Harry Järv

Harry Järv (27 March 1921 – 21 December 2009 ) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish and Swedish librarian, author and translator. He was a lieutenant-ranked veteran of World War II. By his political views, Järv was an anarcho-syndicalist.

Early years and wartime Järv was born in a farmer's family in the Western Finnish municipality of Korsholm. After graduating from high school in Vaasa, Järv went to sea at the age of 18. As the Winter War broke out in November 1939, he enlisted in the Finnish Army as a volunteer. Later in World War II, Järv was a platoon leader in the 61st Infantry Regiment that consisted almost exclusively of Swedish-speaking Finns. He was a member of a patrol unit, leading recon and combat patrols behind the enemy lines. In September 1943, Järv was seriously wounded by a landmine, and he spent the rest of the war at Saint Göran Hospital in Stockholm.

Järv carried a camera through the war and took plenty of pictures that were later published in his books. The 2004 Finnish war film Beyond the Front Line is based on Järv's diaries. Järv wrote and translated more than 50 books as well as dozens of articles in various publications. His books were mostly essay collections of Ancient history, politics and philosophy. Järv was the editor-in-chief of Swedish culture magazines Horisont, Radix and Fenix and was known as an eminent expert on Franz Kafka.

Political ideas Järv was first introduced to anarchist ideas as a teenager through the books of Peter Kropotkin. During his time at sea, Järv was influenced by Finnish syndicalist Niilo Wälläri, who was the leader of the Finnish Seamen's Union. During the war, Järv adopted anarchist ideas in his role as a platoon leader. Järv treated his men equally to himself, and the decisions were made democratically. This often led to conflicts with his superior officers, and Järv was considered "unmilitary". In 1952, Järv joined the Swedish anarcho-syndicalist union SAC and started writing articles in its newspaper Arbetaren.

Honours Order of the Cross of Liberty – 1939–1944 Honorary degree of Philosophy, Uppsala University – 1973

Awards Svenska Akademiens översättarpris – 1969 Elsa Thulins översättarpris – 1976 Lotten von Kræmers pris – 1986 Längmanska kulturfondens pris – 2001 Kellgrenpriset – 2007

Books Nikolaj Leskov och det ryska samhället (1950) Kritik av den nya kritiken (1953) Klassisk horisont (1960) Introduktion till Kafka (1962) Vreden som brann hos peliden Achilleus (1962) Varaktigare än koppar (1962) Betydande böcker från vå regen tid (1966) Läsarmekanismer (1971) Frihet jämlikhet konstnärskap (1974) Ezra Pound, Litterära essäer (1975) Victor Svanberg (1976) Tycke och smak (1978) Konst och kvalitet (1979) Enfald eller mångfald (1982) Den svenska boken 500 år (1983) Vinghästen (1984) Trollkarl eller lärling, Atlantis (1986) Den "goda tvåans" paradoxala hemlighet (1991) Kunskapens träd (1991) Om judiska bidrag till svensk kultur (1992) Aktualiteter i historiskt perspektiv (1995) Prometheus' Eld (1998) Åsikter och avsikter (2002) Oavgjort i två krig (2006)