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.
2019.10.03 | 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, Aarhus University
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…
2019.08.18 | Biography, Jenny Rood, Juliette Victor, The arts
Ulf Lundell (b. 1949)
Ulf Gerhard Lundell is a Swedish rock singer, composer, author, poet, and artist known as ‘the Swedish Bob Dylan.’
2019.08.05 | Biography, Linda Haverty Rugg, The arts
Susanne Bier (b. 1960)
Acclaimed Danish film director with many awards to her credit, including an Oscar, Golden Globes, an Emmy, and numerous festival and European prizes, Susanne Bier concentrates on family dynamics and their relation to global concerns in her work, particularly poverty and violence.
2019.08.05 | Biography, Linda Haverty Rugg, The arts
Bille August (b. 1948)
Bille August is a Danish filmmaker in the realist tradition, and a winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1988 for Pelle Erobreren (Pelle the Conqueror). He created a cinematic adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s Den goda viljan (Best Intentions, 1992) and of Peter Høeg’s thriller Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne (Smilla’s Sense of…
2019.08.05 | Biography, Linda Haverty Rugg, Literature
Inger Christensen (1935-2009)
One of Denmark’s most daring experimental twentieth-century poets, Inger Christensen pushes language to its extreme limits while also engaging with philosophical concepts and political issues such as gender, ecology, and nuclear war.
2019.08.05 | Biography, Linda Haverty Rugg, Literature
Mikael Niemi (b. 1959)
Mikael Niemi is a novelist, poet, playwright and short-story writer often focusing on the Tornedal region of Sweden where he lives. His work is steeped in fantasy, folklore, and science fiction, and expressive of a place and people at the margins of the Swedish national culture.
2019.08.05 | Biography, Jenny Rood, Juliette Victor, The arts
Elisabeth Söderström (1927-2009)
Elisabeth Söderström was a Swedish soprano known for both her acting and her singing talent, and particularly noted for her performances of Mozart and Strauss and her recordings of Janáček.