Esaias Tegnér and The Tegnér Statue
Esaias Tegnér was to change the Lund literary scene. He came to Lund in 1799 and was appointed professor of Greek in 1812.
In a letter to Esaias written by his brother Elof, there is evidence that the poetry of Skåne was not afforded particularly high value: “I know that you dislike displaying your poetic talents, but you can render us a dedication in verse, without thereby being included amongst the poetry crowd of Lund”.
Initially Tegnér devoted himself to writing occasion poems, i.e. for birthdays, weddings and funerals. However, in time he would begin writing his major works.
There are two themes from Lund that frequently recur in Tegnér’s poems: the Cathedral and Helgonabacken Park. These are the symbols of the two poles represented in Tegnér’s life.
He perceives the cathedral with high inspiration, “like a bright, divine power”, while the park with its abbey ruins, he connects with death premonitions and depression.
In his work “The Giant Finn”, he links these two sites together.
The statue of Esaias Tegnér is by Carl Gustav Qvarnström (1810-1867). It was erected in 1853 and stands on Tegnérsplatsen, between the house of AF (AKADEMISKA FÖRENINGEN), the Kulturen Museum and Lund University History Museum.