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Christina Regina von Birchenbaum, also spelled Börkenbohm, was a seventeenth-century Finnish poet. Her only surviving work is the autobiographical acrostic poem "En annan ny visa" ("Another New Song," 1651).^[1]

"En annan ny visa"

The poem "En annan ny visa" is constructed of twenty-nine stanzas of eight lines each. Birchenbaum's full name is spelled out in acrostic form by the first letters of the stanzas.^[1] The poem's style is reminiscent of Finnish folk poetry.^[2] The only surviving copy of "En annan ny visa", dated 24 July 1651, is preserved in the Diocese Library in Linköping.^[3]

According to the poem, Birchenbaum was born in Karelia; her father died when she was three. She met her future husband early in life.^[4] Marrying him for love, she followed him to Germany for the Thirty Years' War.^[1] Learning from a message that he had disappeared in the war, she traveled across the country looking for him, and eventually gave him up for dead.^[4] After seventeen years alone, in which she kept "all worldly joy and pleasure" out of her mind, she married again, this time to a young nobleman. However, the marriage was an unhappy one, due to "false friends" and local gossip that drove the couple apart.^[1] Birchenbaum concludes the poem by saying that she is alone in the world once again, and is saying goodbye to it.^[4]

Personal life

Very little is known of Birchenbaum's life other than the account given in "En annan ny visa".^[2] Two other documents survive relating to Birchenbaum; they are petitions dating from the late 1660s, featuring her testimony that she was the widow of Major Axel Paulj Liljenfeldt,^[3] who died in the Thirty Years' War while serving in the Swedish army.^[4] Birchenbaum was a contemporary (though a younger one) of the Finnish poet Sigfridus Aronus Forsius.^[1]

Legacy

Birchenbaum and "En annan ny visa" were forgotten until the mid-nineteenth century, when the poem was rediscovered by the antiquarian Per Hanselli.^[1] It was first published in 1896.^[3] Before the authorship was established, the poem was attributed to a seventeenth-century Swedish poet, Lars Wivallius.^[1]

Birchenbaum is the first known female writer from Finland.^[1] (Maria Simointytär, whose poems were published anonymously in broadside form, was likely the first published Finnish female writer.)^[5] Birchenbaum was also the first known Finnish poet to write in the Swedish language.^[3] She is additionally notable in that "En annan ny visa" is the only firsthand literary account of Finland's participation fighting under Sweden in the Thirty Years' War.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Schoolfield, George C. (1998), "A Part of Sweden", in Schoolfield, George C. (ed.), A History of Finland's Literature, A History of Scandinavian Literatures, vol. 4, Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, p. 278
^ ^a ^b Mäkelä-Alitalo, Anneli (11 October 2010), "Birchenbaum, Christina Regina von (K 1651 jälkeen)", Kansallisbiografia, Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, retrieved 6 August 2015
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Lindgärde, Valborg (2012), "Birchenbaum, Christina Regina von", The History of Nordic Women's Literature, KVINFO, retrieved 6 August 2015
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ahokas, Jaakko (1973), A History of Finnish Literature, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University, p. 21
^ Mäkelä-Alitalo, Anneli (11 October 2005), "Maria Simointytär (1600-luku)", Kansallisbiografia, Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura, retrieved 6 August 2015

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Expand Finnish|Christina Regina von Birchenbaum|date=December 2014}}
+{{Expand Finnish|topic=bio|date=December 2014}}
+'''Christina Regina von Birchenbaum''', also spelled '''Börkenbohm''', was a seventeenth-century [[Finland|Finnish]] [[poet]]. Her only surviving work is the autobiographical [[acrostic]] poem "En annan ny visa" ("Another New Song," 1651).<ref name=Schoolfield>{{citation|first=George C.|last=Schoolfield|chapter=A Part of Sweden|title=A History of Finland's Literature|series=A History of Scandinavian Literatures|editor-first=George C.|editor-last=Schoolfield|volume=4|location=Lincoln, NE|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|year=1998|page=278|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J9Dctlzud-EC&pg=PA278}}</ref>
-'''Christina Regina von Birchenbaum''', also spelled '''Börkenbohm''', was a seventeenth-century [[Finland|Finnish]] [[poet]]. Her only surviving work is the autobiographical [[acrostic]] poem "En annan ny visa" ("Another New Song," 1651).<ref name=Schoolfield>{{citation|first=George C.|last=Schoolfield|chapter=A Part of Sweden|title=A History of Finland's Literature|series=A History of Scandinavian Literatures|editor-first=George C.|editor-last=Schoolfield|volume=4|location=Lincoln, NE|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|year=1998|page=278|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=J9Dctlzud-EC&pg=PA278}}</ref>
 =="En annan ny visa"==
 The poem "En annan ny visa" is constructed of twenty-nine [[stanza]]s of eight lines each. Birchenbaum's full name is spelled out in [[acrostic]] form by the first letters of the stanzas.<ref name=Schoolfield/> The poem's style is reminiscent of Finnish [[folk poetry]].<ref name=SKS/> The only surviving copy of "En annan ny visa", dated 24 July 1651, is preserved in the Diocese Library in [[Linköping]].<ref name=NWL>{{citation|title=Birchenbaum, Christina Regina von|first=Valborg|last=Lindgärde|year=2012|work=The History of Nordic Women's Literature|publisher=[[KVINFO]]|url=http://nordicwomensliterature.net/writer/birchenbaum-christina-regina-von|accessdate=6 August 2015}}</ref>
-According to the poem, Birchenbaum was born in [[Karelia]]; her father died when she was three. She met her future husband early in life.<ref name=Ahokas/> Marrying him for love, she followed him to Germany for the [[Thirty Years' War]].<ref name=Schoolfield/> Learning from a message that he had disappeared in the war, she traveled across the country looking for him, and eventually gave him up for dead.<ref name=Ahokas/> After seventeen years alone, in which she kept "all worldly joy and pleasure from her mind," she married again, this time to a young nobleman. However, the marriage was an unhappy one, due to "false friends" and local gossip that drove the couple apart.<ref name=Schoolfield/> Birchenbaum concludes the poem by saying that she is alone in the world once again, and is saying goodbye to it.<ref name=Ahokas/>
+According to the poem, Birchenbaum was born in [[Karelia]]; her father died when she was three. She met her future husband early in life.<ref name=Ahokas/> Marrying him for love, she followed him to Germany for the [[Thirty Years' War]].<ref name=Schoolfield/> Learning from a message that he had disappeared in the war, she traveled across the country looking for him, and eventually gave him up for dead.<ref name=Ahokas/> After seventeen years alone, in which she kept "all worldly joy and pleasure" out of her mind, she married again, this time to a young nobleman. However, the marriage was an unhappy one, due to "false friends" and local gossip that drove the couple apart.<ref name=Schoolfield/> Birchenbaum concludes the poem by saying that she is alone in the world once again, and is saying goodbye to it.<ref name=Ahokas/>
 ==Personal life==
-Very little is known of Birchenbaum's life other than the account given in "En annan ny visa".<ref name=SKS>{{citation|first=Anneli|last=Mäkelä-Alitalo|title=Birchenbaum, Christina Regina von (K 1651 jälkeen)|date=11 October 2010|work= Kansallisbiografia|publisher=Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura|url=http://www.kansallisbiografia.fi/kb/artikkeli/2225/|accessdate=6 August 2015}}</ref> Two other documents survive relating to Birchenbaum; they are petitions dating from the late 1660s, featuring her testimony that she was the widow of Major Axel Paulj Liljenfeldt,<ref name=NWL/> who died in the Thirty Years' War while serving in the [[Swedish army]].<ref name=Ahokas>{{citation|last=Ahokas|first=Jaakko|title=A History of Finnish Literature|location=Bloomington, IN|publisher=Indiana University|year=1973|page=21|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UoVDEup2yDgC&pg=PA21}}</ref> Birchenbaum was a contemporary (though a younger one) of the Finnish poet [[:fi:Sigfridus Aronus Forsius|Sigfridus Aronus Forsius]].<ref name=Schoolfield/>
+Very little is known of Birchenbaum's life other than the account given in "En annan ny visa".<ref name=SKS>{{citation|first=Anneli|last=Mäkelä-Alitalo|title=Birchenbaum, Christina Regina von (K 1651 jälkeen)|date=11 October 2010|work= Kansallisbiografia|publisher=Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura|url=http://www.kansallisbiografia.fi/kb/artikkeli/2225/|accessdate=6 August 2015}}</ref> Two other documents survive relating to Birchenbaum; they are petitions dating from the late 1660s, featuring her testimony that she was the widow of Major Axel Paulj Liljenfeldt,<ref name=NWL/> who died in the Thirty Years' War while serving in the [[Swedish army]].<ref name=Ahokas>{{citation|last=Ahokas|first=Jaakko|title=A History of Finnish Literature|location=Bloomington, IN|publisher=Indiana University|year=1973|page=21|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UoVDEup2yDgC&pg=PA21}}</ref> Birchenbaum was a contemporary (though a younger one) of the Finnish poet [[:fi:Sigfridus Aronus Forsius|Sigfridus Aronus Forsius]].<ref name=Schoolfield/>
 ==Legacy==
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 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
+== Further reading ==
+* {{SKBL|name=Christina Regina von Birchenbaum}}
+{{authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Birchenbaum, Christina Regina von}}
-[[Category:17th-century women writers]]
+[[Category:17th-century Finnish women writers]]
-[[Category:Finnish poets]]
+[[Category:17th-century Finnish poets]]
-[[Category:17th-century Finnish people]]
+[[Category:Finnish women poets]]
-[[Category:Finnish women writers]]
+[[Category:Swedish-language poets]]
-[[Category:17th-century poets]]
-[[Category:Women poets]]