Selma Lagerlöf

Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Lagerlöf, 1909
Born	Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (1858-11-20)20 November 1858 Mårbacka, Värmland, Sweden
Died	16 March 1940(1940-03-16) (aged 81) Mårbacka, Värmland, Sweden
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	Swedish
Notable awards	Nobel Prize in Literature 1909

Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (Swedish: [ˈsɛlˈma ˈlɑːɡə(r)ˈløːv]; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish author and teacher. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and is best remembered for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige (The Wonderful Adventures of Nils).

Born at Mårbacka (now in Sunne Municipality) an estate in Värmland in western Sweden, Lagerlöf was the daughter of Lieutenant Erik Gustaf Lagerlöf and Louise Lagerlöf née Wallroth, the couple's fifth child out of six. She was born with a hip injury. An early sickness left her lame in both legs, although she later recovered. She was a quiet child, more serious than others her age, with a deep love of reading. She was constantly writing poetry as a child, but did not publish anything officially until later in life. Her grandmother helped raise her, often telling stories of fairytales and fantasy. The sale of Mårbacka following her father's illness in 1884 had a serious impact on her development. Selma's father is said to have been an alcoholic, something she rarely discussed. Her father did not want Selma to continue an education, or remain involved with the woman's movement. She ended up buying back her father's estate with the money she received for her Nobel Prize achievement.

Lagerlöf was educated at the Högre lärarinneseminariet in Stockholm from 1882 to 1885. She worked as a country schoolteacher at a high school for girls in Landskrona from 1885 to 1895 while honing her story-telling skills, with particular focus on the legends she had learned as a child. Through her studies at the Royal Women's Superior Training Academy in , Lagerlöf reacted against the realism of contemporary Swedish language writers such as August Strindberg. She began her first novel, Gösta Berling's Saga, while working as a teacher in Landskrona. Her first break as a writer came when she submitted the first chapters to a literary contest, and won a publishing contract for the whole book. At first, her writing only received mild reviews from critics. Once a popular male critic, George Brandes, gave her positive reviews of the Danish translation, her popularity soared. She received financial support of Fredrika Limnell, who wished to enable her to concentrate on her writing.