Epistles of Fredman

Epistles of Fredman (Swedish: Fredmans epistlar) is a collection of poems and songs by 18th century author Carl Michael Bellman. It contains 82 works created over a period of twenty years. Many of the songs have remained culturally significant in Scandinavia, especially so in Sweden. Examples include Epistle N:o 81 Märk hur vår skugga, Epistle N:o 72 Glimmande nymph (Gleaming nymph), Epistle N:o 23 Ach du min Moder! and Epistle N:o 16 Fader Bergström. The lyrics describe a gallery of fictional characters and events taking place in Stockholm of that era, based on the lives of actual people Bellman was aware of. Jean Fredman, an alcoholic former watchmaker, is the central character.