In memoriam: Tomas Transtromer

I first read Transtromer as a graduate student of James Tate. Transtromer's book Truth Barriers, literally introduced me to the world of words and images in a completely different way. It was a window into the same world I lived in but a different view. Appropriately since windows and walls were images he used often. But most importantly, then and now for me was the way he captured human truths. This from “Preludes”:

Two truths approach each other

One comes from within,

one comes from without — and where they meet you have the chance

to catch a look at yourself.

It still resonates to me as a marketer. Companies like to tell their truth from within but many are not yet prepared to accept the truth that comes from without. Great brands have met themselves in their customer’s eyes and reimagined what might be.