After his dissertation Arwidsson spent a year in Sweden. During this time he made contact with the exiled Finns in Uppsala and Stockholm. In 1820 after his return Arwidsson, who had so far written lyric poetry, submitted for publication a political text whose sharp and radical tone soon ensured attention in the capital, Saint Petersburg. Finally, as a consequence, in 1822 he lost his position as a lecturer and was banished from the university. Cut off from his training in his chosen career, in 1823 Arwidsson emigrated to Stockholm, where in 1825 he gained his civil rights, and found work as a librarian in the royal library.