Swedes are proud of their cultural heritage.
The late arrival of industrialization helped to preserve fine craftsmanship,
and the standard of design, even of mass-produced articles, is high. Modest
homes are often furnished in admirable taste. Until modern times Sweden's
poverty and isolation limited its role in European artistic life, and gifted
youth often had to seek outlets for their talents abroad. Only in the late
19th century did any aspect of Swedish culture become known internationally.
Artistic activities now receive large state subsidies, and corporations
and local governments generously support painters, sculptors, and architects.
Education
Educational facilities in Sweden are extensive
and excellent. Some primary schooling has been compulsory for all Swedes
since 1842, and illiteracy has been almost unknown for many years. All
children must attend school full-time from the age of 7 to 16. Most children
at tend coeducational basic schools run by local government authorities.
There are a few private schools that charge fees. Specialization is permitted
only in the last three years of basic school. About 80 percent of all 16-year-olds
go on to take at least two years of secondary education. Each secondary
school offers two-year and three-year programs of study in three sectors:
arts and social subjects; economics and commercial subjects; and technical
and scientific subjects. Two-year programs of study are primarily vocational
but include foreign languages and general content subjects. Three-year
programs of study prepare students for higher studies. There is also a
four-year technical program of study, which some students finish in three
years. Most students past the age of 16 receive a monthly government stipend.
Sweden has seven state universities. The
two oldest ones are the University of Uppsala, founded in 1477, and the
University of Lund, founded in 1666. In 1991 Uppsala had 18,000 students
and Lund had 30,000. The University of Stockholm had an enrollment of 26,000.
Founded in 1877 as a private university, it became a state university in
1960. Göteborg University, also founded as a private university in
the 19th century, had 22,000 students in 1991. The Royal University of
Umeå, in the north of Sweden, enrolls about 10,000 students. In 1976
affiliated universities were established at Örebro, Växjö,
and Karlstad. Linköping, which became a state university in 1970,
enrolled 11,000 students in 1991, and Luleä University, founded in
1971, enrolled 5,200. There are also many medical and technical institutes
for advanced study as well as higher vocational schools. Tuition is free
in universities and colleges.
Adult education is widely available in Sweden.
Study circles are organized by the universities, the Workers Educational
Association (ABF), and the cooperative and temperance movements. About
a hundred of the Scandinavian Folk High Schools, run by county councils
and voluntary bodies, offer courses for young adults with no formal education
beyond the compulsory stage.
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Literature
and Drama
A small number of Swedish writers, headed
by the dramatist August Strindberg, have achieved international recognition
for their work. Poet Tomas Tranströmer is a modern example. Other
well-known Swedish writers whose works have been translated include the
poet, novelist, and playwright Pär Lagerkvist (Dvärgen, 1944;
The Dwarf ), Harry Martinson (Kap Farväl , 1933; Cape Farewell ),
Eyvind Johnson (Strändernas Svall , 1946; Return to Ithaca ), and
Vilhelm Moberg (Utvandrarna, 1949; The Emigrants ). More Swedish writers
of more recent generations, most of them deeply concerned in their writings
with contemporary problems, have acquired an audience outside their country.
Every time an author's book is borrowed from a Swedish public library a
small payment is made to a fund that may be drawn upon by the author or
a fellow writer.
In spite of the work of native dramatists,
the Swedish theater relies heavily on a foreign repertoire. The leading
theater company is the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, founded in
1787. There are some twenty other theaters in the capital, and each of
the larger cities in Sweden has a theater run by the municipality. Various
touring groups regularly perform in smaller communities.
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Music
and Opera
Sweden has yet to produce a composer with
the reputation of a Sibelius or Nielsen, but Hilding Rosenberg, Karl-Birger
Blomdahl, Sven-Erik Bäck, and Ingvar Lidholm all have proved adventurous
in their compositions. The leading orchestras are the Stockholm Philharmonic
and the Swedish Radio Symphony. Municipal orchestras attract large audiences,
and a national concert scheme inaugurated in 1964 arranges appearances
by individual performers throughout the country. Many of Sweden's singers
have achieved international prominence, from Jenny Lind in the 19th century
to Set Svanholm, Jussi Bjöerling, and Birgit Nilsson more recently.
The Royal Opera, dating from 1773, is considered one of the finest in Europe.
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Art
and Architecture
Modern trends in art are well represented
among Swedish painters, who include Lennart Rodhe and Olle Baertling. The
great Swedish sculptor, Carl Milles (d. 1955), has influenced the work
of several of his younger countrymen. Similarly the tradition of simplicity
established by the architect Gunnar Asplund (d. 1940) is apparent in contemporary
architecture, notably in the design of traffic-free shopping centers, which
have sprung up around Stockholm and other cities. Applied art is well-supported
and is encouraged in particular by the Swedish Handicraft Industry Association
and the Swedish Society of Industrial Design. Orrefors glass and Gustavsberg
and Rörstrand ceramics are particularly famous.
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Film-making
The golden age of Swedish film-making was
the early years of the 20th century, when directors like Mauritz Stiller
and Victor Sjöman produced classic silent films. The arrival of sound
brought a decline in Swedish filmmaking. After World War II, Alf
Sjöberg (Miss Julie), Ingmar Bergman (The Seventh Seal, Persona, Scenes
From a Marriage), and Arne Sucksdorff (The Great Adventure) regained for
Sweden an international reputation in films. In the late 1960's new ground
was broken in cinematic art by Bo Widerberg (Elvira Madigan), Vilgot Sjöman,
and Jörn Donner. Around 1980 the films of Jan Troell (Emigrants, Flight
of the Eagle) won international acclaim.
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Sweden's major museums are in Stockholm.
The National Museum contains the country's principal art treasures, and
the Nordic Museum houses a large ethnographic collection. Skansen, an open-air
museum, displays buildings brought from all parts of the country. The largest
library is at the University of Uppsala. The Royal Library in Stockholm
is also an important public research center. There are large public libraries
in all cities and smaller branch libraries in rural areas.
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Radio
and the Press
Four radio and two television channels are
operated by a noncommercial public corporation. No advertising is allowed,
and revenue is derived largely from license fees. Commercial stations were
first allowed in 1990. About a half dozen companies control the magazine
market. Both Stockholm's and the provincial press are vigorous, and newspaper
consumption is high.
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One out of five Swedes is a member of a sports
club, and nearly all participants in sports are amateurs. Gymnastics are
an important part of the physical education curriculum in public schools,
and gymnastics teams compete throughout the country. The most popular sport
is soccer, and about 3,200 teams play regularly. Skiing is also widely
popular, both downhill and cross-country. State aid for all sporting activities
comes mainly from the profits of Tipstjänst, a nationally organized
and state-controlled soccer betting operation.
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Holidays
and Festivals
Sweden's National Day is June 6. There are
several popular festivals during the year. Midsummer Eve celebrations are
held during the weekend nearest to June 23. Maypoles are raised and open-air
dancing continues until sunrise. Lucia Day on December 13 marks the beginning
of the Christmas season. It dates from the Viking era when Lucia Day followed
the longest night of the year and marked the return of longer daylight.
In family celebrations, the eldest daughter dresses in white, wears a crown
of candles, and serves her family coffee and cookies in the early morning.
Christmas is the most important holiday. At this time families reunite,
and on Christmas Eve presents are exchanged after a traditional dinner.
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