Verner von Heidenstam
1859–1940
Biography
Carl Gustaf Verner von Heidenstam, usually called Verner von Heidenstam, was a Swedish poet and novelist who lived from 1859 to 1940. He was born at Olshammar in Närke and died at Övralid in Östergötland. He sat in the Swedish Academy from 1912 until his death and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for 1916.
He made his name with a collection of poems published in 1888, which turned away from the realism and naturalism that dominated Swedish writing and embraced romanticism, individualism and a love of the senses. His poems and prose are full of joy in life and pride in Sweden's history, especially the fortunes of the soldiers who served under Charles XII. Writers who came of age in the 1890s, the so-called nittiotalister, took their lead from him, and he is often treated as their chief figure.
The site holds Folkungaträdet, a historical novel about the Folkung dynasty of medieval Sweden. It shows the interest in the national past that runs through his work, and it is a good way in for readers who know him mainly as a poet.
This biography was written by a language model. The sources below are where to check it; treat details with care.
Books
Folkungaträdet
by Verner von Heidenstam
In heathen Östergötland, the rich farmer Folke Filbyter builds up land and power and then loses his grandson, and the search for the boy sets a family on its path from peasants to kings. Verner von Heidenstam's two linked novels follow the Folkungs over generations, through the…
Summary written by Claude Opus 5.5.