Oevre

Pronunciation:
\ˈə(r)-vrə, ˈœvrə\

Definition:
a substantial body of work constituting the lifework of a writer, an artist, or a composer

Etymology:
French œuvre, literally, work, from Old French ovre, Latin opera
 
The Nobel Prize in literature was awarded last week to Swedish poet, Tomas Transtromer. He is quite famous in Sweden and a constant favorite among those who speculate on the prize.
 
In an article in the paper, he was said to have a small oevre, a word with which I was unfamiliar. It means, of course, that he has a small body of work. His poetry is described as mystical. The Nobel Committee stated that Tranströmer's work received the prize “because, through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality."
 
After a Death

by Tomas Tranströmer
translated by Robert Bly

Once there was a shock
that left behind a long, shimmering comet tail.
It keeps us inside. It makes the TV pictures snowy.
It settles in cold drops on the telephone wires.

One can still go slowly on skis in the winter sun
through brush where a few leaves hang on.
They resemble pages torn from old telephone directories.
Names swallowed by the cold.

It is still beautiful to hear the heart beat
but often the shadow seems more real than the body.
The samurai looks insignificant
beside his armor of black dragon scales.