''Then Swänska Argus'' (

modern Swedish Modern Swedish () is the linguistic term used for the Swedish language from the Bible translation of 1526 to the development of a common national language around 1880. The period can further be divided into ''Early Modern Swedish'' (1526–1750 ...

: ''Den Svenska Argus'', , "The Swedish Argus") was an 18th-century periodical written entirely by

Olof von Dalin Olof von Dalin (29 August 1708 – 12 August 1763) was a Swedish nobleman, poet, historian and courtier. He was an influential literary figure of the Swedish Enlightenment. Background Olof Dalin was born in the parish of Vinberg in Hallan ...

, an influential Swedish poet. It was published weekly from 1732 to 1734 and contained short stories, poems, plays and editorials, totalling between 6 and 10 printed pages. Its first issue, published on December 13, 1732, is commonly considered to be the dividing line between Older New Swedish and Younger New Swedish (''äldre nysvenska'' and ''yngre nysvenska''). Dalin wrote the periodical in a free and lively conversational tone that contrasted with other influential Swedish writers of the time, such as

Carl Gyllenborg Count Carl Gyllenborg (7 March 1679 – 9 December 1746) was a Swedish statesman and author. Biography He was born in Stockholm, the son of Count Jacob Gyllenborg (1648–1701). His father was a Member of Parliament and of the Royal Council, wh ...

. The publication also had an important influence on the development of Swedish

orthography An orthography is a set of convention (norm), conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, punctuation, Word#Word boundaries, word boundaries, capitalization, hyphenation, and Emphasis (typography), emphasis. Most national ...

. Dalin was only 25 at the time of publication, and had yet to travel abroad. ''Then Swänska Argus'' fit into a wider literary trend in Europe, represented by light and lively English periodicals such as '' The Tatler'' and ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

''. The only direct Swedish predecessor of ''Den Svenska Argus'' was the more formal and less successful '' Sedolärande Mercurius''. Dalin was a keen student of language, combining linguistic influences from his childhood in the southern Swedish province of

Halland Halland () is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap''), on the western coast of Götaland, southern Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Skåne, Scania and the sea of Kattegat. Until 1645 and the Second Treaty of Br ...

, his school years at the

Lund University Lund University () is a Public university, public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially foun ...

and his later employment at the

Royal Court of Sweden The Royal Court () is the official name for the organisation ( royal households) that supports the monarch and the royal house. The incumbent monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf, is head of the Royal Court. Organizational structure The Royal Court is d ...

. ''Den Svenska Argus'' proved to be so popular that it was reprinted in its entirety in 1754. Its popularity also propelled Dalin's career, as he rose from royal librarian in 1737, through the noble ranks, to privy councillor in 1753.

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Olof von Dalinsällskapet
1732 establishments in Sweden 1734 disestablishments in Europe Defunct literary magazines published in Europe Defunct magazines published in Sweden Literary magazines published in Sweden Magazines established in 1732 Magazines disestablished in 1734 Magazines published in Stockholm Sweden during the Age of Liberty Swedish-language magazines Weekly magazines published in Sweden {{italic title