Our upcoming book discusses the link between creativity and spirituality through detailed conversations between Swedish composer Tommie Haglund and interviewer Aram Yardumian.
What is it like to bring a work of art into being? It is not often that we have the opportunity to look inside at the unvarnished inner workings of the creative process. It seems that the outer process that gives rise to great works of art takes the artist through an equally intense creative inner one.
In our as-of-yet untitled book, Aram Yardumian interviews the contemporary Swedish composer Tommie Haglund. Aram (PhD, Anthropology 2015) is Assistant Professor at Bryn Athyn College and a Visiting Scholar at the Laboratory of Molecular Anthropology in the Penn Museum. Tommie Haglund is a celebrated Swedish composer who studied classical guitar in London and at the Royal Academy of Music in Århus, Denmark. According to his website, “Haglund’s breakthrough came in 1988 when Intensio Animi premiered at the Concerthouse in Stockholm, commissioned by the Swedenborg Society to celebrate the Swedish theosophist Emanuel Swedenborg’s 300th anniversary.”
As readers, we reap the benefits of the remarkable insights that flow from two friends in conversation over a period of years. Aram, with a well-developed ear for music in many genres, is an attuned listener to both Tommie’s music and his inner being; leading with genuine curiosity, his questions get at the heart of Tommie’s experience. What results is an open, honest, and heartfelt unveiling of Tommie’s authentic experience as a person who surrenders to the creative call.
What makes this book exceptional is of course the reason we as the Swedenborg Foundation choose to take on the project: the creative process is inherently a spiritual one. Tommie Haglund shares not only surface level details of his works, but extensive personal insights about his evolution into the renowned composer he is today. We learn how the depths of his spiritual experiences and personal challenges are fundamental to his artistic expression. We retrace the steps of his journey and get a taste of how moments of elation, despair, and serendipity all have fed into the waters of his expressive genius.
In addition to his biographical and spiritual influences, Tommie also discusses how he was educated, inspired, and influenced by various other musicians, teachers and composers. We learn about his early intensive study of the works of John Dowland and Frederick Delius, his relationships with Eric Fenby and John Mills, and the foundational role of Swedenborg in Haglund’s work and life.
We hope you’ll join us in our excitement and anticipation of sharing this work. By publishing this book, we invite you to enter the room of these conversations, sit beside Tommie and Aram, and listen to the resonances of the creative, mystical world around us.
Stay tuned for more about this book; we anticipate a 2025 publishing date. Join our email list to receive updates.
September 5, 2025 book release blog post, and purchase link.
