Karen Syberg (born 1945) is a Danish author, gender researcher and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

. In 1970, she was among those who founded the Red Stocking Movement in Denmark. She has since worked as a journalist and author of both fiction and non-fiction.

Biography and education

Karen Syberg was born on 24 December 1945 in

Odense Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (after Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2025, the city proper had a population of 185,480 while Odense Municipality had a population of 210, ...

, the daughter of Franz Adolf Syberg, an organist and composer, and Gudrun Karen Marie Rasmussen. In 1997, she married Poul Erik Munk Nielsen, with whom she has one child, Kristian, born 1973. She grew up near

Kerteminde Kerteminde (nickname: ''Min Amandas by'', i.e. ''My Amanda's town''), is a town in central Denmark, located in Kerteminde Municipality on the island of Funen. The town has a population of 6,128 (1 January 2025).

on the island of

Funen Funen (, ), is the third-largest List of islands of Denmark, island of Denmark, after Zealand and North Jutlandic Island, Vendsyssel-Thy, with an area of . It is the List of islands by area, 165th-largest island in the world. It is located in th ...

. After matriculating from high school in

Nyborg Nyborg is a city in central Denmark, located in Nyborg Municipality on the island of Funen and with a population of 17,990 (2025). It is the easternmost settlement on Funen. By road, it is located 34 km east of Odense, 35 km north of ...

, she embarked on studies as a publicity draughtsman but gave them up after a year to study Danish and history in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

. She also abandoned these, taking up literature, in which she gained an M.A. in 1975.

Feminism

While at university, Syberg helped to found the Danish Red Stocking Movement in 1970. She was also active in setting up the women's camp on

Femø Femø is a Denmark, Danish island north of Lolland. The island covers an area of 11.38 km2. Femø had 147 inhabitants in 2009, and 112 inhabitants 2023. Women's camp Every year since 1971 women have met and spent their holiday together in the ...

in 1971.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Syberg, Karen 1945 births Living people People from Odense People from Kerteminde 20th-century Danish novelists Danish feminists 20th-century Danish women writers