Stig Halvard Dagerman (5 October 1923 – 4 November 1954) was a Swedish author and journalist prominent in the aftermath of World War II. Biography Stig Dagerman was born Stig Halvard Andersson in Älvkarleby, Uppsala County. He later took his father's surname Jansson and then changed his name to Stig Dagerman in his teens. In the course of five years, 1945–49, he enjoyed success with four novels, a collection of short stories, a book about postwar Germany, five plays, hundreds of poems and satirical verses, several essays of note and a large amount of journalism. He died in 1954, having closed the doors of the garage and run the engine. Literary style and themes Dagerman is representative of the Swedish literary movement fyrtiotalism. His works deal with universal problems of morality and conscience, of sexuality and social philosophy, of love, compassion, justice, fear, guilt, and loneliness. Despite the somber content, he also displays a wry sense of humor that occasionally turns his writing into burlesque or satire. Legacy The annual Stig Dagerman Prize awards individuals who, like Dagerman, promote empathy and understanding through their work. Main works Ormen (The Snake) 1945, novel De dömdas ö (The Island of the Doomed) 1946, novel Tysk höst (German Autumn), 1947, non-fictional account of post-war Germany Nattens lekar (The Games of Night) 1947, a collection of short stories Bränt barn (A Burnt Child, also translated as A Moth To a Flame) 1948, novel Dramer om dömda: Den dödsdömde; Skuggan av Mart (Dramas of the Condemned: The Man Condemned to Death; Marty's Shadow) 1948, plays Judas Dramer: Streber; Ingen går fri (Judas Dramas: No One Goes Free; The Climber) 1949, plays Bröllopsbesvär (Wedding Worries) 1949, novel Vårt behov av tröst (Our Need for Consolation is Insatiable) 1955, prose and poetry. Edited by O. Lagercrantz English translations Books German Autumn. Translation by Robin Fulton. Introduction by Mark Kurlansky. University of Minnesota Press, 2011. Sleet - Selected Stories. Translation by Steven Hartman. Preface by Alice McDermott. David R. Godine, 2013. A Burnt Child. Translation by Benjamin Mier-Cruz. Introduction by Per Olov Enquist. University of Minnesota Press, 2013. Island of the Doomed. Translation by Laurie Thompson. Introduction by JMG Le Clezio. University of Minnesota Press, 2012. The Snake. Translation and introduction by Laurie Thompson. Quartet Encounters, London, 1995. The Games of Night. Translation by Naomi Walford and introduction by Michael Meyer. Bodley Head, London, 1959; Lippincott, Philadelphia and