Count Gustaf Philip Creutz (; 1 May 1731 in
Anjala
Anjala was a town in Southern Finland, which merged in 1975 with Sippola to form Anjalankoski, later further merged into Kouvola
Kouvola () is a city and municipality in southeastern Finland. It is located along the Kymijoki River in the region ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
– 30 October 1785 in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
), 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 ...
statesman, diplomat and poet.
Biography
Creutz was born in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
and after concluding his studies at the
Royal Academy of Turku
The Royal Academy of Turku or the Royal Academy of Åbo ( sv, Kungliga Akademin i Åbo or ; la, Regia Academia Aboensis; fi, Turun akatemia) was the first university in Finland, and the only Finnish university that was founded when the country ...
he received a post in the
Privy Council Chancery at
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
in 1751. Here he met Count
Gustaf Fredrik Gyllenborg
Count Gustaf Fredrik Gyllenborg (25 November 1731 – 30 March 1808) was a Swedish writer. Gustaf Fredrik Gyllenborg was born in Suinstad, Östergötland and died in Stockholm. He was one of the leading lights of Tankebyggarorden (Order of th ...
, with whom his name is indissolubly connected. They were closely allied with
Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht
Hedvig Charlotta Nordenflycht ( Stockholm, Sweden, 28 November 1718 – Stockholm, Sweden, 29 June 1763) was a Swedish poet, feminist and salon hostess.
Biography
She was the youngest of five children of the wealthy official Anders Ander ...
, and their works were published in common; to their own generation they seemed equal in fame, but posterity has given the palm of genius to Creutz.
His greatest work is contained in the 1762 volume, the idyll of ''Atis och Camilla''; the exquisite little
pastoral
A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...
entitled ''Daphne'' was published at the same time, and Gyllenborg was the first to proclaim the supremacy of his friend.
In 1763, Creutz practically closed his poetical career; he went to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
as ambassador, and after three years to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
in the same capacity until May 1783, and it was during this time that Creutz met with the
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
resident
Resident may refer to:
People and functions
* Resident minister, a representative of a government in a foreign country
* Resident (medicine), a stage of postgraduate medical training
* Resident (pharmacy), a stage of postgraduate pharmaceuti ...
in Paris at the time,
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
. Creutz and Franklin drafted the first
Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the two nations.
In 1783, King
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia.
Gustav was a vocal opponent of what ...
recalled him and heaped honours upon him, but he died soon after. In 1784, he was elected a member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the Swedish Royal Academies, royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special ...
.
''Atis och Camilla'' was long the most admired poem in the
Swedish language
Swedish ( ) is a North Germanic language spoken predominantly in Sweden and in parts of Finland. It has at least 10 million native speakers, the fourth most spoken Germanic language and the first among any other of its type in the Nordic countr ...
; it is written in a spirit of pastoral which is now to some degree faded, but in comparison with most of the other productions of the time it is freshness itself. Creutz introduced a melody and grace into the Swedish tongue which it lacked before, and he has been styled the last artificer of the language.
See also
*
List of people on stamps of the United States
This article lists people who have been featured on United States postage stamps, listed by their name, the year they were first featured on a stamp, and a short description of their notability. Since the United States Post Office issued its first ...
References
* This work in turn cites:
** ''Creutz och Gyllenborgs Vitterhetsarbeten'' (Stockholm, 1795)
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Creutz, Gustaf Philip
Swedish poets
Gustaf Philip
1731 births
1785 deaths
Age of Liberty people
Gustavian era people
Ambassadors of Sweden to France
Ambassadors of Sweden to Spain
Members of the Privy Council of Sweden
Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Swedish-language poets
People from Kouvola
Swedish-speaking Finns
Finnish people of German descent
18th-century Swedish politicians
18th-century Swedish poets