Swedish folklorist Carl Wilhelm von Sydow (1878–1952) is commonly mentioned as one of the pioneers of modern folkloristics, and he was without doubt one of the single most important scholars when it came to introducing the discipline in Sweden. Due to political tactics, rivalry between universities, and private sponsoring in favor of another candidate, von Sydow was not appointed professor of folkloristics, nor was an academic chair in this field ever established. Towards the end of his professional life, however, von Sydow was granted a personal professorship in Nordic and Comparative Folk Culture Research. He was the founder of the Folk Life Archive in Lund and one of the instigators of the Irish Folklore Archive in Dublin.
Professor Emeritus Nils-Arvid Bringéus is not the first to make an attempt to describe the professional career of Carl Wilhelm von Sydow. In his new book, Carl Wilhelm von Sydow som folklorist (Carl Wilhelm von Sydow as Folklorist), Bringéus needs ten full pages to list earlier volumes dedicated to this subject. The useful results of Bringéus’ efforts are his presentation in ordered and evaluative form of pertinent elements of this earlier research. This material consists largely of characterizations of and opinions about von Sydow as a scientist. Bringéus has organized this abundant knowledge under headlines like “Scholarly Career,” “Folk Memories,” “Scientific Networks,” and “Some Central Themes in von Sydow’s Research.”
The new and weighty research results presented in this book originate from Bringéus’ work with extensive collections of von Sydow’s correspondence. In generously rich quotations from his letters, von Sydow himself is invited to comment upon not only his childhood relations to his family and his two wives (Anna, born Quennerstedt, died 1924, and Greta, born Rappe), but also on decisive moments in his professional career. The presentation of the person Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, his background, adolescence, and private life is delineated in the chapter “Personal Background.”
To a large extent the life and work of von Sydow coincide with the emergence of Swedish folkloristic research as an academic discipline. For instance, decisions and actions taken by von Sydow had their influence upon the separation of folkloristics and ethnology in Sweden into two branches within one single academic discipline. To fully understand this process it is essential to become familiar not only with the actual chain of happenings, but also with von Sydow’s personal reactions and reflections as documented in his letters to his confidants as well as to his academic opponents.
As an additional benefit to the reader, the book contains a list of Carl Wilhelm von Sydow’s publications, put together by Eva and Jan-Öjvind Swahn. Many are articles for encyclopaedias, reviews of other scholars’ works, and contributions to academic debates. Unfortunately, the development of von Sydow’s life situation did not allow him to perform extensive fieldwork or to write substantial monographs.
The book also contains actor Max von Sydow’s 1988 lecture about his father as a teller of fairy tales, given at Lund University in connection with the 75th anniversary celebration of the Folk Life Archive.
The book is plentifully illustrated with photographs depicting diverse situations from von Sydow’s life and showing portraits of several of the persons who played a role in his life.
Nils-Arvid Bringéus’ book Carl Wilhelm von Sydow som folklorist is a useful and comprehensive collection of facts, documents, and photographs concerning some of the vital elements in early Swedish ethnology.
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[Review length: 567 words • Review posted on May 6, 2008]