LARS P. SYLL

Oft gefragt (personal)

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Zu Hause bist immer nur du
Zu Hause bist immer nur du
Du hast mich abgeholt und hingebracht
Bist mitten in der Nacht wegen mir aufgewacht
Ich hab in letzter Zeit so oft daran gedacht
Hab keine Heimat, ich hab nur dich
Du bist zu Hause für immer und mich

In loving memory of my mother, Lisbeth.

Although it is thirty-two years since she passed away, not a single day goes by without her in my mind.

Those whom the gods love die young.

But in dreams,
I can hear your name.
And in dreams,
We will meet again.

When the seas and mountains fall
And we come to end of days,
In the dark I hear a call
Calling me there
I will go there
And back again.

Lacrimosa

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A grief observed (personal)

We were promised sufferings. They were part of the program. We were even told, ‘Blessed are they that mourn,’ and I accept it. I’ve got nothing that I hadn’t bargained for. Of course it is different when the thing happens to oneself, not to others, and in reality, not imagination …

But those two circles, above all the point at which they touched, are the very thing I am mourning for, homesick for, famished for. You tell me ‘she goes on.’ But my heart and body are crying out, come back, come back. Be a circle, touching my circle on the plane of Nature. But I know this is impossible. I know that the thing I want is exactly the thing I can never get.

People say time heals all wounds.

I wish that was true.

But some wounds never heal. Even after twenty-eight years you just have to learn to live with the scars.

In memory of Kristina Syll — beloved wife and mother of David and Tora.

My sinful soul

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Jag tänkte jämt på dig

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Ten years jubilee

Tired of the idea of an infallible mainstream economics and its perpetuation of spoon-fed orthodoxy, yours truly launched this blog in March 2011. The number of visitors has increased steadily, and now, ten years later and with millions of page views, I have to admit of still being — given the rather wonkish character of the blog, with posts mostly on economic theory, statistics, econometrics, theory of science and methodology — rather gobsmacked that so many are interested and take their time to read this often rather geeky stuff.

In the 21st century the blogosphere has without any doubts become one of the greatest channels for dispersing new knowledge and information. As a blogger, I can specialize in those particular topics an economist and critical realist professor of social science happens to have both deep knowledge of and interest in. That, of course, also means — in the modern long-tail world — being able to target a segment of readers with much narrower and specialised interests than newspapers and magazines, as a rule, could aim for — and still attract quite a lot of readers.

My favourite library girls (personal)

Hedda (7), Linnea (21), and Tora (28)

Marx & Hegel — om den svåra konsten att vända en upp och nervänd värld rätt

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Blå vägen hem

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Tunströms mästerverk

Filmer kan beröra oss på många olika sätt. Många är mest inget annat än rent tidsfördriv och eskapism. Men det finns också några — få — filmer som verkligen betyder något. De riktigt stora filmerna. De som på allvar tränger in under huden och skakar om oss i vårt innersta.

Kjell-Åke Anderssons filmatisering av Göran Tunströms mästerverk Juloratoriet — med gudabenådad musik av Stefan Nilsson — är en sådan film. En av de sorgligaste och nästintill outhärdligt smärtsamt berörande filmer jag vet. Men kanske också den allra vackraste. Den om kärlekens oändliga styrka och kraft.

Avec le temps

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Quel chef d’oeuvre! Cette tellement triste, belle et émouvante chanson, touche le plus profond de mon âme.

Dis, quand reviendras-tu?

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Agni Parthene

Hovern’ engan

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Dann sind wir Helden

Ich glaub’ das zu träumen / die Mauer / Im Rücken war kalt / Die Schüsse reissen die Luft / Doch wir küssen / Als ob nichts geschieht / Und die Scham fiel auf ihre Seite / Oh, wir können sie schlagen / Für alle Zeiten / Dann sind wir Helden / Nur diesen Tag