Johan Påtfeldt

Personal Life:

Johan Påtfeldt was born in 1907 in Skillingmark, where he grew up in the village of Västra Boda. Due to fragile health in his early years, his schooling was somewhat limited, but he later made up for it through self-study. His literary knowledge became considerable. Professionally, he worked as an education leader within the temperance movement, among other roles. He remained a resident of Skillingmark throughout his life and passed away there in 1974.

Literary Genre:

Poetry.

The Author:

Johan Påtfeldt showed early signs of lyrical talent. As a young man, he contributed poems and articles on local cultural history to regional newspapers. His writing developed over time, and in 1938 he made his literary debut with the poetry collection Skrift i sand ("Writing in the Sand"). Three years later, Livsträdet ("The Tree of Life") was published by the esteemed publisher Natur & Kultur. His final book, För sälgpipans skull ("For the Sallow Pipe's Sake"), came out in 1956. However, he continued writing for various newspapers, most notably Arvika Nyheter. Over the years, his work began to reflect an increasingly clear Christian undertone. This was most evident in his final poetry collection, Eko ur ensamheten ("Echo from the Loneliness"), which was published posthumously by Skillingmark's Heritage Association with the subtitle A Lyrical After-Harvest.

Published Works:

• Skrift i sand, 1938
• Livsträdet, 1941
• För sälgpipans skull, 1956
• Eko ur ensamheten, 1974