Onkel Adam

Born in Jönköping on June 6, 1804, Carl Anton Wetterbergh was a Swedish physician, writer, and graphic artist who is best remembered by his pseudonym, Onkel Adam. He studied medicine and worked as a doctor in the army, building a career that took him through several parts of Sweden before he later settled in Linköping, where he died on January 31, 1889.

Alongside his medical work, he wrote fiction that reached a broad audience. He became especially known for stories, sketches, and novels that drew on ordinary life, often with humor and a warm eye for character. Literary histories and library sources remember him as a productive 19th-century author whose shorter genre pieces were particularly appreciated.

Today, Onkel Adam is remembered as one of those writers whose pen name became more famous than his formal name. His background as both doctor and author gives his work an added human touch, and his place in Swedish literary history rests on that blend of observation, storytelling, and accessibility.