Oscar Gunnar Mascoll Silfverstolpe (21 January 1893 – 26 June 1942) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

poet, translator, and member of the

Swedish Academy The Swedish Academy ( sv, Svenska Akademien), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III of Sweden, Gustav III, is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish lang ...

Biography

Silfverstolpe was born in Rytterne,

Västmanland County Västmanland County ( sv, Västmanlands län) is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden. It borders the counties of Södermanland, Örebro, Gävleborg, Dalarna and Uppsala. The county also has a stretch of shoreline towards Mälaren (Sweden's ...

. He was the son of army captain Carl Edvard Mascoll Silfverstolpe and Elsa Maria Gagge. Following his

matriculation examination A matriculation examination or matriculation exam is a university entrance examination, which is typically held towards the end of secondary school. After passing the examination, a student receives a school leaving certificate recognising academi ...

(

studentexamen Studentexamen (Swedish for "students' examination" or "students' degree"), earlier also ''mogenhetsexamen'' ("maturity examination") was the name of the university entrance examination in Sweden from the 17th century to 1968. From 1862 to 1968 ...

) in 1911, he entered

Uppsala University Uppsala University ( sv, Uppsala universitet) is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in opera ...

and studied art history. He graduated with a BA 1914 and a

licentiate degree A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin Am ...

1919. In 1918, he began working at the Royal Collections (Kungliga Husgerådskammaren). He rose to become the head of this department in 1936. Silfverstolpe was secretary of the

Bellman Society Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as well ...

1919–1934, and chairman from 1940. He was a board member of the Swedish

PEN A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity whic ...

Club from 1922. He was elected to chair 18 of the

in 1941. In 1940, Silfverstolpe underwent surgery to treat cancer. His condition worsened in spring 1942 and he died on 26 June. Silfverstolpe died just half a year after joining the Swedish Academy, which makes his tenure the shortest of any member to date.

Bibliography

Poetry

* ''The Heritage'' (''Arvet'', 1919) * ''Daylight'' (''Dagsljus'', 1923) * ''Everyday'' (''Vardag'', 1926) * ''Afterwards'' (''Efteråt'', 1932) * ''Homeland'' (''Hemland'', 1940)

Art history

*Prins Eugens konst (1935) *Det tessinska slottet (with R. Josephson and J. Böttiger, 1940)

Translations

* ''Vers från väster'' (with K. Asplund, poetry from late Victorian, Edwardian, and Georgian eras, 1922) * ''Skattkammarön'' (''Treasure Island'' by R.L. Stevenson, 1941)

References

External links

Silfverstolpe's biography in Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon (in Swedish)Silfverstolpe's biography in the member registry of the Swedish Academy
{{Authority control 1893 births 1942 deaths Members of the Swedish Academy Uppsala University alumni Swedish poets Swedish translators Deaths from cancer in Sweden