Frans Michael Franzén

Frans Michael Franzén (9 February 1772 – 14 August 1847) was a Swedish-Finnish poet and clergyman. He served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Härnösand.[1]

For the sculpture, see Frans Michael Franzén (sculpture).

Frans Michael Franzén
Painting by Johan Gustaf Sandberg (1823)
DioceseDiocese of Härnösand
In office1832–1847
PredecessorErik Abraham Almqvist
SuccessorIsrael Bergman
Orders
Ordination1803
Personal details
Born(1772-02-09)9 February 1772
Oulu, Sweden
Died14 August 1847(1847-08-14) (aged 75)
Härnösand, Sweden
Statue of Frans Michael Franzén by Erland Stenberg (1879) at Franzéninpuisto park in Oulu, Finland

Biography

Franzén was born in Oulu (Swedish: Uleåborg), Northern Ostrobothnia, Sweden (now part of Finland). At thirteen he entered the Royal Academy of Turku, where he attended the lectures of Henrik Gabriel Porthan (1739–1804), a pioneer in the study of Finnish history and folklore. He graduated in 1789, and became eloquentiae docens in 1792.[1][2][3]

Three years later he started on a tour through Denmark, Germany, France and England, returning in 1796 to accept the office of university librarian at Turku in Finland. In 1801 he became professor of history and ethics, in 1808 he was elected a member of the Swedish Academy[3] and in 1815 a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.[1] He was a member of Pro Fide et Christianismo, a Christian education society.[4]

Finland was ceded by Sweden to Russia in 1809 after the Finnish War, and Franzén relocated to Kumla, Sweden, where he was appointed parish priest in the diocese of Strängnäs (1810), minister of the Klara Church in Stockholm (1824) and Bishop of Härnösand (1831).[1][3] In Härnösand, he got to know Carl Olof Rosenius, seeing him as a promising preacher.[5] Revivalist preacher Pehr Brandell worked as Franzén's assistant and after his death was defended by Franzén.[6]

Franzén died in 1847 in Härnösand, Sweden.

Personal life

Franzén was married three times; in 1799 to Margareta Elisabet Roos, in 1807 to Sophia Christina Wester, in 1831 to Christina Elisabeth Arvedsson. Franzén's son-in-law poet and historian Anders Abraham Grafström (1790–1870) served alongside him in the Swedish Academy and was Franzén's biographer. Franzén died in the parish of Säbrå in Västernorrland.[7]

Works
Portrait of F. M. Franzén by Fredric Westin

From the autumn of 1793, when his Till en ung Flicka and Menniskans anlete were inserted by Kellgren in the Stockholmspost, Franzén grew in popular favour by means of many minor poems of singular simplicity and truth, such as Till Selma, Den gamle knekten, Riddar St Göran, De Små blommorna, Modren vid vaggan, Nyårsmorgonen and Stjernhimmelen. His songs Goda gasse glaset töm, Sörj ej den gryende dagen förut, Champagnevinet and Beväringssång were widely sung, and in 1797 he won the prize of the Swedish Academy by his Sång öfver grefve Filip Creutz.[1][3]

After 1797, his muse, touched with the academic spirit, grew more reflective and didactic. His longer works, as Emili eller en afton i Lappland, and the epics Svante Sture eller mötet vid Alvastra, Kolumbus eller Amerikas upptäckt and Gustaf Adolf i Tyskland (the last two incomplete), though rich in beauties of detail, are far inferior to his shorter pieces.[8][3]

Editions

The poetical works of Franzén are collected under the title Skaldestycken (7 vols., 1824–1861); new ed., Samlade dikter, with a biography by A. A. Grafström (1867–1869); also a selection (Valda dikter) in 2 vols. (1871). His prose writings, Om svenska drostniningar (Åbo, 1798; Örebro, 1823), Skrifter i obunden stil, vol. i. (1835), Predikningar (5 vols., 1841–1845) and Minnesteckningar, prepared for the Academy (3 vols., 1848–1860), are marked by faithful portraiture and purity of style.[8][3]

See also

References
  1. Lundström, Gösta. "Frans Michael Franzén" (in Swedish). Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Archived from the original on 28 February 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  2. "Henrik Gabriel Pothan". 375humanistia. 15 February 2015. Archived from the original on 23 June 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  3. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Franzén, Frans Mikael". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  4. Stenius, Henrik (1987). Frivilligt jämlikt samfällt: föreningsväsendets utveckling i Finland fram till 1900-talets början med speciell hänsyn till massorganisationsprincipens genombrott (in Swedish). Helsinki: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. p. 111. OCLC 645769585. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  5. Norborg, Sverre (1975). C.O. Rosenius, Nordens evangelist (in Norwegian Bokmål). Oslo: Lunde. pp. 9–10. ISBN 9788252036206.
  6. Edquist, Carl. "Pehr Brandell". Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  7. Gösta Lundström. "Anders A Grafström". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Archived from the original on 19 November 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  8. Frans Michael Franzén Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine 375 humanists – 18 May 2015. Faculty of Arts, University of Helsinki

Further reading
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