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Biography
Richard Dybeck (1 September 1811 – 28 July 1877) was a Swedish jurist, antiquarian, and lyricist, and today is mainly remembered as the author of the lyrics to what is now the de facto Swedish national anthem, Du gamla, Du fria.
Dybeck was born in Odensvi Prästgård just outside the town Köping, in Västmanland. He was the son of a clergyman, went to gymnasium in Västerås, and later matriculated at Uppsala University in 1831. He completed his civil service degree in law (hovrättsexamen) in 1834 and entered the Svea hovrätt appeal court. He held a number of positions in the court system during the following years, but eventually began to spend all his time on his antiquarian and historical research.
Dybeck wrote many poems. He was known to be keenly interested in Asian culture, as was seen by his collection of historic prints and lithographs which originated from places like Myanmar and China.