Verner von Heidenstam
Verner von Heidenstam (1859–1940) was a prominent Swedish writer whose contributions significantly shaped Swedish literature during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After spending years traveling through the Mediterranean and the East, he returned to Sweden in 1887 and became an influential voice against the prevailing realism in Scandinavian literature. His first major work, "Vallfart och vandringsår" (1888), marked the beginning of the Swedish literary renaissance and introduced Eastern themes into Swedish poetry.
Heidenstam's literary journey included a shift towards nationalism and historicism, as evident in works like "Dikter" (1895) and "The Charles Men," which celebrated Sweden's past. He also explored moral themes in his writings, such as "Heliga Birgittas pilgrimsfärd." His historical novel "The Tree of the Folkungs" delves into the rise of the Folkung dynasty in medieval Sweden. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1916 and received the Henrik Steffens Prize shortly before his death. Heidenstam is regarded as one of the leading romanticists of his time, alongside Selma Lagerlöf.
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Subject Terms
Verner von Heidenstam
Swedish novelist and poet
- Born: July 6, 1859
- Birthplace: Olshammar, Sweden
- Died: May 20, 1940
- Place of death: Övralid, Sweden
Biography
One of the great Swedish writers, Carl Gustaf Verner von Heidenstam (HAY-duhn-stahm) spent several years traveling through the Mediterranean regions and the East. When he returned to Sweden in 1887, he became a vigorous participant in the literary struggles against a rising Scandinavian realism. His first publication was a book of poems based on Eastern themes, Vallfart och vandringsår (pilgrimage and years of wandering), which appeared in 1888. With this work, the Swedish literary renaissance began, and Heidenstam contributed to its romanticist development with more Oriental themes in Endymion and in Hans Alienus, which is both an epic dealing with a journey in search of beauty and a metamorphosed autobiography.
Then, like Gustaf Fröding and August Strindberg, Heidenstam turned to literary theory and criticism. He attacked the sordid realism of the time and espoused a vigorous nationalism and historicism. Heidenstam’s creative work expressing these values began with the book of poems Dikter in 1895 and attained powerful expression in The Charles Men, a cycle of tales that glorified Sweden in the time of Charles XII. A note of stoic moralism is sounded in Heliga Birgittas pilgrimsfärd (St. Bridget’s pilgrimage), and the historical theme is further developed in The Tree of the Folkungs, a novel set in medieval Sweden and dealing with the rise of the powerful Folkung dynasty that flourished in the thirteenth century. A year after the 1915 publication of his Nya dikter (new poems), he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, and two years before his death in 1940 he received the Henrik Steffens Prize. He ranks with Selma Lagerlöf among the leading romanticists of his day.
Bibliography
Blankner, Frederika, ed. The History of Scandinavian Literatures. 1938. Reprint. Port Washington, N.Y.: Kennikat Press, 1966. Contains a bibliography of Heidenstam in English translation, along with a brief discussion of the author.
Brantly, Susan. “Heidenstam’s Karolinerna and the Fin de Siècle.” In Fin(s) de Siècle in Scandinavian Perspective, edited by Faith Ingwersen and Mary Kay Norseng. Columbia, S.C.: Camden House, 1993. A critical study.
Bredsdorff, Elias, Brita Mortensen, and Ronald Popperwell. An Introduction to Scandanavian Literature from the Earliest Time to Our Day. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1970. Places Heidenstam in the context of Swedish authors in the period from the 1890’s to about 1910.
Gustafson, Alrik. A History of Swedish Literature. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1961. Includes a discussion of Heidenstam.
Gustafson, Alrik. Six Scandanavian Novelists: Lie, Jacobsen, Heidenstam, Selma Lagerlöf, Hamsun, Sigrid Undset. 1940. Reprint. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1966. The essay on Heidenstam is considered one of the best brief critical studies of him in English.
Rossel, Sven H. A History of Scandinavian Literature, 1870-1980. Translated by Anne C. Ulmer. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1982. Includes a discussion of Heidenstam.