Selma Lagerlof was a Swedish author, born in 1858 and died in 1940, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded to her in 1909. Her literary career was launched by her debut novel Gosta Berling's Saga, published when she was thirty three, a romantic tale set among the ironworking estates of her native Varmland province that established the folkloric, legend-inflected style for which she became known. Beyond her Nobel Prize, Lagerlof achieved a second historic milestone in 1914, when she became the first woman elected to membership of the Swedish Academy, the body that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature itself.
Facts
AwardNobel Prize in Literature, 1909; first woman to win the prize. 1 Classification
Original Language FAQs
Why was Selma Lagerlöf awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature?
The prize honored the lofty idealism and vivid imagination of her writings.
The Nobel Foundation gave the 1909 prize to Selma Lagerlöf in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings.
Where was Selma Lagerlöf born and where did she live?
She was born and died on the Marbacka estate in Värmland.
Selma Lagerlöf was born on the Marbacka estate in Värmland county, Sweden, on 20 November 1858, and she died on the same estate on 16 March 1940. The Nobel Foundation also lists her residence at the time of the award as Sweden.
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Source Selma Lagerlöf (Wikipedia)tier 2
Sources
1. Selma Lagerlöf (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Wikipedia lead sentence, opening parenthetical birth-death dates
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, US also , Swedish: [ˈsɛ̂lːma ˈlɑ̂ːɡɛˌɭøːv] ; 20 November 1858-16 March 1940) was a Swedish writer.
Wikipedia lead section, third sentence
She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she was awarded in 1909.
Original language statement
Selma Lagerlof was a Swedish author, born in 1858 and died in 1940, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded to her in 1909.
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