Sven Lidman (writer)

Carl Hindrik Sven Rudolphsson Lidman (June 30, 1882 – February 14, 1960)—military officer, poet, writer, and preacher, grandson of the priest Sven Lidman—was born in Karlskrona, became a sublieutenant in the Swedish royal army reserve in 1903, and studied law at Uppsala University. He then began a promising career as a celebrated poet with Pasiphae (1904), Primavera (1905), Kallorna (1906), and Elden och altaret (1907). He also wrote the dramas Imperia (1907) and Harskare (1908), before starting to write novels: Stensborg (1910), Thure Gabriel Silfverstaahl (1910), Carl Silfverstaahls upplevelser (2nd edition, 1912), Kopman och krigare (3rd edition, 1911), Tvedraktens barn (1913), and Det levande faderneshuset (1916). In 1917 he went through a religious revival, which came out in his novels Huset med de gamla froknarna (5th edition, 1919), Sasom genom eld (5th edition, 1920), Bryggan haller (1923), and Personlig fralsning (1924). In 1921 he joined the fast-growing Swedish Pentecostal movement, became the editor of its magazine Evangelii Harold, and was considered the movement's second-leading person next to founder Lewi Pethrus.

Lidman's autobiography was published in four parts: Gossen i grottan (1952), Lagan och lindansaren (1952), Mandoms moda (1954), and Vallust och vedergallning (1957). A biography was written by Knut Ahnlund, Sven Lidman: ett livsdrama (1996, ISBN 91-7486-316-9). Biographic and historic details also appear in Per Olov Enquist's 2001 novel Lewis Resa ('Levi's journey'), and in autobiographies by the younger Sven Lidman.

Lidman is interred in the family grave with his grandfather.