Dictionary.net

A distinguished Swedish poet and historian, "father of modern Swedish literature"; born at Vinberga, in Halland, August 29, 1708; died Aug. 12, 1763. He found Swedish poetry over-austere and melancholy; he infused into it a sense of the joy of existence. He at the same time enriched the Swedish mother tongue with elements of vocabulary and forms of expression from foreign languages and literatures, which to some extent modified the native speech. The influence of the study of the French classical drama is seen in his epic poem "Sweden's Liberties" (1742), his drama "Brynhilda" (1738), and his comedy "The Jealous Man" (1738). But in his numerous songs and ballads he is a Swede, with a rich fund of humor. His "History of the Kingdom of Sweden" (4 vols.), reaching to the death of Charles IX., holds an honorable place in Swedish historical literature.