Peter Cornell is a Swedish writer, historian and art critic. He is known for his work on the theory and history of modern art. His book The Ways of Paradis (1987) has achieved cult status in Sweden.
Born in Stockholm in 1942, Cornell studied art history and later taught at the University of Arts, Crafts and Design (Konstfack) and the Royal Institute of Art (Kungliga Konsthögskolan) in Stockholm. He became an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (Konstakademien). His academic work focused on the relationship between art, literature and the quest for knowledge.
In The Ways of Paradis, Cornell presents an enigmatic collection of texts inspired by the lost footnotes of a long-dead scientist. The book explores the human quest for absolute knowledge and the hidden order of things. It blends essay and fiction, moving between scientific analysis and mysticism.
"The quest for knowledge is a trap," wrote Cornell, reflecting on how art and science mirror each other in their search for meaning.
Since its first publication in Sweden in 1987, The Ways of Paradis has been regarded as an unusual reflection on art, literature and the occult. Based on associative links between ideas, the book's structure has been compared to modern algorithms used to organise human knowledge.
After thirty years, it was translated into French as Les Voies du paradis, bringing Cornell's work to a broader audience.
