Sweden Selma Ottilie Luvis Lagerlöf. She was born in 1858 in Sweden. Her father was a retired military man, and her mother was a teacher. In 1961, a tragedy occurred in Selma's family: the girl stopped moving, she was paralyzed. The situation did not change for six years, until the doctors of the Stockholm clinic took up her treatment. After her illness began to recede, and this happened at the age of 9, Selma Lagerlöf began to think about her career and how to feed her family, since a lot of money went into her treatment, almost the entire fortune of her parents.
In 1881 she entered the lyceum in Stockholm, in 1882 she became a seminary student and graduated two years later. After graduating from the Higher Teachers' Seminary, Selma Lagerlöf began working at the Landskrona School, she began teaching for girls. In the eighties, Selma began her creative career. Her first work was a novel called The Saga of Joste Berling.
In general, she wrote many short stories, which were united by a certain plot that passed through them. She also had many works of an autobiographical nature, where she described her childhood, described her favorite landscapes of her native places, loved since childhood; these are: Diary, Memoirs of a Child, Morbacca. Selma Lagerlöf written not only in a fairy-tale style, it touches on the topics of religion, philosophy, as well as problems of morality. For the plots of many books, stories and legends told by my grandmother are taken. The key work of the writer, which is the book that raised her to the peak of fame, "Nils Holgersson's wonderful journey through Sweden." This book is a textbook about Sweden. Selma Lagerlöf took folklore material, legends, retellings, stories from the life of the country as a basis. The fairy tale style in which this book is written entices children to explore the traditions, geography, legends associated with Sweden. The protagonist of the book, Niels, travels with a flock of geese, on the back of one of them, whose name is Martin.
This textbook has gained popularity not only in his native Selma, Sweden, but throughout the world. Selma Lagerlöf is the first woman in all of literary history to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, as well as the third woman in the world to receive this award. After receiving the award, Selma buys back the family estate, which was taken from her family when she was still a child, and spends the rest of her life there. The last thing she wrote is a trilogy, which consists of parts: "The Ring of the Loewenschilds", "Anna Sverd". The death of the writer came on March 16, 1940. The cause was peritonitis.
The article tells about a brief biography of Selma Lagerlöf, a writer from Sweden, who became famous for her fairy tale about the adventures of Niels. She became the first woman to win a literary Nobel Prize.
Biography Legerlöf: early period of creativity
Selma Lagerlöf was born in 1858. The childhood of the future writer was spent on a family estate in one of the most picturesque Swedish areas. Vivid childhood memories formed the basis of many of Lagerlöf's works. At an early age, a misfortune happened: the girl was paralyzed. Selma was surrounded by the constant care and attention of close relatives, who introduced her to the rich world of folk legends.
In 1867, Selma was treated in a Stockholm clinic, which gave a significant result. The girl was able to move around. She wants to become a writer and makes her first attempts at creative activity. However, the harsh reality leads Selma to be more concerned about earning opportunities for the impoverished family.
In 1881, Lagerlöf left for Stockholm, where he studied at the lyceum and seminary. After training, she starts working as a teacher in southern Sweden. Soon another misfortune occurs: Selma's father dies, and the Lagerlöf family estate is sold for debts.
In the 80s. Selma begins work on a neo-romantic novel. It is characterized by a significant patriotic spirit, an exalted depiction of rural life as opposed to urban life, and admiration for ancient traditions passed down from generation to generation. The novel of the writer was largely based on the legends that Lagerlöf heard in her childhood during her illness. It contains many fairy-tale motifs, full of romantic adventures.
The novel "The Saga of Yeste Berling" (1891) received the approval of literary critics and a large number of readers. Even before publication, Lagerlef sent some chapters of the future work to a competition announced by one newspaper, and won first place.
Lagerlöf begins to constantly publish novels and short stories in a fairy-tale style. Their main theme is the confrontation between good and evil, as a result of which good always comes out victorious and love triumphs.
In the mid 90s. Lagerlöf ended her teaching career and was able to travel to Italy. Under the influence of this trip, she wrote the novel "Miracles of the Antichrist", in which she touched upon the problems of philosophy and morality.
Biography Lagerlöf: world recognition
In 1906-1907. Lagerlöf wrote her most famous work about the adventures of Niels. In a fabulous adventure form, the writer tells about the geographical and historical features of Sweden. The book was supposed to be a kind of textbook for children, which in an entertaining way covered the rich culture of the country. The work has become a kind of children's encyclopedia. Niels travels on a goose throughout Sweden, getting into various accidents, while showing the best human qualities. The book taught children kindness, mercy, compassion. It was very popular and almost immediately was translated into many languages of the world.
In 1909, Lagerlöf received the Nobel Prize in Literature.
The writer was able to return her estate and began to live there. Returning to his native places had a beneficial effect on his writing activity. Lagerlöf still works a lot, including on works dedicated to his childhood. In 1914, one of her most famous novels, The Emperor of Portugal, was published.
The writer devoted the last years of her life to working on a novel in three parts about the life of several generations of the Levenskiöld family. In terms of time, the work covers more than 100 years, it contains a description of real events. However, the novel was not historical in the full sense of the word. As always, there are mysterious and inexplicable forces in the writer's work, and the ending of the work marks the inevitable victory of good over evil.
The writer died in 1940. Her work was included in the golden fund of Swedish and world literature. Legerlef enjoys great respect in his country.
Selma Ottiliana Lovisa Lagerlöf (Swedish: Selma Ottiliana Lovisa Lagerlöf) is a Swedish writer. She was born in Morbakk, Sweden on November 20, 1858. She died on March 16, 1940 in the same place. She is the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (in 1909) and the third among all women to receive the Nobel Prize (the first were Marie Curie and Bertha Suttner).
Childhood and youth
The future writer was born in 1858 in the family parental estate of Morbakk in the family of a retired military man and a teacher. Selma's childhood was spent in Värmland, one of the most picturesque and colorful places in Central Sweden. Wermland and Morbakka left the most vivid impressions in the memory of Selma and had a significant impact on writing talent. In many of her stories, including the autobiographical books "Morbakka", "Memoirs of a Child", "Diary", places dear to the writer's heart are described. "Morbacca" was written in 1922, while "Memoirs of a Child" and "Diary" a decade later, in 1930 and 1932, respectively.
The little girl had a difficult test: when Selma was 3 years old, she was paralyzed. The girl could not get up and was bedridden. The care of Aunt Nana and grandmother were the only joy of the girl. From them, the girl learned many family traditions, chronicles, fairy tales and stories. In 1863, Selma's grandmother died. This was a real shock for the sick girl.
In 1867, the girl was placed in a specialized clinic in Stockholm. The treatment had a positive effect and the girl was able to move. Already now, at the age of 9, the girl began to dream of writing. With her autobiographical short story "The Tale of a Tale", written in 1908, the writer describes the attempts of her childhood creativity. But Lagerlöf was distracted from his work by thoughts of how to earn money for himself and his family. After all, by that time the family had become very poor.
In 1881, Selma entered and left to study at the lyceum in Stockholm. She became a student of the Higher Teachers' Seminary in 1882, graduating from it in 1884.
In the same year, 1884, Selma Lagerlöf began teaching at a girls' school in Landskrona, located in southern Sweden. A year later (in 1885) a new misfortune happened - Selma's father died. Three years after this misfortune, the family estate was sold for non-payment. Beloved homestead has become housing for complete strangers.
The beginning of creative activity
The eighties were quite difficult for the writer, filled with various experiences. It was at this time that Selma began to write her first work. The novel, to which Lagerlöf gave the name "Jöste Berling's Saga", is written in a neo-romantic style, which in these years replaces realism. This style is characterized by an exalted description of the fates and lives of noble estates, a comparison of the agricultural system and lifestyle with the industrial (urban) way of life. This direction, which glorifies the native land and its traditions, is characterized by a strong patriotic mood.
The writer received the first prize for her still unfinished work in August 1890, having sent several chapters of the novel to the Idun newspaper. The newspaper announced a competition for the best work that will interest readers. Selma's novel won this competition. Soon the writer finished work on the novel, and in 1891 it was published in full. Georg Brandes, being a very famous Danish critic, noted and singled out Lagerlöf's novel, thanks to which the book won the recognition of the masses. The writer built her novel as a sequence of separate events in which there was no description of the existing reality. The novel, based on the legends and stories of Värmland, heard by Selma as a child from her grandmother and aunt, was filled with romance, vivid adventures and colorful festivities.
The fairy-tale style can be traced in the subsequent works of Lagerlöf. These are the novels The Legend of the Old Estate (1899), Monsieur Arne's Money (1904), collections of short stories Invisible Knots (1894) and Queens from Kungahella (1899). In these works, goodness and love, with the help of higher powers and an inexplicable miracle, overcome evil, curses and misfortunes. This theme is especially clearly seen in the book "Legends about Christ" (1904), which is a collection of short stories.
Not only with the help of fairy-tale motifs, Lagerlöf illuminates religious, philosophical and moral problems. In 1895-1896, the writer, finally leaving the teaching field, traveled to Italy. In the novel The Miracles of the Antichrist (1897), the action takes place in this beautiful country. In 1901-1902, the novel "Jerusalem" was written, in which the writer empathizes with peasant families who were faced with a religious sect and were forced to leave their native places. Under pressure from the sect, the peasants leave for Jerusalem, where they remain to wait for the end of the world. The novel shows deep sympathy and feelings of the author.
The peak of creative activity and world recognition
"Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey Through Sweden" is a fabulous book written in 1906-1907, which was the main work of Lagerlöf's entire literary work. Starting work on the book, Selma intended to create an educational book about Sweden. The history and geography of Sweden, its traditions and cultural features, legends and legends had to be described in a fascinating way that could arouse the interest of the child. The book was written on the basis of folklore material - folk tales and legends. The history and geography of the country are presented in a fabulous manner. The protagonist is Nils, traveling on the back of a goose named Martin with a flock of other geese, led by the wise Akki Kebnekaise. The adventures that fall to the lot of Nils bring up a personality in him, temper his character. Various incidents reveal in the main character such character traits as kindness, courage, the ability to empathize, rejoice and be sad along with other heroes. During the journey, Nils often has to stand up for defense and save his friends from death. Nils begins to experience all these feelings for people, sympathizing with his parents, worrying about the orphans Oos and Mats, empathizing with the difficult life of the poor. During the journey, Nils developed the qualities inherent in a real person. This book has won both universal recognition in Sweden and worldwide recognition and has gained immense popularity around the world.
In 1907, the writer received an honorary doctorate from Uppsala University. In 1909, Lagerlöf received the Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual insight that distinguish all her writings." In 1914, the writer becomes a member of the Swedish Academy.
Literary creativity in maturity
Having received the Nobel Prize, Lagerlöf has the opportunity to redeem his family estate. The writer again settled in Morbakk, where she lived the rest of her life. The return to their homeland brought back nostalgic memories that contributed to the birth of a new novel, The House of Liljekurn, written in 1911 and describing the way of life of the inhabitants of Värmland. In addition, the writer writes short stories, fairy tales and legends, which were collected in one collection - Trolls and People (1915, 1921). In 1912, the story "Voznitsa" was born, which has a fabulous and fantastic character. In 1918, Lagrlöf wrote a novel in the anti-militarist style, The Exile. But the main and most significant work of this segment of the life and work of the writer was the novel "The Emperor of Portugal". This novel was written in 1914. Through many of the writer's works, including through this novel, the theme of poverty passes, apparently very close to her. The poor troparion, who fancies himself an emperor after suffering a psychological trauma, loves his daughter to the point of madness. Thanks to this love, he saves himself and helps his erring, but no less beloved daughter to go on the right path.
The famous Swedish writer Selma Ottiliana Lovisa Lagerlöf was born (1858) in the province of Värmland in southern Sweden. Selma's father was a retired officer. In early childhood, the girl became seriously ill with infantile paralysis. For a whole year she did not go at all. After the illness, she remained lame for the rest of her life. Selma was brought up at home. From early childhood, she had a special interest in reading, tried to compose herself.
In 1882, Selma Lagerlöf graduated from the Royal Higher Women's Pedagogical Academy in Stockholm. This year was very difficult for the girl. Her father died, and the family estate was sold for debts.
Selma Lagerlöf, 1908
Selma starts working as a teacher at a girls' school in Landskrona, in southern Sweden. After a while, she began to write a novel and submitted the first chapters to a literary competition organized by a well-known magazine. Selma's first literary experience turned out to be very successful: she was not only awarded the first prize, but also got the opportunity to print the work in full. The novel The Saga of Yeste Beurling was written in 1891.
Literary success allowed Lagerlöf to leave teaching and turn to creativity again. In 1894, a collection of short stories "Invisible Chains" was published. Soon Selma received a scholarship, which was granted by King Oscar II, as well as financial assistance from the Swedish Academy. In 1898, the book "Miracles of the Antichrist" was published, in 1901 - the novel "Jerusalem". Lagerlöf's works became very popular. In 1904, the writer's financial situation improved so much that she bought out her family estate.
In the same year, the writer received a gold medal from the Swedish Academy. In 1906, the famous children's novel "Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey Through Sweden" was published, and in 1907 - "A Girl from a Farm in the Swamps."
The Enchanted Boy (Niels' Journey with the Wild Geese). Cartoon based on the fairy tale by S. Lagerlöf
In 1909, Selma Lagerlöf was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. This high award personified "a tribute to the high idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual penetration that distinguish all her works."
Selma Lagerlöf not only engaged in literary work, but also did not stay away from politics. In 1911, the writer spoke at an international women's conference in Stockholm. In 1924 she was a delegate to the Women's Congress in the United States.
In 1914 Selma Lagerlöf was elected a member of the Swedish Academy. By this time, she was a well-known author who produced a large number of literary works. After the outbreak of World War II, Selma Lagerlöf donated her gold Nobel medal to the Swedish National Relief Fund in Finland. Lagerlöf helped many German cultural figures escape Nazi persecution.
Selma Ottilia Luvisa Lagerlöf was born on November 20, 1858 in Sweden. This great Swedish writer was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Her father was a retired military man and her mother was a teacher. Their family lived in the Morbakka estate (Värmland, Sweden). The development of Selma's writing talents was influenced by the environment in which she spent her childhood. In many of her works, she remembered Morbakka and Värmland with incredible love and warmth.
But not everything went smoothly in Selma's life. When she was 3 years old, she was paralyzed and completely helpless. While she was ill, her aunt and grandmother told her various folk tales, legends and stories. In 1863, her grandmother died, the future writer went through this event very hard.
In 1867 Selma was moved to Stockholm. She was treated in a specialized clinic, where she regained the ability to move. At this time, she already dreamed of literary work. But she had absolutely no time to develop in this direction, because during her treatment, Selma's family became completely impoverished. The girl needed to think about earnings. In Stockholm, she was able to enter the lyceum (1881), and in 1882, the Higher Teachers' Seminary. She graduated in 1884. In the same year, she went to work as a teacher in a girls' school in the south of Sweden.
In 1885, she survived the death of her own father, and three years later the Morbakk estate, so dearly loved by Selma, was sold to pay off debts. In 1890, the Idun newspaper announced a competition for a literary work that could interest readers. In the summer of the same year, she sent part of the unfinished work to the editorial office of the newspaper and received an award for it. Her novel was published in full in 1891. The Danish critic Georg Brandee noticed her work, and it received public recognition. Selma wrote in a peculiar "anti-realistic" style. In her works there was fabulousness and romance. Much of the previously mentioned novel was based on the Värmland legends.
In subsequent years, Lagerlöf wrote in her developed style. Her most famous works of that period are Monsieur Arne's Money (1904), Invisible Bonds (1894), and The Legend of the Old Manor (1899). In her works she sang goodness, love and justice. In some of her works, the writer considered religious and moral problems. In 1895, Selma left work and plunged into creativity.
Selma's main work is Nils Holgersson's Wonderful Journey Through Sweden. This book is built on legends, folk tales and the rich knowledge of the writer herself. Initially, the creation of the book was planned in order to gently and unobtrusively tell children about the history and geography of Sweden. This book has been acclaimed by readers all over the world.
Further, the biography of Selma Lagerlöf tells that in 1907 she was elected an honorary doctor of Uppsala University, and in 1914 the writer joined the members of the Swedish Academy. In 1909 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. With this reward, she redeemed her beloved Morbacca. Selma moved there and lived in this place for the rest of her life. While living in Morbach, she wrote many new works, among which were The Exile (1918) and the novel The Emperor of Portugal (1914). The last major work was a large trilogy, which consisted of 3 parts: “The Loevenskiold Ring”, “Charlotte Loewenskiold” and “Anna Sverd”.
Before the outbreak of World War II, Selma helped German artists escape Nazi persecution. For this she was condemned by the German government. She was deeply shocked by the start of the war, which is why she gave her Nobel medal to the Swedish National Trust, but the government gave it back to her.
The writer died in Morbach of peritonitis in 1940.
Please note that the biography of Lagerlöf Selma presents the most basic moments from life. Some minor life events may be omitted from this biography.
