A Book for Children, Manual in Court Intrigues or Advice for Ethical Government : Appelboom’s Swedish Translation of Kalila and Dimna

• The mirror for princes Kalila wa Dimna ‘Kalila and Dimna’ was translated from French into Swedish for the first time in 1663 by the Swedish diplomat Harald Appelboom (1612–1674). He was the head of the Swedish mission in the Netherlands and dedicated his translation to the then eight-year old minor king Karl XI. One might wonder what it was that made a high-ranking Swedish diplomat translate such a book from a foreign language and culture into Swedish? Appelboom’s translation had a clear addressee, the minor Swedish king. The book is written in accordance with a specific genre. It is a collection of animal fables in which the main roles are played by animals of different  characters.Was it these animal fables that might be enticing for a little child that was the real reason behind the translation? Or was it that the animal fables were used to provide the prospective king with what Appelboom considered to be “right” knowledge already from childhood? The minor king was surrounded by a whole staff of advisors and dignitaries whose task it was to convey the contents of the book to him. Is it possible that the book was also directed to this group? Then there was a power struggle between different parts of Swedish society in the 17th century, especially between the high and low lords. Is it possible that the translation was undertaken as part of this power struggle, with the purpose of influencing the prospective king in such a way that he would serve their interests when he took over the throne? In Kalila and Dimna’s fables, the characters around the king, who is a lion, are given a large amount of space. They exert great influence on the lion when he makes crucial decisions. Analogous patterns exist with the young Karl XI. He is surrounded by counsellors, teachers, close relatives, etc. Common to all these characters is that they were interested in influencing the king during the regency as well as on the day he acceded to the throne.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Språk och litteratur -- Studier av enskilda språk (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Languages and Literature -- Specific Languages (hsv//eng)

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Idé- och lärdomshistoria (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- History of Ideas (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Karl XI

Kalila

Dimna

The mirrors for Princes

Realpolitik

Rule of Law

Systematisk teologi med livsåskådningsforskning

Systematic Theology and Studies in Worldviews

Idé- och lärdomshistoria

History of Sciences and Ideas

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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