Första / Sista

• Published in: Nordlit
• Main Author: Torbjörn Ömalm
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Norwegian
• Published: Septentrio Academic Publishing 2020
• Subjects: Katalogdikt; Auto-etnografi; Samhällsomvandling; Sápmi; Dialekt; Samiska; Norwegian literature; PT8301-9155; Arctic; Gällivare; Kiruna; Malmberget; meänkieli
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.7557/13.5474; https://doaj.org/article/b8f36d61ebcb426b83d8736d21118501

Första / Sista are two related catalogue poems in Swedish where listening plays a role as a narrator. The poems aim to paint a picture of current events, places, local history, and self-observation in the urban transitions within the Arctic small towns of Gällivare, Malmberget, and Kiruna. They uncover a repressed sadness when facing the changes that are in motion and the consequences of these. Första is cautiously optimistic while Sista is of a darker, more negative character. The latter also reveals more about the author. The course of events in the poems is not strictly chronological; they are subject-matter scattered with an intention of creating a spontaneous and motley rhythm within the lines. Dialectal words and references to geographic places that carry different names in the local languages Sámi, Meänkieli, and Swedish are key ingredients throughout the text.