Swedish and American Words: "Kultur" vs. "Culture"

Today I have some thoughts about the difference between the American word "culture" and the Swedish word "kultur".  They do not carry the same meaning at all.

Today's thoughts started as I read a Swedish news article about Max von Sydow.  If you haven't heard of him: he was a Swedish actor, most famous for his role as Antonius Block in Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" (one iconic scene is when Antonius plays chess with Death).

Try to stay on topic now Kriz!  Okay, so, after I had read the article, I saw suggested ones appear and one of them had the Swedish word "kultur" as part of the headline.  "Kultur" in Swedish would translate to "The Arts" in English.  It has everything to do with anything that is creative - like music, dance, art, theater and the like.  If you say "fin-kultur" (or "finkultur), it would encompass the higher forms of arts like opera, classical music, poetry, classical plays and paintings and art that are very expensive.  "The Seventh Seal" would be considered "finkultur".

Now over to the English meaning of "culture".  That can be described as things one particular group of people would do/say/listen to because it is part of their culture and heritage. Let me give you some examples: Americans often eat hamburgers as it is part of their culture.  Swedes celebrate Midsummer because it is part of their culture.

I hope that clarified and explained the distinction between the two words.





For a deeper dive into the understanding of culture, go to this wiki: Wikipedia's article about culture
If you'd like to read the Max von Sydow IMDb bio, you can find it here: Max von Sydow IMDb bio


A video I made to explain part of the Midsummer celebration in a musical and visual way:

Three Swedish Proverbs Translated Into English

"For the one who is waiting on something good, the wait never feels too long."

"You shouldn't shout "I made it!" until you're across the stream."

"You are your own best farm hand."

Intro to two Swedish National Treasures of poetry - and their works as influences on my songwriting

I'm known for having a poetic touch to my lyrics.  In this blog post I am going describe how it began - by reading and listening to the works of two national treasures of Sweden. It influenced my songwriting.


My mom and dad - but most and foremost my dad - had a deep connection with reading poetry and the appreciation thereof, most notably of the pieces by the skald Evert Taube and the poet Dan Andersson.  In my parents' library, dad had a book with the complete Evert Taube collection and one with the Best of Dan Andersson.  Andersson died in his sleep at a very young age (32) at a hotel in Stockholm, but he had already left a considerable legacy with his melancholy descriptions of life, living, people and knowing there was a Divine power.


The theme both poets had in common was their love for nature, but as Dan Andersson lived and worked in the heart of Sweden, his closeness to the land expressed itself in the fields and forests in his works, while Evert Taube's passion was the sea, the archipelago and sailing, since he lived on the west coast of the country.


Dan Andersson's poetry has had many a singer and songwriter putting melody to his words. A member of ABBA (Bjorn), was part of a band before the ABBA days that recorded and released a Dan Andersson song:









Here's a translation of  the first, then the last two verses of "Omkring Tiggarn från Luossa" by Dan Andersson, (courtesy of Ola Wikander):

Round the beggar from Luossa people gathered in a ring,
by the campfire they sat and heard his song.
And of wayfarers and mendicants and every wondrous thing
and of his longing he sang to them all night long.

May the black and salty waters cool the cheeks that burn with fever,
let’s be miles away from life before the morning breaks above!
Not of this world was I, brother; hardships without end I suffered
for the sake of worries, faithlessness and of my burning love.

By a shore all dressed in seashells stands a gate of roses heavy,
therein sleep the mouldered shipwrecks, and the tired men find rest.
Songs unheard and high there sing like violins in distant echoes
under arches where eternal children live forever blessed. 
It was my dad's favorite and he asked me to sing it for everyone that came to our house.



I tried to find a good youtube video of one of Evert Taube's songs in English, but I couldn't find one :(

But, one of the songs that my class and I were singing at all summer graduation performances (yes, our school had a show each spring before school let out), was "Änglamarken", which translated into English would be "The Earth of the Angels", saying this earth and this life needs nature and its wonders for to have a place for children to play.

Here is Evert Taube singing himself in a ballad he wrote about a sailor:









When thinking about it, I do believe my song "When I'm Watching Butterflies" has drawn inspiration from both poets .... I did not think about it while writing it though.








Comments welcome!

Have a pleasant day,.

Kriz Rogers

Classic Sandwiches

One American:

Tomato Sandwich. Sliced tomatoes and mayonnaise between two slices of bread.

One Swedish:

Ostmacka. A slice of buttered bread, slices of cheese and sliced cucumber, The picture is showing two sandwiches - open faced, and that's the most common way of having a Swedish sandwich.

My Favorite Fair Fares

What I love the most about fairs: the food of course :-)

American Fairs also have music entertainment, while the Swedish do not, but they have more vendors.

Descriptions in English for the Swedish Fair Fares and in Swedish for the American Fair Fares.

Branda Mandlar.
 (Swedish Fare. Roasted, salted almonds with a chewy almond paste coating)

Fried Pickles.
 (American Fare. Panerad, friterad inlagd gurka med vitlöksdressingsdip) 

Funnel Cake.
(American Fare. Krispig, söt, friterad kaksmet pudrad med florsocker)

Langos.
(Swedish Fare originating from Hungary. Fried bread with garlic butter, sour cream and grated cheese)




Could I have one of each, please?

Acknowledgement for comfort food

Just gotta share what my husband said when I had cooked Christmas dinner for him this past Christmas ... he took a few bites and exclaimed with a surprised tone in his voice "You've turned into an American!" That is the best compliment I could have been given from him :-) He really loved the dinner. What I cooked? Corn Bread, Corn Bread Dressing, Green Bean Casserole, Sweet Potato Casserole, Mashed Potatoes with Sweet Peas and Fruit Salad. I cheated when it came to the turkey though ... had some frozen already cooked pieces of meat ... but still ... I've turned into an American!