The Poet On His Island: The Final Interview With 2011 Nobel Laureate Tomas Tranströmer

“The stroke Tranströmer suffered in 1990 paralyzed him on one side, stealing most of his speech. … Over the afternoon I ask questions that Monica translates into Swedish, and then he responds, to which she seeks greater clarification, and on it goes. In between, Tranströmer steers her questions and extrapolations with his face, his few words, gestures, and the tone of his voice. They touch and regard each other constantly throughout this process. It is hard to tell, watching the two of them, who is the conductor, and who is the symphony.”