Swedish Language and Literature

In 1811

certain young men in Stockholm founded a society for the elevation of literary taste by means of the study of Scandi navian antiquity. This was the "Gotiska forbundet" ("Gothic Society"), and its organ was the journal Iduna (1811-24). Of its patriotic editors the most prominent were Erik Gustaf Geijer (q.v.) (1783-1847); and Esaias Tegner (q.v.) (1782-1846) ; afterwards bishop of Vexio, and usually regarded as the greatest of all Swedish writers. Eminent as a historian and critic, Geijer has also added, with his Vikingen, Odalbonder (The Peasant Free holder) and Psalmer, to the treasures of Swedish poetry. Tegner's copious verse is filled with a noble idealism-at times, perhaps, too rhetorical in its expression-which has closer affinities with the classic tradition of the 18th century than with the Romanticism of his own time. His Frithiofs saga (1825), although its senti mentalism is little to the taste of the modern world, was long the most famous of all Swedish poems. To the Gothic Society belonged also Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839), an extreme en thusiast for the Scandinavian past, but now better remembered as the father of gymnastic science than as a poet ; Arvid August Afzelius (1785-1871), the first editor of Swedish folk-songs; Benard von Beskow (1796-1868), lyric poet and dramatist; and Carl August Nicander (1799-1839), a poet of distinction who to some extent represents a compromise with the Phosphorists. With the two latter was associated Carl Wilhelm Bottiger (1807 78), a poet influenced in turn by all the greater Romanticists; his unfinished autobiography, Ungdomsminnen (Memories of Youth), written in his last years, is a masterpiece in its way. Johan Olof Wallin (1779-1839) may be mentioned in the same category, al though he is really independent of all schools. He was archbishop of Uppsala and in 1819 published Den svenska psalmboken, the national hymn-book of Sweden, a great collection of sacred poetry; 126 of the hymns were written by Wallin himself.

From 1810 to 1840 was the supreme age of Swedish poetry. Second only to Tegner in genius is Erik Johan Stagnelius (1793 1823). His life and mysterious death have given a romantic in terest to all that is connected with his name. His first publication was an epic, Vladimir den store (Vladimir the Great, 1817), which was followed by a romantic poem, Blenda. His dramas, Bacchan terna (The Bacchantes, 1822), Martyrerna (The Martyrs, 1821) and the posthumous Sigurd Ring are among his most original pro ductions. His mystical lyrics include Liljor i Saron (Lilies in Sharon, 1812) and his sonnets are the best in Swedish.

Rise of Realism.-Romance

began to yield to realism. The first place here belongs to C. J. L. Almqvist (q.v.) (1793-1866), whose influence and chequered life recall that of Strindberg. His novels and sketches are collected (14 vols.) under the title Torn rosens bok (1832-51). The new realism also appears in Samuel Odman (1750-1829), and in the descriptions of nature-which re call Linne-of Petrus Laestadius (1802-41) and Nils Loven (Nicolovius, 1796-1858). Fredrik Cederborgh (1784-1835) re vived the comic novel in his Uno von Trasenberg (1809-10) and Ottar Trailing (18io); and Swedish history supplied themes for the romances of Count Per Georg Sparre (179o-1871) and of Gustaf Herik Mellin (1803-76).

The most popular novelist was Bremer (q.v.) (i80' 65), a native of Finland. Her stories of domestic life owed much to English models, and enjoyed a European reputation inferior only to that of Tegner's Frithiofs saga. Another woman novelist,

Sofia von Knorring (née Zelow, 1797-1848) wrote about the same time a long series of aristocratic novels. A polemical writer of great talent was Magnus Jakob Crusenstolpe (1795-1865) ; while in history, besides Geijer, Jonas Hallenberg (1748-1834) and Anders Magnus Strinnholm (1786-1862) prepared the way for the most widely read of all Swedish historians, Anders Fryxell ( 1795-1881) : Berdttelser ur svenska historien (1823-80).

With Tegner the greatest poet of Swedish literature is the Finn, Johan Ludvig Runeberg (q.v.) (1804-77). Between 1832 and 1844 Runeberg published a series of splendid epics, Elgyskyttarne (The Elk Hunters), Hanna, Nadeschda and Julgrciften (Christ mas Eve) ; in 1848 and 186o followed the two volumes of Fdnrik Stdls seigner (Ensign Still's Tales). They achieve wonderful por traits and vigorous metrical swing.

Bernhard Elis Malmstrom (1816-65) produced in 1840 a volume of elegies, Angelika; with, two later volumes of poems (1845,1847). In his literary history he showed himself to be a discriminating critic.

Johan Bodisson (179o-1866) was the last of the Phos phorists, author of several romantic dramas; Vilhelm von Braun (1813-60), a writer of humorous verse; "Talis Qualis," a poetical poet and translator of Byron whose real name was Carl Vilhelm August Strandberg (1818-77); Oscar Patrick Sturzen-Becker (1811-69), better known as "Orvar Odd," a lyrical poet who was also the author of a series of excellent sketches of everyday life; and August Blanche (1811-68), the most popular dramatist of the period. Fredrik August Dahlgren (1816-95) gained a great reputation with his V eirmliinningarna (1846), a national drama interspersed with songs and dances, and with his poems in the Varmland dialect. Other notable dramatists of the period were Johan Jolin (1818-84) and Frans Hedberg (1828-1908), who in his old age adapted himself in a remarkable degree to modern tastes. A popular novelist of this period was Emilie Flygare-Casten (née Smith, 1807-92) ; indeed, in respect of, pop ularity she entered into Fredrika Bremer's heritage. Her best books deal with the life of the Swedish west coast. The stories and sketches of Karl Anton Wetterbergh (1804-69), known as "Onkel Adam," were much loved in their day, as were the novels of Auguste Blanche and Marie Sofie Schwartz (1819 94). But the most poetically gifted novelist of the later 19th cen tury was the patriotic Finn, Zakris Topelius (1818-98). His long series of romances dealing with Finno-Swedish history appeared between 1850 and 1867. Lyric poetry was represented by Johan Nyborn (1815-89), the poet of Uppsala student-life; Carl Herman Satherberg (1812-97) ; Gunnar Wennerberg (1817 1901), the genial improvisator of Gluntarna (The Students, 1847-50) with its memories of Bellman; and A. T. Getterstedt (1836-1914), an architect by profession and a poet of fine quality, if of limited range. The dominant force in Swedish philosophy in this period was Kristoffer Jakob Bostrom (1810-66) ; the leading journalist Lars Johan Hierta (1801-72), editor of Aftonbladet from 1830, a newspaper which marks an epoch in the history of the Swedish press. The aesthetic critic and poet, Carl Ruprecht Nyblom (1832-1907) helped materially to mould Swedish taste.