Sandby Löttorp on July, 8, 1974
Dear Hans!
Will try to sketch out a few lines. Hope you and Elisabeth both are doing well.
The weather has been worse than usual. Cold and damp and some rain. But they say that the weather will become warmer and better, and we certainly hope so.
Mom sanded down the old kitchen sofa, an enormous task, which she’s been working at for 3 days. I thought she would wash it down with some water, but you know how your mom is. It must be done right. Even Ingemar would approve. Pity that she didn’t do it to the car too because it would have looked like new. Good to know. But I am afraid that she will throw out her back and end up in bed any day.
As for me, I have my usual aches and pains, but I try to take it with a grain of salt.
I still have not finished “Den onödiga samtiden” (Our unnecessary time, a 1974 book based on a letter exchange between the Swedish authors Jan Myrdal and Lars Gustafsson). I saw that an opinion writer entered the debate in defense of Myrdal and Gustafsson.
But to be honest, I think they have taken it too far and ended up with gobbledygook. However, I think Delblanc was right to a large degree even if he seemed to be unnecessary hot.
I tend to think that when you read the book, it seems that Jan Myrdal tries hard to speak about how plain and popular he is, only to quote long segments from old classical books. Then he plugs a lot for Gun’s (his wife, tr) upcoming exhibit.
He also shares a bit too much about how pleasant their time was with Elias Cornell and his wife. Then he mentions Dahlberg as fantastic and how stimulating it is to socialize with highly educated people. To me, it seems that he is highlighting things that are not important. It really can’t be of public interest, just as with Strindberg’s kragknapp.
Of course, you think that it is the exchange of letters between Gustafsson and Jan that is at stake and that it therefore is of interest! But is it? (for the reader of the book.)
To me, it seems that Myrdal has been infected by parochial thinking and have begun to pay attention to niceties. Considering that he previously has expressed his disgust for careerists that climb the social ladder, it’s like he feels the need to defend himself, and I don’t think he needs to do that. So, I think his novels are better.
But one must admit that his thoughts about Den onödiga samtiden are valid and scary.
But maybe it is the future that really is unnecessary. It can’t be fun to be young in such an era, but it has probably always been like that. You, who are so aware of all the terrible things in the world. We were probably more naïve and innocent. So do live and experience as much as you can while you have time.
That last outburst wasn’t typical for me, but I too sometimes feel the need to let the steam out!
Well, now I have finished my talk and will pick up Myrdal’s book again. I haven’t had so much time to read. There are a lot of stuff to do and it gets dark quickly in the evening.
The summer is soon over, and we have not been able to bathe in the sea, and we haven’t had a lot of sunny skies. We’ll see how this week turns out to be.
For you who work in the freezer rooms (at the slaughterhouse), I guess it doesn’t matter if the weather is grey or the sun shines.
Well, I see that there is not more space on the paper, so I will have to end writing for this time.
Hello to both of you from Mom Connie,
but most of all from your dad Harald S.
