Olof von Dalin (1708-1763), the Swedish poet, was born on 29 August 1708 in the parish of Vinberg in Halland, where his father was the minister. He was closely related to Andreas Rydelius, the philosophical bishop of Lund, and he was sent at a very early age to be instructed by him -- Linnaeus being one of his fellow-pupils. Events March 23 - James Francis Edward Stuart lands at the Firth of Forth September 28 - Peter the Great defeats the Swedes at the Battle of Lesnaya Kandahar conquered by Mir Wais In Masuria one third of the population die during the plague J.S. Bach appointed as chamber musician and... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Halland is the name of a geographical region in Sweden which can refer to: Hallandia, or Halland - a historical Province of Sweden Halland County, or Hallands län - a current County of Sweden This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same... Lund is a city in Scania in southernmost Sweden, and the center of the Lund Municipality. ...

While studying at Lund University in 1723, Dalin visited Stockholm, and in 1726 he entered into public office there. Under the patronage of Baron Claes Rålamb he rapidly rose to favour, and his skill and intelligence won him a golden reputation. In 1733 he started the weekly Svenska Argus, on the model of Joseph Addison's The Spectator, writing anonymously till 1736. His next work was Tankar öfver Critiquer ("Thoughts about Critics", 1736). Lund University Lund University (Swedish: Lunds universitet) is a university in Lund in southernmost Sweden. ... Events February 16 - Louis XV of France attains his majority Births February 24 - John Burgoyne, British general (d. ... The Stockholm City Hall Stockholm  listen is the capital and the largest city of Sweden. ... Joseph Addison, the Kit-cat portrait, circa 1703-1712, by Godfrey Kneller. ... The Spectator is a conservative British political magazine, established 1828, published weekly. ...

With the avowed purpose of enlarging the horizons of his cultivation and tastes, Dalin set off, in the company of his pupil, Baron Rålamb's son, on a tour through Germany and France, in 1739-1740. Upon his return, the shifting political life at home caused him to write his famous satirical allegories, The Story of the Horse and Aprilverk (1738), that were very popular and inspired countless imitations.

His didactic epos of Svenska Friheten ("Swedish Liberty") appeared in 1742. Hitherto, Addison and Alexander Pope had been his models; in this work he draws his inspiration from Thomson, whose poem, Liberty, he emulated. Alexander Pope Alexander Pope (May 22, 1688 – May 30, 1744) is considered one of the greatest English poets of the eighteenth century. ... Thomson SA (NYSE: TMS)(Euronext: TMM) , formerly known as Thomson Multimedia is a multinational electronics manufacturer and media services provider headquartered in Boulogne, France. ...

On the accession of Adolphus Frederick in 1751, Dalin received the post of Tutor to the crown prince -- afterwards Gustavus III. He had enjoyed the confidence of Queen Louisa Ulrika, sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia, while she was crown princess, and she now made him secretary of the Swedish Academy of Letters, founded by her in 1753. Gustav III (13 January 1746 (O.S.) (24 January 1746 (N.S.))–March 29, 1792) was the King of Sweden from February 12, 1771 until his death. ... Louisa Ulrika of Prussia (Lovisa Ulrika in Swedish and Luise Ulrike in German), (1720 - 1782) was queen of Sweden between 1751 and 1771. ... Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ...

His position at court involved him in the queen's political intrigues, and separated him to a vexatious degree from the studies wherein he had hitherto been absorbed. He held the post of Tutor to the crown prince until 1756, when he was arrested on suspicion of taking part in the attempted coup d'état that year, and was tried for his life before the diet. He was acquitted, but was forbidden to show himself at court on any pretense. This period of exile, lasting until 1761, Dalin spent in the preparation of the third volume of his great historical work, the Svea Rikes historia ("History of the Swedish Kingdom"), that related events up to the death of Charles IX in 1611. The first two volumes appeared in 1746-1750; the third, in two parts, in 1760-1762. A coup détat (pronounced kū dā ta), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... Charles IX, or Karl IX (1550 – 1611), king of Sweden, was the youngest son of Gustav I of Sweden and Margareta Lejonhufvud. ...

Dalin had been made a noble in 1751, and made privy councillor in 1753; and now, in 1761, he once more took his place at court. During his exile, however, his spirit and his health had been broken; in a fit of panic, he had destroyed some manuscripts of his best unpublished works, and this he constantly brooded over. On the 12th of August 1763, he died at his house in Drottningholm. Drottningholm, or literally Queens Islet, is a village on the island Lovön in lake Mälaren on the outskirts of Stockholm, Sweden. ...

In the year 1767, his writings in belles lettres were issued in six volumes, edited by J. C. Bökman, his half brother. Amid an enormous mass of occasional verses, anagrams, epigrams, impromptus and the like, his satires and serious poems were almost buried. But some of these former, even, are found to be songs of remarkable grace and delicacy, and many display a love of natural scenery, and a knowledge of its forms, that is truly remarkable in that artificial age. Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject (for example, individuals, organizations, or states) often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. ...

His dramas are also of interest, particularly his admirable comedy of Den afvundsjuke ("The Envious Man", 1738); he also wrote a tragedy, Brynilda (1759), and a pastoral in three scenes upon King Adolphus Frederick's return from Finland. During the early part of his life, he was universally admitted to be facile princeps among the Swedish poets of his time.

See also Karl Warburg, "Olof von Dalin", in the Handlingar (vol. lix, 1884) of the Swedish Academy. A selection of his works was edited by E. V. Lindblad (Örebro, 1872). The Swedish Academy or Svenska Akademien, founded in 1786 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. ...

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (1911) in many ways represents the sum of knowledge at the beginning of the 20th century. ...