Anders Abraham Grafström (10 January 1790 – 24 July 1870) was a
Swedish historian, priest and poet.
Life
Grafström was born in
Sundsvall
Sundsvall () is a city and the seat of Sundsvall Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden. It has a population of 58,807 as of 2020; more than 95,000 live in the municipal area. It is Sweden's 21st largest city by population. Old town i ...
in
Västernorrland County
Västernorrland County () is a county ('' län'') in the north of Sweden. It is bordered by the counties of Gävleborg, Jämtland, Västerbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia.
The name ''Västernorrland'' means "Western Norrland", as it was in the ...
, Sweden.
He studied at
Uppsala University
Uppsala University (UU) () 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 operation.
Initially fou ...
, where he was enrolled in 1809 and became a master's degree in 1815.
In 1819, he was the library secretary of
Uppsala University
Uppsala University (UU) () 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 operation.
Initially fou ...
. The following year he was named as a lecturer in history at the university, and he later taught at the
Military Academy Karlberg
Military Academy Karlberg (, MHS K) is a Swedish military academy, since its inauguration in 1792 in operation in the Karlberg Palace in Solna, just north of central Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urb ...
.
In 1830 he was ordained and in 1835 he was appointed as a parish priest at
Umeå
Umeå ( , , , locally ; ; ; ; ) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County.
Situated on the Ume River, Umeå is the largest Urban areas in Sweden, locality in Norrland and the t ...
in
Västerbotten
Västerbotten (), sometimes called West Bothnia or Westrobothnia, is a province (''landskap'') in northern Sweden, located by the Gulf of Bothnia. It borders the provinces of Ångermanland, Lapland and Norrbotten. The region is famous for Väs ...
where he lived until his death.
In 1825, he received the grand prize from
Swedish Academy
The Swedish Academy (), founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. Its 18 members, who are elected for life, comprise the highest Swedish language authority. Outside Scandinavia, it is best known as the body t ...
for a poem about the wedding of Crown Prince
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People and fictional and mythical characters
* Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar
* Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
and was admitted into the Academy in 1839, occupying Seat 6.
Grafström belonged to the literary circle centred on salon hostess.
Malla Silfverstolpe
Magdalena Sofia "Malla" Silfverstolpe (''née'' Montgomery; 8 February 1782 – 17 January 1861) was a Sweden, Swedish writer and Salon (gathering), salon hostess. Her house in Uppsala was a meeting place for many prominent writers, composers ...
(1782–1861). He wrote a famous
biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curri ...
of poet
Frans Michael Franzén
Frans Michael Franzén (9 February 1772 – 14 August 1847) was a Swedish people, Swedish-Finland, Finnish poet and clergyman. He served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Härnösand.
Biography
Franzén was born in Oulu (), Northern Ostrobothnia ...
. Some of Grafström's poetry was set to music by the composer
Johan Erik Nordblom (1788-1848).
Personal life
He was married in 1822 to Henriette Elisabeth Franzén (1803-1833) and after her death to her half-sister Helena Sophia Franzén (1813-1891). His father-in-Law was Bishop Frans Michael Franzén (1772–1847).
His daughter Sofia Elisabeth Grafström (1839-1874) married teacher and folklorist
Artur Hazelius (1833–1901) .
In his later years, Grafström was a vocal exponent of the expansion of the
railway network into
Norrland
Norrland (, , originally ''Norrlanden'', meaning 'the Northlands') is the northernmost, largest and least populated of the three traditional lands of Sweden, consisting of nine provinces. Although Norrland does not serve any administrative p ...
.
He died at
Umeå
Umeå ( , , , locally ; ; ; ; ) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County.
Situated on the Ume River, Umeå is the largest Urban areas in Sweden, locality in Norrland and the t ...
, aged 80.
Bibliography
* De lingua, originis gentis Sviogothicae indice. Upsala, 1811.
* Tal öfver Högstsalig Hans Majestät Konung Carl XIII, hållet på Gustavianska Lärosalen i Upsala, den 6 maj 1818. Stockholm, 1818.
* De Statu Rerum Sveciarum ad Mortem Ingialdi Illråda Dissertatio Historica. (Beteiligt Petrus Ephraim Oldberg und Johannes P. Bosén). Dissertation Upsala 1820.
* De reformatione religionis christianae post Lutherum continuata. Upsala, 1829.
* Skalde-försök. Stockholm, 1826–1832.
* Ett år i Sverige. Stockholm, 1827-35 (Ed. Christian Didrik Forssell).
* Sånger från Norrland. Stockholm, 1841.
* Nya sånger från Norrland. Stockholm, 1848.
* Samlade skaldestycken. Stockholm, 1864.
References
1790 births
1870 deaths
People from Sundsvall
Writers from Västernorrland County
Swedish male poets
Swedish-language poets
Members of the Swedish Academy
Uppsala University alumni
19th-century Swedish poets
19th-century Swedish male writers
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