Peder Sjögren

Peder Sjögren (1905–1966), born as Gösta Sjögren, was a Swedish writer who fought in the Spanish Civil War and the Continuation War. Many of his books were based on those experiences.

Life and works

Gösta Tage Filip Sjögren was born in 1905, outside Växjö, in the province of Småland, and at the age of 10 moved to Stockholm. Aged 17, he was sent to Rome, after which he travelled to the Balkans, Spain, North Africa, Poland and Finland. As an antifascist during the Spanish Civil War, he joined the International Brigades and was wounded in combat. His experiences in the war provided him with themes for several of his novels. After his recovery, he was arrested as a suspected spy, but subsequently escaped from Spain on a British warship. His second novel, Bread of Love (Kärlekens bröd, 1945), was based on his experiences as a volunteer in the Finnish Continuation War of 1941-44. A film of the book directed by Arne Mattsson (1953) was banned in Finland.