Olof of Dalin

Olof von Dalin, painting by Johan Henrik Scheffel (1690–1781)

Olof von Dalin , before the ennoblement Olof Dahlin , (born August 29, 1708 in Vinberg ( Halland ), † August 12, 1763 in Drottningholm ) was a Swedish poet , writer , satirist and historian . With the founding of the Then Swänska Argus magazine , which was authoritative in phonetic and morphological terms in Swedish literature of that time, he ushered in the period of the New Swedish language. He is counted among the most important representatives of the Swedish Enlightenment . His tremendous productivity consisted of about 2500 works spanning most of the literary genres. In the four-volume work The History of the Swedish Empire (Swedish Svea Rikes Historia , 1747–62) he dealt with Swedish history from antiquity to the time of Charles IX.

Life

Dalin was born in 1708 in the Vinberg vicarage not far from Falkenberg . His parents, Jonas Dalin and Margareta Birgitta Auseen, came from families of priests. His father died at the age of two. His mother married Severin Böckman, who previously worked as an adjunct and now became parish priest . Although the family was not wealthy, Dalin received a good education. First he was tutored by his parents, later by a tutor . At the age of 13, Dalin enrolled at Lund University and studied there for six years. First he turned to medicine. His later interest, however, was inspired by the philosophy professor Andreas Rydelius , among others , in the fields of philosophy, history and literature.

After graduating from university, Dalin was employed as a private tutor for the noble Rålamb family in Stockholm in 1727 . There he came into contact with leading political and cultural circles in the capital. His wit and literary talents became known through it. Dalin quit the private tutoring, was chancellor in the Reichsarchiv in 1731 and in the chancellery college in 1732. He spent part of his free time researching history.

Then Swänska Argus

→ Main article : Then Swänska Argus

Cover of the 1st issue of Then Swänska Argus magazine

In December 1732 , the printer B. Schneider published the first anonymous edition of Dalin's satirical weekly Then Swänska Argus . Models of the Argus were Richard Steeles and Joseph Addison's English magazines, in particular The Spectator . The Argus used translated material from the Spectator and copied the articles of the Dutch-French Le Misantrope . From this came some typical figures like the soldier Hiertskott, the Hofmann Ehrenmenuet and others. What was new was that you could read stories in Swedish about ordinary people who dealt with everyday problems and who used the slang - political satire in fable form .

In March 1733, despite all precautionary measures, the magazine was banned due to certain attacks against religion, state and morality. The ban, the magazine valued by Queen Ulrika Eleonora , was lifted four days later by Chancellery President Arvid Horn , possibly through the intervention of the court.

There was great curiosity about the names of the authors. One assumption was that the word "Argus" was an acrostic with the first letters of the employee names. It was not until 1735 that it became generally known that Dalin was identical to the widely admired author. During this time he was introduced to the royal couple, who rewarded him with precious gifts. In 1737, thanks to the royal goodwill and on the recommendation of the Estates' Congress , Dalin was appointed royal librarian.

1730s

Of Dalin's works in the 1730s, the minnesang to Conrad Ribbing , the poem dedicated to Carl Gustaf Tessin , in his capacity as Land Marshal of the Reichstag in 1738, under the title Tankar över oväldigheten , and the satire Aprilverk om vår härliga, influenced by Boileau, are in particular tid from 1737. He also wrote lyrical sages and some pastoral poems with satirical or erotic hints. Dalin took over the address for the Royal Swedish Theater, which opened in 1737 (Swedish: Kungliga svenska skådeplatsen). He wrote the prose comedy Den avundsjuke ( The Jealous , 1738) for this stage . In the same year he wrote the tragedy Brynilda , written in Alexandrians , Sweden's first major tragedy in the French-classical style. The theme comes from Old Norse and Old German legends about Siegfried the dragon slayer , reworked after the French tragedy. The piece is similar to Jean Racine's Andromaque , which already existed in Swedish translation in 1723. Dalin later began to write the tragedy Cato , the style of which probably suggests the influence of François Voltaire . It was left unfinished.

He also wrote prose . His work Tankar över kritiken ( Thoughts on Criticism ) represents a defense of honest satire. In the prose satire Arngrim Bersärks förträffeliga tankar om ett fynd i jorden and Brevväxlingen mellan Ragvald Pik och Herr Silfverspasserklinga attacked Dalin Rudbeck's pedantic sniffing archeological research .

Dalin was also one of the first elected members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences .

Journey to Paris 1739

In 1739 Dalin went on a trip abroad with his former student Hans Gustaf Rålamb . It led via Denmark , Hamburg and the Netherlands to Paris , where he stayed for half a year. Carl Gustaf Tessin, who was the Swedish ambassador to the French capital, introduced Dalin to Paris society. In particular, the historian Charles Rollin , whom he met there, exerted an influence on his later work. During his time in Paris, he became involved in a philosophical discourse with Baron Carl Gustaf Cederhielm and exchanged pamphlets with him through Alexandrians.

The horse

After his return home in the summer of 1740, Dalin continued his work as a writer. It was felt that he had been influenced by contemporary French poetry, by Voltaire's poetry and above all by the politically satirical sound poetry . One of these works is the politically historical fable Das Pferd , an allegory of the fate of Sweden under the Kalmar Union . Sweden is embodied in the figure of the horse Grålle, whose various riders are called the Swedish kings. The fable, influenced by Jonathan Swift's A Tale of a Tub , became the model for many similar political prose poems.

The political Dalin

Dalin, who used to be close to the Hattarne (the "hats"), the young party of the Swedish aristocracy, and for the politics of Karl XII. entered, was a persona non grata in the bellicose hat party after his return from abroad in 1740 . He was now neutral or felt more drawn to the Mössorna (the "hats"), which represented the opposite pole to the "hats". His poems of the time, which were written during the Russo-Swedish War , which was provoked by the Hat Party, are anything but friendly to the Hat Party. Several small satirical and political poems about the succession to the throne, the Dalarna riots in 1743 and party disputes reveal an influence of French chanson and epigram poems . The battle song with the refrain "but the hat is crowned with laurels, victory and fame", composed as early as 1738, appeared only after the end of the war, which ended with Sweden's defeat, and achieved through the ironic allusion to the party of the "hats" Meaning.

Another time poem was the notable Svenska friheten ( Swedish Freedoms , 1742). It dealt with the ideals of freedom and criticized the party split. The poem was the most important poetry for Dalin's future and, in contrast to earlier poetry, achieved national significance. The epic shows influences from James Thomson , Voltaire ( The Henriade ) and also from Fénelon and Milton . The starting point is the death of Queen Ulrika Eleonore (1741). The poem begins with an allegorical portrayal of the freedom that seeks protection from Ulrika and reports on the fate she lived through in Sweden. Then Ulrika dreams of the calamity of disagreement. With this work, which was dedicated to the knighthood and aristocracy, Dalin hoped to be ennobled. Instead, the Secret Committee of the Swedish Reichstag proposed that Dalin be commissioned to write a work on Swedish history. In addition, Dalin created other lyrical and small poetical works such as Ängsövisan , Vårvisa , Skatan sitter på kyrkotorn and others. While Svenska frihed and the Brynilda tragedy was primarily valued by the upper class, his easy ways were successful with the common people.

The history of the Swedish Empire

By the mid-1740s, Dalin's development as a fiction writer was essentially complete. He now devoted himself to writing the history of the Swedish Empire ( Svea Rikes historia ). The first part was created in 1747, the second in 1750 and the third from 1760 to 1761. The work described the development of the empire from prehistory through the Middle Ages to the time of Gustav Vasas and his sons. Sometimes national prejudices shaped his descriptions. In contrast to that of Sven Lagerbring , his historiography is very nobility-friendly. The historian Anders af Botin claimed that Dalin lacked sufficient knowledge of the legal and fiscal elements of the story and therefore criticized him sharply.

Dalin and the court

Luise Ulrike of Prussia

In 1750 Dalin came into direct contact with the court when Carl Gustaf Tessin hired him as a teacher to Crown Prince Gustav . After overcoming Queen Luise Ulrike's prejudices against himself, he became her devoted servant, a popular teacher for her son, secretary of her Royal Swedish Academy of Learning, History and Antiquities, and social poet, and minister of entertainment at her court. Dalin was ennobled in 1751, appointed chancellery in 1753 and imperial historian in 1755.

In a pastoral with which he celebrated the return of the king from Finland in 1752, several allusions were made to the excessive power of the estates. In the so-called "Kalottpredikningar" he sharply mocked high-ranking members of the priesthood in words, gestures and voice.

In addition, Dalin was used by the court in 1755 to negotiate with the French writer Louis Joseph Plumard de Dangeul , who was connected to the French court, about nothing less than the expansion of the Swedish king's power and the king's writing of some specific written opinions in the council to help. The negotiations with Dangeul became known to some rulers, including Anders Johan von Höpken , and Dalin feared for his life. In 1756 he was brought to court, but only for the pastoral work, the "Kalottpredikningar" and his refusal to make the changes to the new edition of the play Svenska friheten demanded by the chancellery college . As a result, Dalin was banned and forbidden by a court of law from approaching the places where the royal family were staying. He was also fined for the "Kalottpredikningar". As a result of the exile, he had only a few open places of refuge. In his spare time he continued to work on his historical works. In 1761 his exile was lifted and he became a member of the court circles again. In March 1763 he was appointed court chancellor .

The queen had a plaque placed over his grave in Lovö cemetery .

Dalin's legacy

As one of the first representatives of the Age of Enlightenment, Dalin was of great importance for Sweden's scientific history. He is a representative of the moral-satirical prose literature of the time, the French-classicist current in drama and epic as well as the light rococo- tinged social poetry and poetry. He was a pioneer and public educator in all areas. He was not a fine spirit or a grandiose figure compared to foreign greats, but it is certain that Dalin is one of Sweden's leading cultural figures. Few Swedish writers have done a larger work than him. Many Gustavian writers followed his example and even Carl Michael Bellman saw him as his Swedish father. As a single personality, Dalin undoubtedly had weaknesses and his character appears to be powerless. He was accused of ingratitude and indecision.

Honors

In 1764 Olof Celsius the Younger gave a commemorative speech about Dalin at the Academy of Sciences and in 1769 the Academy minted a medal in his honor. The Svenska Academies dedicated a commemorative medal to him in 1798.

Works

• 1732-1734: Then Swänska Argus
• 1738: Brynilda
• 1738: the afwundsiuke
• 1740: The horse (Swedish Sagan om hästen , limited preview in Google book search, ISBN 9781173252984 )
• 1742: Swenska friheten
• 1747–1762: History of the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish Svea rikes historia , part 1–4, limited preview in the Google book search, ISBN 9781144515841 )
• 1767: Witterhets-Arbeten (part 1–6, posthumously, ISBN 9781286100028 )

literature

• Lars G. Warme: A History of Swedish Literature . University of Nebraska Press, 1996, ISBN 0-8032-4750-8 .
• Göran Hägg: Den svenska literaturhistorien . Wahlström & Widstrand, 1996, ISBN 91-46-17629-2 .
• Göran Hägg: Svenskhetens historia . Wahlström & Widstrand, 2003.
• Ingemar Carlsson: Olof von Dalin - Samhällsdebattör, historian, Språkförnyare . CAL-förlaget, Falkenberg 1997.
• Ingemar Carlsson: Olof von Dalin som tecknare . Förlag Utsikten, Falkenberg 2003.
• Dalin, Olof von . In: Herman Hofberg, Frithiof Heurlin, Viktor Millqvist, Olof Rubenson (eds.): Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon . 2nd Edition. tape 1 : A-K . Albert Bonniers Verlag, Stockholm 1906, p. 215-216 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).
• Dalin, Olof von . In: Bernhard Meijer, Theodor Westrin (ed.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 2nd Edition. tape 5 : Cestius-Degas . Nordisk familjeboks förlag, Stockholm 1906, Sp. 1169–1175 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).

Web links

Commons : Olof von Dalin  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Olof von Dalin on the website of the Olof von Dalin Society (English, Swedish)
• Olof von Dalin's poetic work on kalliope.org

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Adolf Noreen: History of the Nordic languages, especially in Old Norse times . Publisher by Karl J. Trübner, Strasbourg 1913, p. 47 . ( read online (PDF; 13.1 MB), accessed on September 22, 2012)
2. ↑ Ingemar Carlsson, Olof von Dalin, 1708–1763 in: Swedish Translators' Lexicon (Swedish), accessed on September 22, 2012
3. ↑ Hägg (1996), pages 132-133
4. ↑ ^{a b} Dalin, Olof von . In: Bernhard Meijer, Theodor Westrin (ed.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 2nd Edition. tape 5 : Cestius-Degas . Nordisk familjeboks förlag, Stockholm 1906, Sp. 1171 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).
5. ↑ Dalin, Olof von . In: Bernhard Meijer, Theodor Westrin (ed.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 2nd Edition. tape 5 : Cestius-Degas . Nordisk familjeboks förlag, Stockholm 1906, Sp. 1173 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).
6. ↑ Dalin, Olof von . In: Bernhard Meijer, Theodor Westrin (ed.): Nordisk familjebok konversationslexikon och realencyklopedi . 2nd Edition. tape 5 : Cestius-Degas . Nordisk familjeboks förlag, Stockholm 1906, Sp. 1174 (Swedish, runeberg.org ).