dagboken

Dagboken, literally meaning "the diary" in Swedish, is the term used for a personal journal kept to record daily events, thoughts, feelings, and reflections. The word combines dag (day) and bok (book). In ordinary use, dagboken can refer to any diary or, in the definite form, a specific diary.

A dagbok is typically organized as dated entries. Contents vary widely: daily routines, mood, dreams, ambitions, observations, and reactions to events. Some people maintain a dagbok for memory preservation; others use it for emotional processing, self-analysis, or creative writing. In Sweden and other countries, diaries can function as historical or biographical sources when they are preserved and made publicly accessible.

Forms and media include traditional paper diaries, travel journals, dream diaries, and gratitude journals, as well as digital diaries kept in apps or word processors. Digital formats offer searchability and backup but raise concerns about privacy and data security.

Cultural notes: Diary-keeping has a long history across cultures. In Swedish literature and culture, dagboken appears both as a private practice and as a published work, occasionally with the title dagboken. Diaries have informed historians, psychologists, and writers, offering a first-person counterpoint to public records.

See also: diary, journal, journaling.