Lycksalighetens ö

work by Atterbom

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June 30, 2026

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Lycksalighetens ö (The Isle of Bliss) is a significant poetic work by Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom, a leading figure in the Swedish Romantic movement. Published in two volumes between 1824 and 1827, the work functions on both literal and symbolic levels.12

On a literal level, it tells the story of King Astolf, who abandons his northern kingdom for the allure of sensual beauty. Symbolically, the play explores the captivating influence of imagination within the history of poetry. It is considered Atterbom's greatest poetic achievement and is an ambitious attempt to embody a philosophical system or interpretation of history through verse.12

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Per Daniel Amadeus Atterbom
…work is the fairy-tale play Lycksalighetens ö, 2 vol. (1824–27; “The Isle of the Blessed”), which, on the literal level, deals with King Astolf, who deserts his northern kingdom for the temptations of sensual beauty, and, on the symbolic level, with the beguiling power of imagination in the history of…
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…work is the fairy-tale play Lycksalighetens ö, 2 vol. (1824–27; “The Isle of the Blessed”), which, on the literal level, deals with King Astolf, who deserts his northern kingdom for the temptations of sensual beauty, and, on the symbolic level, with the beguiling power of imagination in the history of…
Read More

Swedish literature
Romanticism
…of this kind was Atterbom’s Lycksalighetens ö (1824–27; “The Isle of Bliss”), an allegory dealing with adventures of a legendary king, Astolf, and a history of poetry as an illustration of human alienation from the divine. The greatest poet was perhaps Erik Johan Stagnelius, who held aloof from schools and…
Read More
…of this kind was Atterbom’s Lycksalighetens ö (1824–27; “The Isle of Bliss”), an allegory dealing with adventures of a legendary king, Astolf, and a history of poetry as an illustration of human alienation from the divine. The greatest poet was perhaps Erik Johan Stagnelius, who held aloof from schools and…
Read More