Artur Lundkvist; Author, Member of Swedish Academy

Artur Lundkvist, who despite having only six years of formal education became a prolific author and a member of the Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Prize for literature, died Wednesday. He was 85.

A longtime friend, Roland Olsson, said the writer died at a Stockholm hospital after a long illness.

The first of Lundkvist’s 70 books appeared in 1928, and he played an important role on the Swedish literary scene for decades.

“He vitalized and stimulated Swedish literature and cultural debate during 60 years,” said Prof. Lars Gyllensten, former secretary of the Swedish Academy.

Lundkvist, who also wrote thousands of articles, was elected a member of the academy in 1968. He introduced Swedish readers to many foreign writers, notably Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1971, and French author Claude Simon, the winner in 1985.

Lundkvist is survived by his wife, author Maria Wine.