Svea : En litterär kalender 1844-1907

Sammanfattning: In time for Christmas 1844, the first issue of the literary annual Svea: Folkkalender came out. The publisher and editor was Albert Bonnier (1820–1900), whose express intent was to make his annual one of national significance. It would contain only specially written works by Swedish authors. Svea was to become the most successful publication of its type in Sweden. My principal object is two-fold: in part to study the business of publishing the annual Svea, and in part to analyse its contents in an attempt to determine the view of reality and the values it communicated to its readers. The aspect of nationalism is an important consideration in this regard. To write for Svea seems to have often been popular amongst writers. The fees were relatively high and the annual was widely read. I put great emphasis on the relation between author and publisher. In the content analysis of Svea I try to penetrate the subject matter with a focus on two main topics that cast light on nationalism: historicism and modernity—anti-modernity. I also wish to find out whether the choice and leaning of its literary articles changed between the mid-1800s and the beginning of the twentieth century, and if so, in what way. Throughout the years in which Svea was published there appeared articles that used Swedish history as their raw material. Svea also captured the ideological and political trends and events of the day. Articles dealing with new technology and science can be found spread throughout the issues of Svea. Two prominent types of articles are those that express the character and ways of life of the various Swedish provinces as well as a romanticized view of life on farms and of nature. Ideas favouring emancipation are also given clear expression in Svea.