Elin Wägner

1882–1949

Authoress. Elin Wägner is born in Lund, but later moves to Helsinborg where she begins her career as a journalist and writer. She works, among other places, at Helsingborgsposten, the weekly magazine Idun and Dagens Nyheter (which means Daily News) in Stockholm. She writes several books with strong depictions of women. Elin is very engaged in women’s rights and she fights for women’s suffrage. She is also one of the founders of Rädda Barnen (Save the Children International) in 1919. Later, she is elected as a fellow of both Samfundet De Nio (Society of the Nine) and Svenska Akademien (The Swedish Academy).

Elin has strong ties to Småland already during her upbringing and she later becomes a permanent resident of the region. Several of Elin’s books are also set in Småland. Elin’s niece Ria Wägner has a croft in Öland, about a mile south of Gränna, which is called Björkelund. Elin comes here to visit and gets inspiration for her writing. Her interest in the Småland landscape results in the cultural history book Tusen år i Småland (A Thousand Years in Småland).