Göran Tunström was a Swedish novelist and poet.

He grew up in Sunne, a town in the province of Värmland. Most of his novels are set in this town, which had a significant influence on him during his youth. Göran’s father, who was a pastor, passed away when the boy was 12 years old. At the age of 20, Tunström completed high school in Uppsala. Shortly afterward, he moved to the Greek island of Hydra, where he met the Norwegian author Axel Jensen and befriended the legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen.

In 1964, Göran Tunström married the artist Lena Cronqvist, and in 1969, their son, Linus Tunström, was born.

Tunström made his literary debut in 1958 with the publication of his poetry collection Inringning. Three years later, his first novel, Karantän, was released. His literary legacy includes 15 novels, 10 poetry collections, and several other works, such as a collection of travel stories and short fiction. His most renowned novel, Juloratoriet (The Christmas Oratorio), published in 1983, gained widespread recognition, especially after its film adaptation in 1996, which further increased its popularity. Other notable works include Tjuven (1986), the autobiographical novel Prästungen (1976), and Maskrosbollen (1962). The last novel published during Tunström’s lifetime, Berömda män som varit i Sunne, won the August Prize in 1998. After a long illness, the writer passed away in 2000 in his Stockholm apartment, leaving behind an unfinished manuscript, which was posthumously published in 2002 under the title Försök med ett århundrade.

In addition to the August Prize, Tunström received several other literary honors throughout his career, including the Aftonbladet Literary Prize (1975), the Svenska Dagbladet Literary Prize (1976), the Nordic Council’s Literature Prize (1984, for Juloratoriet), and the Selma Lagerlöf Literary Prize (1987).

Through his work, Göran Tunström is considered one of Sweden’s most important 20th-century writers, and his books continue to be widely read. His deeply personal and intimate writing style, often described as magical realism, and his exploration of complex human relationships have earned him critical acclaim. His work has been compared to that of Selma Lagerlöf and Gabriel García Márquez. In 2021, Birgitta Holm published an analysis of Tunström’s works titled Vår ljusaste tragiker: Göran Tunströms textvärld, and in 2025, a biographical book, Göran Tunström – Försök med ett liv, written by Lars Andersson, is set to be released.

Juloratoriet, the author’s most famous novel, tells the story of three generations of a Swedish family, spanning from the 1930s to the 1980s. The story begins in Sunne, Tunström’s childhood town, where preparations are underway for a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. From there, the narrative unfolds, moving between the Värmland province and distant New Zealand. The book has been translated into twenty languages and was adapted into a film in 1996. The Polish translation by Małgorzata Anna Packalén was published in 1997 by Oficyna Literacka.

In our store, Juloratoriet is available in its original Swedish version in the 2020 edition published by Albert Bonniers Förlag.