During the last decades there has not been much poetry of marked value produced in Sweden, but the little that has appeared shows a tendency to continue in the course indicated by Runeberg, and to seek a realistic basis. The political poetry which in the forties became so prominent in every European country, found a talented representative in Carl Vilhelm Strandberg (1818-77), who wrote under the name "Talis Qualis." He took the champions of political poetry in Germany, especially Herwegh and Hoffmann von Fallersleben as his models, and his first songs may be regarded as imitations of these. But he soon rose to complete independence, and his "Sånger i Pansar" are not only the best that Sweden has produced in this direction, but may be safely ranked with any recent productions of the same kind. He also wrote lyrical poems on other themes, and these are very attractive not only on account of the author's bold imagination, but also on account of the warm hearty sentiment pervading them. His translations of Byron's "Don Juan" and of his narrative poems are very good.[1]
Among modern poets we have yet to mention: The kings Charles XV and Oscar II. The former has written two volumes of poems, which chiefly treat of themes from northern antiquities. They indicate much talent and a refined taste. This also applies to the poems of the present king, among which the best are "Ur svenska flottans minnen," which he produced while a prince, and by which he won the prize offered by the Swedish Academy. His translations of Herder's Cid and Goethe's Tasso are very successful.[2] The renowned architect, Frederik Vilhelm Scholander (born 1816), has written, under the nom de plume "Acharius," a number of
- ↑ C. W. A. Strandbergs samlade vitterhets arbeten, I-II, Stockholm, 1877-78.
- ↑ Karl XV: En samling dikter af C. Stockholm, 1870. Oscar Frederik (Oscar II) samlade Skrifter, I-II, Stockholm, 1875-76.
Helsingfors, 1861. Nervanders digter, I-II, Helsingfors, 1869-75. Cygnäus: Skaldestycken, I-V, Helsingfors, 1851-54. Senare samling, I, Helsingfors, 1870. Z. Topelius: Sånger, I-III, Stockholm, 1870-72. Dramatiske dikter, I, Stockholm, 1861. Läsning for barn, I-IV, Stockholm, 1878. J. Vecksells samlade dikter, Helsingfors, 1868. Daniel Hjort, Örebro, 1874.
