Lars Norén Interview: Advice to the Young

Lars Norén is widely regarded as the greatest contemporary Swedish playwright. We paid him an exclusive visit at his apartment in Stockholm to hear his advice for aspiring writers. “The market is the most lethal of all poisons.” Norén prefers art that doesn’t strive for publicity and is genuinely upset by the current need to adapt to the market and the unification it brings with it: “It makes art rot away.” He therefore encourages subcultures and advices upcoming artists to “stay outside the liberal market culture.” “It’s not about desire, it’s about necessity. There’s no other way.” Achieving your goals is above all a question of trusting your inner drive: “… the disappointments and the efforts are so tough that you must have an inner conviction that this is what you want.” Without the drive, Norén feels, one should not aspire to write professionally. Lars Norén (b. 1944) is a Swedish playwright, novelist and poet, regarded by many as the greatest Swedish playwright since August Strindberg. His plays often revolve around dysfunctional families and the people situated at the bottom of society. Among his many works are ‘Night is Mother to the Day’ (1982) and ‘7:3’ (1999). In 2003, Norén received the Swedish Academy Nordic Prize, known as the “little Nobel.” Lars Norén was interviewed by Christian Lund in Stockholm, February 2015. Camera: Kasper Kiertzner Edited by: Kamilla Bruus Produced by: Christian Lund Copyright: Louisiana Channel, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2015 Supported by Nordea-fonden