Malla Silfverstolpe
Encyclopedia
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Montgomery; 8 February 1782 – 17 January 1861) was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
writer and salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
hostess. Her house in Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
was a meeting place for many prominent writers, composers and intellectuals. Her diaries, published in four parts between 1908 and 1911, offer a unique insight into the lives of those who formed part of her circle.
Biography
Silfverstolpe's father, Robert Montgomery, was commissioned into the French army in 1754 and by 1777 had achieved the rank of colonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. Serving in the County of Nyland and Tavastehus
County of Nyland and Tavastehus
Nyland and Tavastehus County was a county of the Swedish Empire from 1634 to 1809.In 1775 a part of Satakunta was added from the Åbo and Björneborg County, while Upper Hollola was transferred to the new Kymmenegård County....
, in modern-day Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, he married Charlotte Rudbeck in 1781. Rudbeck died in April 1782, two months after their daughter was born; Montgomery returned to Sweden with his daughter in 1783. Montgomery was held in high regard by Gustav III
Gustav III of Sweden
Gustav III was King of Sweden from 1771 until his death. He was the eldest son of King Adolph Frederick and Queen Louise Ulrica of Sweden, she a sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia....
at the time of his return. That changed in 1789 when he was sentenced to death for his involvement in the Anjala conspiracy
Anjala conspiracy
The Anjala conspiracy of 1788 was a scheme by disgruntled Swedish officers to end Gustav III's Russian War of 1788–90. Declaring Finland an independent state was part of the plot, although it is disputed what importance the conspirators connected to that aspect.- Rising anger against the king...
—the sentence was not carried out and he remained in prison until his release in 1793. Silfverstolpe was raised by her maternal grandmother in Edsberg, Sollentuna
Edsberg, Sollentuna
Edsberg is an urban district in Sollentuna Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It is located at the bottom of the Edsviken Bay, which forms a long inlet all the way from the Gulf of Bothnia. It forms part of the Stockholm urban area. In daily use Edsberg means the the area with multifamily...
during the period of her father's imprisonment.
Silfverstolpe was married to David Gudmund Silfverstolpe, a colonel in the Swedish general staff, in 1807; the marriage was not a happy one. Her husband suffered from repeated bouts of "mjältsjuka"—an illness that, though then associated with the spleen
Spleen
The spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock...
("mjälte" being the Swedish word for the organ), might now be diagnosed as depression. The couple moved to Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
in 1812 and Silfverstolpe was widowed in 1819.
In 1820, Silfverstolpe, inspired by the prominent women of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, began running her Friday night salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
. Silfverstolpe's salon welcomed leading figures in Swedish science, literature and high society and even hosted influential foreign visitors to the country. The salon was a powerful presence within the culture of Sweden for two decades and was the centre of the country's romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
movement. Aside from her support for romantic poets and novellists, Silfverstolpe was also a patron
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
to a number of songwriters, including Per Ulrik Kernell and Adolf Fredrik Lindblad
Adolf Fredrik Lindblad
Adolf Fredrik Lindblad was a Swedish composer, mainly remembered for his songs.Lindblad composed one opera, Frondörerna , two symphonies, in C and D major, and chamber music including two string quintets, three violin sonatas and seven string quartets...
.
Silfverstolpe, who had kept diaries throughout her life, began writing her memoirs from 1822 following Kernell's insistent suggestion. Excerpts from these were eventually released in four parts from 1908 to 1911, a second edition was published in 1914. The memoirs are rich in personal and historical detail. Silfverstolpe described Sweden and many of her most famous contemporaries with great tact and familiarity. Her writings provide an important contemporary account of figures such as Carl Jonas Love Almqvist
Carl Jonas Love Almqvist
thumb|right|Painted by Almqvist, 1823Carl Jonas Love Almqvist , was a romantic poet, early feminist, realist, composer, social critic and traveller....
, Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom
Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom
Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom was a Swedish romantic poet, and a member of the Swedish Academy....
, Erik Gustaf Geijer
Erik Gustaf Geijer
Erik Gustaf Geijer was a Swedish writer, historian, poet, philosopher, and composer. His writings served to promote Swedish National Romanticism. He also was an influential advocate of Liberalism.-Biography:...
, Lindblad, Anders Fredrik Skjöldebrand
Anders Fredrik Skjöldebrand
Anders Fredrik Skjöldebrand was a Swedish count, lord of the realm, general, statesman and minister from the Skjöldebrand dynasty...
, Esaias Tegnér
Esaias Tegnér
Esaias Tegnér , was a Swedish writer, professor of Greek language, and bishop. He was during the 19th century regarded as the father of modern poetry in Sweden, mainly through the national romantic epos Frithjof's Saga. He has been called Sweden's first modern man...
, Adolf Törneros and Johan Olof Wallin
Johan Olof Wallin
Johan Olof Wallin, , was a Swedish minister, orator, poet and later Archbishop of Uppsala, Sweden. He is most remembered today for his hymns.- Early life :...
.
Numerous contemporaries of Silfverstolpe dedicated poetry to her; these include Atterbom, Geijer and Wallin. There is also a road named after her in Sollentuna—Malla Silfverstolpes väg—upon which is Rudbeckskolan (a school named after her maternal family).