Willy Kyrklund's short prose texts and dramas blend philosophy, humor, and irony with a stylistic elegance that critics have lauded frequently over the years. His short fiction often parodies traditional genres such as the fable or is based on existing stories from mythology. Indeed, he has described his prose not as literary fiction but, rather, as "tankemodeller" (conceptual models), an approach that makes categorizing his works difficult. Often viewed as an outsider--Olle Hedberg, a Swedish critic, even called him "ett primtal" (prime number)--Kyrklund does not belong to any of the various literary or artistic movements that have come and gone in Sweden in the years following World War II. Yet, although for decades his work defied easy categorization, he is now recognized in Sweden as one of the most important writers of the postwar period, as well as one of the great masters of Swedish prose.

Paul...