Swedish poet and 2011 Nobel Literature Prize winner Tomas Tranströmer has died at age 83. The mild-mannered master wordsmith — considered a genius of metaphor and one of the most important Scandinavian poets of the post-World War II era — died March 26 after a short illness. Tranströmer's work has been translated into more than 60 languages and influenced poets across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. His works were characterized by powerful metaphors that explored the mysterious sides of everyday life in a simple, straight-forward manner. The poet stopped writing after suffering a stroke in 1990 that left him half-paralyzed and largely unable to speak. When he received the Nobel Prize at age 80, he had been a favorite for the prize for so many years that most had started to doubt whether he would ever win.
His most famous works include the 1966 "Windows and Stones," in which he depicts themes from his many travels, and "Baltics" from 1974 about the democracies and dictatorships surrounding the Baltic Sea during the Cold War. Tranströmer is survived by his wife Monika and their daughters, Emma and Paula.