HEIDENSTAM, Verner von, Swedish poet and novelist: b. Olshammar, province of Nerike, 6 July 1859. He was at first destined be a painter, but had to relinquish his studies at the Stockholm Art Academy 'because of in health, which caused him to undertake extensive travels in southern Europe and the Orient, He was at once greeted as a poet of promise on the publication of his first collection of poems, Vallfat och Vandrinasor, 1888, which was fol lowed by a second collection, 'Dikter> in 1895. His poems and prose work are filled with a great joy of life, sometimes imbued with a love of Swedish history and scenery, particularly its physical aspects, that avoids none of the excesses of chauvinism. 'Frit' Col di Tenda till Bloxberg' (1888), and (1890) are pictures of travel; Alienus> (1892) is a long poetic narra tive; (2 vols., 1897-98) a series of historical portraits of King Charles XII of Sweden and his cavaliers. In (published in German, Vienna 1901), Heidenstam advocates a sort of artistic exclusiveness, appearing as the champion of the classic spirit, which he considers essentially aristocratic, as opposed to the Germanic atti tude which he considers democratic and rep rehensible. In 1910 a savage controversy was
waged in Swedish newspapers between a num ber of Swedish literary men, on the topic of the proletarian "degradation" of literature, the protagonists of the two opposing camps being August Strindfierg (q.v.) and Heidenstam. Professors Lidforss and 13•5A5k also took part. Heidenstam's chief contribution was the pam phlet, directed chiefly against Strindberg, letarfilosofians upplOsning och fall>((The De cline and Fall of the Proletarian Philosophy'). Translations of short stories from Karolinerna will be found in the Review (New York), May 1914, November 1915, and July 1916. The first volume of that work has also appeared in England jACOB WITTMER HARTMANN.