.
Through stifling air and restlessness
moved a gentle wind, mild.
So bitterly salt are the tears
a repentant one must give.
I know you despise me.
I know you forgive.

In long days and nights
I have cruelly learned here
that we are here to lose
what we hold most dear.
Your hem I want to kiss
because you smiled.
A smile without scorn,
That is much, high-piled.

DEDICATION  (Tillägnan)

10.

I feel your footsteps in the hall.

I feel in each nerve your hurried steps.
which otherwise no one will notice.
Around me sweeps a wind of fire.
I feel your footsteps, your beloved footsteps,
and my soul hurts.

You move far away in the hall,
but the air billows with your footsteps
and sings as the sea sings.
I listen, caught in your consuming force.
In the rhythm of your rhythm, in time to yours,
beats my pulse in hunger.

 

CLOUDS (Moln)

 

See the mighty clouds, whose distant lofty tops
proud, shimmering rise, white as white snow!
Calmly they glide on, at last in calm to die below,
slowly dissolving in a shower of cool drops.

Majestic clouds – smiling onward they go straight
through life, through death in brilliant sun,
in ether so clear and pure, dark care unknown,
with quiet and grand contempt for their fate.

Would I were granted, festively proud as those,
to climb where the bustle of worlds does not tread
and bear the sunlight’s golden wreath around my head
no matter how angrily round me the storms’ roar goes.

 

 

WISH (Önskan)

 

Oh let me live aright,
and rightly die some day,
so that I touch reality
in evil as in good.
And let me be still
and what I see revere.
so that this may be this
and nothing more.

If of all life’s long course
a single day were left,
then I would seek the fairest
that lives on earth possess.
The fairest thing there is on earth
is only honesty,
but it alone makes life to life
and to reality.

So is the wide world
a dew-cup’s petal here.
and in the bowl there rests
a drop of water clear.
That single still drop
is life’s eye-apple, sure.
Oh, make me worthy to look in it!
Oh, make me pure!

 

PYRE (Bål)

 

Transparent, bright and ardent,

beautiful mantle, flare,

slip your way close as water

round my body, waiting here.

I stand bound and quiet,

have no unshed defiance.

Have no resistance left,

no futile strugglings.

Thus in anguish without air

comes the peace that waiting brings.

Here all hope is laid over,

wants nothing other.

Like an aspen leaf my body,

my soul like a flickering flame,

and there far away inside

I am free all the same.

Great silence moves me

beyond all that destroys me.

 

Linköpings cathedral no4 (Linköpings katedral Bonaderna no 4)

 

IV

But as the plants unfold

where the fields of late lay empty,

the earth awoke in space’s spring

and slowly began to flower.

From fern forests and newt slime

life crept up the precipice.

There a human child kneels

and looks out over the depths.

How did wings grow there in the birds’ feathers?

How was the chestnut’s stick raised,

which carefully and proudly bore the finest candles

high above serpent and dragon?

We know of the spring, that the power of the depths

cannot have drained its source.

So let us perceive in all that is

the creating wellsprings’ rising

and let go like Job on his torment’s heap

of justice’s tricks

and lean our sick and tough hope

against the miracle that is still a miracle.

 

INVULNERABLE (Osårbar)

 

Invulnerable, invulnerable

is he that grasps the primordial saying:

There is no happiness and unhappiness.

There is only life and death.

And when you have learnt it and ceased to chase the wind

and when you have learnt it and ceased to be frightened

by the gale

then come back and teach me one more time:

There is no happiness and unhappiness.

There is only life and death.

I began to repeat it when my will was born,

and will cease to repeat it when my will has ceased to be.

The secret of the primordial sayings

we acquire until our death.