Torgny Karl Segerstedt (1 November 1876 – 31 March 1945) was a Swedish professor and scholar of

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including human migration, migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study ...

, who later became editor-in-chief of the newspaper ''

Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning ''Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning'' (GHT) was a daily newspaper published in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 1832 to 1985. History and profile ''Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning'' was founded in 1832 by publisher Magnus Prytz and had ...

''. He is most remembered for his uncompromising anti-

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

stance and his efforts to alert the Swedish public to the threat of Fascism during the 1930s.

Biography

Torgny Segerstedt was born at

Karlstad Karlstad (, ) is the 20th-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city proper had 67,122 inhabitants in 2020 with 97,233 inhabitan ...

Värmland County Värmland County () is a county or '' län'' in west central Sweden. It borders the Swedish counties of Dalarna, Örebro and Västra Götaland, as well as the Norwegian counties of Østfold, Akershus and Innlandet to the west. The title of Duke ...

, Sweden. He was the son of the teacher and publicist Albrekt Segerstedt (1844–1894) and Fredrika Sofia Bohman (died 1884). He earned a

cand.theol. Candidate ( or ) is the name of various academic degrees, which are today mainly awarded in Scandinavia. The degree title was phased out in much of Europe through the 1999 Bologna Process, which has re-formatted academic degrees in Europe. The de ...

degree from

Lund University Lund University () is a Public university, public research university in Sweden and one of Northern Europe's oldest universities. The university is located in the city of Lund in the Swedish province of Scania. The university was officially foun ...

in 1901 and in 1903 he became a lecturer in the

history of religion The history of religion is the written record of human religious feelings, thoughts, and ideas. This period of religious history begins with the invention of writing about 5,200 years ago (3200 BCE). The Prehistoric religion, prehistory of reli ...

. He was a lecturer in theological encyclopedics at Lund University from 1904 to 1912. He was awarded a

doctor of theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

in 1912. He was professor in the history of religions at

Stockholm University Stockholm University (SU) () is a public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden, founded as a college in 1878, with university status since 1960. With over 33,000 students at four different faculties: law, humanities, social ...

from 1913 to 1917. Torgny Segerstedt was editor-in-chief of the Gothenburg newspaper ''Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning'' from 1917 until his death in 1945. After the rise of

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

to power in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

, the newspaper became the leading Swedish publication dedicated to the German struggle against Nazism. Throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he remained an opponent to the Swedish government policies of concessions to Nazi Germany.

Personal life

Torgny Segerstedt married his Norwegian born wife Augusta Wilhelmina Synnestvedt (1874–1934) in 1905. Their children were the philosopher and sociologist

Torgny Segerstedt Torgny Karl Segerstedt (1 November 1876 – 31 March 1945) was a Swedish professor and scholar of comparative religion, who later became editor-in-chief of the newspaper ''Göteborgs Handels- och Sjöfartstidning''. He is most remembered for ...

(1908–1999) and the journalist and politician Ingrid Segerstedt Wiberg (1911–2010). Segerstedt died in

Gothenburg Gothenburg ( ; ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, second-largest city in Sweden, after the capital Stockholm, and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated by the Kattegat on the west coast of Sweden, it is the gub ...

during 1945 and was buried at Kvibergs kyrkogård.

Legacy

In 1955, the Torgny Segerstedt monument was unveiled at Vasaplatsen in Gothenburg. The ten-meter high, triangular monolith of granite was designed by Swedish sculptor Ivar Johnsson (1885–1970). He was posthumously awarded the

Illis quorum ''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') (English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It") is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society. The award was introduced in 1784 by King Gusta ...

by the Swedish government in 1977. The Torgny Segerstedt Foundation (''Stiftelsen Torgny Segerstedts Minne'') was founded in 1996 and was inaugurated by his daughter Ingrid Segerstedt-Wiberg. The foundation funds a visiting professorship at the

University of Gothenburg The University of Gothenburg () is a List of universities in Sweden, university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current List of universities in Sweden#Public universities, S ...

. Torgny Segerstedt was the subject of the 2012 Swedish film, ''

The Last Sentence ''The Last Sentence'' () is a 2012 Swedish film, directed by Jan Troell and starring Jesper Christensen, Pernilla August, Björn Granath and Ulla Skoog. It is set between 1933 and 1945, and focuses on the life and career of Torgny Segerstedt, a ...

'' (). The story was based on the journalistic career of Segerstedt. It was directed by Swedish film director

Jan Troell Jan Gustaf Troell (born 23 July 1931) is a Swedish writer-director and cinematographer. His realistic films, with a lyrical photography in which nature is prominent, have placed him in the first rank of modern Swedish film directors along with I ...

and featured the Danish actor

Jesper Christensen Jesper Christensen (; born 16 May 1948) is a Danish actor. A veteran of European cinema, he has made the transition to English language projects, including '' The Interpreter'' and '' Revelations''. He has also appeared as the mysterious vill ...

in the role of Torgny Segerstedt.

References

Other sources

* Anders Johnson (2006) ''Ett porträtt av Torgny Segerstedt – Personligheten och hjordinstinten'' (Göteborg: Tre Böcker Förlag AB)

External links

Stiftelsen Torgny Segerstedts Minne website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Segerstedt, Torgny 1876 births 1945 deaths People from Karlstad Lund University alumni Academic staff of Lund University Academic staff of Stockholm University Swedish newspaper publishers (people) Swedish anti-fascists Swedish people of World War II Swedish newspaper editors Recipients of the Illis quorum