Viktor Rydberg
Abraham Viktor Rydberg ( born December 18, 1828 in Jonkoping, † 21 September 1895 in Djursholm ) was a Swedish writer, poet and cultural historian.
Life
Abraham Viktor Rydberg was born the son of a prison officer and a midwife. His mother died in 1834 of cholera. His father was then an alcoholic, while Viktor Rydberg was supervised by caring for the poor and grew up in various foster parents. The visit of a high school he broke off and began to work as a journalist. Later, he took the degree and studied law. Obtaining a degree he never reached. Viktor Rydberg lived as a publicist, in 1877 elected a member of the Swedish Academy and appointed in 1884 professor of cultural history.
Work
Viktor Rydberg still stands in the tradition of Romanticism. Based on a strong Christian faith, he came to liberal ideas and an optimistic belief in progress. From this position ( not from principled opposition to Christianity ), he taught sharp attacks against the dogmatic church Christianity.
Novels
Viktor Rydberg made primarily known as a novelist. His most famous work is the novel Singoalla, first appeared in 1857. It is an infra medieval story of the forbidden love of a knight to the gypsy Singoalla. In 1859 he published his novel The siste atenaren ( "The Last Athenian " ), a colorful historical novel about the struggle between paganism and Christianity in Athens coming on of late antiquity. The Christians are here for the negative "Oriental " principle of violence, dogmatism and fanaticism, while the pagans represented the positive "Western" principle of reason and humanity. Viktor Rydberg himself described in the preface to the novel as " spear, flung into the enemy ranks in the laudable intention of the warrior to injure and kill ." Even in his novel Vapensmeden ( " The Armourer ", 1871) represented Viktor Rydberg liberal thought.
Poetry
It was not until late 1882 and 1891, Viktor Rydberg published two poetry collections. In his poems Viktor Rydberg treated often philosophical questions. His most famous poem Tomten (roughly: " The elf " ) is about a creature of nature, which ponders the mystery of existence. In his cantata for the 400th anniversary of the University of Uppsala (1877 ) pays homage to Rydberg the optimistic belief in progress: The migration of the people of Israel into the Promised Land symbolizes the path of humanity to a better future, four faculties of theology, law, medicine and philosophy help the people there. Here we find the famous idealistic motto Vad rätt you tänkt, vad du vill skönt i kärlek / vad du drömt, kan ej av tiden härjas / det är a skörd, som undan honom bärgas / ty to listen evighetens till rike (about: " What you're right thought, what do you want out of love, what nice you dreamed of can not be destroyed by time, because this is a crop that is recovered ahead of time "). In his great poem idea Prometeus och Ahasuerus ( "Prometheus and Ahasuerus " ) Rydberg attacks the subject from the siste atenaren again: The Wandering through the world Ahasuerus visited the forged Prometheus to the rock, with a dialogue between the two ensues. Ahasuerus embodies the nihilistic " oriental " principle: In the world there is nothing but brute force and cruel despotism, the people have no choice but to accept the fate fainted. In contrast, represents the idealistic Prometheus "Western" principle: humanity, rebellion against injustice and despotism, fight for a better tomorrow, art and culture. Finally, the Messiah appears and gives his sympathy for Prometheus to detect. In the poem the nya Grottesången (roughly: "The new cave - song" ) denounced Viktor Rydberg using a motif from the Edda, the exploitation of workers in the incipient industrialization.
Others
1862 published Viktor Rydberg the book Bibelns Laera om Kristus ( "The doctrine of the Bible of Christ "). In this book, Viktor Rydberg claims that the dogma of the Trinity in the Gospels was not included and an invention of late antique councils had. Jesus Christ was indeed a model and perfect man, but not God. The book aroused when he appears quite a stir, especially at that time in Sweden, there was no freedom of religion.
Viktor Rydberg contributed to the carol Gläns över sjö och beach ( "Shine over lake and beach " ) and the narrative Lille Viggs äventyr på Julafton ("Little Viggs adventure on Christmas Eve " ) is not insignificant to the Swedish Christmas culture.
In addition, Viktor Rydberg was a significant translator, for example, by Edgar Allan Poe and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.