Ulrika Carolina Widström (24 November 1764, in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

– 19 February 1841), was a Swedish

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

and

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

. She is remembered for her successful collection ''Erotiska sånger'' (Erotic songs) which was published in 1799. She was awarded a gold medal by the Swedish Academy for her literary output.

Early life and education

Ulrika Carolina Widström was born to the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

manufacturer Peter Forsberg and Katarina Maria Grip, who both served at the royal palace, on 24 November 1764, in Stockholm. One of her godparents was Charlotta Fredrika von Fersen, lady in waiting to Queen Sofia Magdalena. Thanks to her godmother, Widström was educated in both French and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, and learned languages and music.

Career

Widström debuted as a poet in the 1780s, when she aroused attention by some poems, published in the literary papers of the day. Her breakthrough came by the publication of ''Erotiska sånger'' (Erotic songs) in 1799. Her poetry was described as very affected by the Gustavian era. Her collected work was published by Carl Julius Lénström in 1840. This was a success, and was reprinted many times. Widstrom was well known and admired by her contemporaries and artists, such as Carl Gustaf af Leopold, Bengt Lidner,

Thomas Thorild Thomas Thorild ( Svarteborg, Bohuslän, 18 April 1759 – Greifswald, Swedish Pomerania, 1 October 1808), was a Swedish poet, critic, feminist and philosopher. He was noted for his early support of women's rights. In his 1793 treatise ''Om kv ...

and Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom. Widström's translations include Matthew G. Lewis's 1796 horror novel '' The Monk'', which she collaborated with Herman Anders Kullberg to translate. Other translated works include F. G. Ducray-Duminil's ''Victor, ou l’Enfant de la forêt'' (Victor, a Child of the Forest)'','' published as ''Victor eller Skogs-Barnet'', and ''Les enfants de l'Abbaye'' (''The Children of the Abbey)'' by

Regina Maria Roche Regina Maria Roche (1764 – 17 March 1845) was an Irish Gothic novelist, best known for ''The Children of the Abbey'' (1796) and ''Clermont (novel), Clermont'' (1798). Encouraged by the success of the pioneering Ann Radcliffe, she became a bests ...

. She married Sven Widström (d. 1814), a

violinist The following lists of violinists are available: * List of classical violinists * List of contemporary classical violinists * List of jazz violinists * List of popular music violinists * List of Indian violinists * List of Persian violinists * Li ...

in the royal Capell, in 1790. They had five children together. They suffered financial hardship when the royal orchestra was fired wholesale in 1807. Sven died in 1812, and in 1814, Widström moved to

Mariestad Mariestad () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Mariestad Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had 16,611 inhabitants in 2019. Until 1997 it was the capital of the former Skaraborg County and an episcopal see in the ...

, where she opened a girls' finishing school in 1830, run by one of her daughters. She also at times worked as a governess. She was awarded the gold medal of the

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 ...

in recognition of her literary output in 1841, just before her death.

Early life and education

Career

See also

References

Further reading