Biographies
All 'Biographies' are listed here in the order that they were published. We aim to have an assortment of biographies of individuals who are Nordic or have a connection to the Nordics, and who have made an impact on Nordic and/or international society in the modern era. Our long term aim is to focus on those who are little known and to be inclusive.
2019.12.04 | Biography, Anna Derksen, Governance, Minorities
Bengt Olof Lennart Lindqvist (1936-2016)
Bengt Lindqvist was a Swedish politician and an active member of Swedish and international disability organizations. He became deputy minister for social security in 1985, the first Swedish minister with a visual impairment, and served as the first United Nations Special Rapporteur on Disability from 1994 to 2002. In both the national and the…
2019.11.27 | Biography, Anne Heith, Literature
Rut Hillarp (1914–2003)
The work of the Swedish poet and novelist Rut Hillarp is best known for its honest portrayal of female sexuality and desire.
2019.11.20 | Biography, Anne Heith, Literature
Karl Vennberg (1910–1995)
The Swedish poet Karl Vennberg, who was awarded the Nordic Council Literature Prize in 1972, published collections that contained various messages, including criticism towards Western culture and romanticism, and the lauding of everyday life as central.
2019.11.08 | Biography, Anne Heith, Literature
Ulla Isaksson (1916-2000)
Much of the work of writer Ulla Isaksson focuses on the lives of women and their relationships, but also includes screenplays and autobiograhpical and biographical literature.
2019.10.31 | Biography, Anne Heith, Literature
Lars Ahlin (1915–1997)
Lars Ahlin was a Swedish writer whose work explores aestheticism, degradation and the loss of dignity, as well as equality and democracy.
2019.10.22 | Biography, Anne Heith, Literature
Gunnar Björling (1887–1960)
Poet Gunnar Björling flouted conventional grammar and syntax rules and is recognised as a radical, modernist in Sweden.
2019.10.03 | Biography, Anne Heith, Literature
Sonja Åkesson (1926–1977)
Swedish poet Sonja Åkesson advocated the use of colloquial language and themes from everyday life, and her style and humour influenced the next generation of particularly women writers and feminists.
2019.08.28 | Biography, Bodil Marie Stavning Thomsen, The arts
Asta Nielsen (1881-1972)
The Danish theatre actress Asta Sophie Amalie Nielsen became a silent screen world star overnight after her leading role in the silent movie Afgrunden (The Abyss/The Woman always Pays) in 1910.
2019.08.27 | Biography, Tom Lundskær-Nielsen, The arts
Kjeld Abell (1901-1961)
Kjeld Abell is one of the most prominent and innovative Danish playwrights in the 20th century. In his early plays he satirises the narrow, conventional outlook of the bourgeoisie from a socialist viewpoint. Later, he focuses on political commitment and moral dilemmas, inspired by World War II and the German occupation of Denmark, while the…
2019.08.21 | Biography, Linda Haverty Rugg, Literature
Tomas Tranströmer (1931-2015)
Winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature, Tomas Tranströmer was one of those rare poets who is both acclaimed by scholars and critics as well as beloved by a broad readership in Sweden and internationally. Translated into over 60 languages, his poetry is characterized by powerful imagery, and focuses particularly on the human interface with…