Frans Gunnar Bengtsson (4 October 1894 – 19 December 1954) was a Swedish novelist, essayist, poet and biographer.

He was born in Tåssjö (now in Ängelholm Municipality) in Scania and died at Ribbingsfors Manor in northern Västergötland.

He describes the king through excerpts from contemporary diaries by officers and common soldiers, and from a wealth of quotes from the published literature.

Bengtsson's work draws heavily on the biography of Charles XII by Voltaire published in 1731, thirteen years after the king’s death.

[2] Bengtsson once said: "Joan of Arc, Charles XII, and Garibaldi are the persons I would like to meet - for them the truth was more important than intrigues.