Valborg Olander (14 May 1861 – 27 February 1943) was a Swedish teacher, politician and

suffragette A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

. She is known for her friendship with the author

Selma Lagerlöf Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (, , ; 20 November 1858 – 16 March 1940) was a Swedish writer. She published her first novel, ''Gösta Berling's Saga'', at the age of 33. She was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which she was ...

, the first woman to win the

Nobel Prize in Literature The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...

Life and career

Valborg Olander was born in Uddeholm Manor,

Värmland Värmland () is a ''Provinces of Sweden, landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Name Several Latinized version ...

, one of the five children of the medical doctor Gustaf Achilles and Eva Charlotta Munktell. After the death of her father when she was twelve, her mother supported the family by opening a fashion shop in

Ulricehamn Ulricehamn is a locality and the seat of Ulricehamn Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden, with 9,787 inhabitants in 2010. History Ulricehamn, originally known as ''Bogesund'', has been populated at least since the Middle Ages. The town ...

. Olander was educated at a girls' school in

Jönköping Jönköping (, ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland. The city is the seat o ...

, and at ''

Högre lärarinneseminariet The Royal Seminary, fully the Royal Advanced Female Teachers' Seminary (, abbreviated KHLS), was a normal school (teachers' college) in Stockholm, Sweden. It was active from 1861 until 1943. It was the first public institution of higher acade ...

'' in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

at the age of fifteen in 1876. After graduation in 1879, she worked as a teacher in

Lidköping Lidköping () is a locality and the seat of Lidköping Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. It had about 40,000 inhabitants in 2021. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Vänern and sometimes refers to itself as "Lidkö ...

in 1879–80, at the elementary for girls 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 ...

in 1880–88 and, from 1888 until 1916, at the people's academy in

Falun Falun () is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 37,291 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Dalarna County. Falun forms, together with Borlänge, a metropolitan area with just over 100,000 inhabit ...

. Olander was a strong supporter of

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

: she was the chairperson of the Falun branch of National Association for Women's Suffrage in 1905–1920 and its representative in its national central committee. She was active as a writer both as a suffragette and as a teacher, and published works about the Swedish language with the linguist and

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...

Gustaf Cederschiöld Gustav, Gustaf or Gustave may refer to: *Gustav (name), a male given name of Old Swedish origin Art, entertainment, and media * ''Primeval'' (film), a 2007 American horror film * ''Gustav'' (film series), a Hungarian series of animated short cart ...

. From 1907 to 1912, Olander was the vice chairman of the committee running the Seminarteacher's society; she was a board member of the Falun public libraries; in 1909–1910 a member of the school council and was appointed by the city council to the board of the Academy for Girls in Falun, which she was in 1912–1918. In 1909, women became eligible to stand for election to municipal councils, and at the 1910 election, Valborg Olander was elected to the Falun city council for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, and alongside Elfrida Larsson, the first female members of the Falun city council. She sat for one term, to 1914. Valborg Olander was an acquaintance of the author

, with whom she eventually came to develop a love relationship. She is also thought to have affected the work of Selma Lagerlöf in her capacity of literary adviser.Toijer-Nilsson, Ying (2006). ''En riktig författarhustru: Selma Lagerlöf skriver till Valborg Olander'' (A Proper Writer's wife: Selma Lagerlöf to Valborg Olander). Bonnier

In popular culture

The relationship between Selma Lagerlöf, Valborg Olander and Olander's rival, the writer

Sophie Elkan Sophie Elkan ( Salomon; 3 January 1853, Gothenburg – 5 April 1921, Gothenburg) was a Swedish writer and translator. Life Sophie Salomon was the daughter of the merchant Alexander Salomon and Henriette Abrahamson. Her parents had migrated to Sw ...

, was portrayed in ''Selma'', a TV series written by Åsa Lantz in 2008, with

Helena Bergström Helena Kristina Bergström Nutley (; born 5 February 1964) is a Swedish actress and film director. From an acting family, she began her career in 1982. She has appeared on the stages of the Royal Dramatic Theatre (''Dramaten'') and the Stockhol ...

as Selma Lagerlöf, Ingela Olsson as Valborg Olander and

Alexandra Rapaport Alexandra Susanna Rapaport (born 26 December 1971 in Bromma) is a Swedish film and stage actress. She studied at the Teaterhögskolan i Stockholm, from which she graduated in 1997. She then worked for Uppsala Theatre before becoming engaged by ...

as Sophie Elkan.

References

Additional sources

Dagny, nr 50, 1910
* Toijer-Nilsson, Ying (2006). ''En riktig författarhustru: Selma Lagerlöf skriver till Valborg Olander'' (A Proper Writer's wife: Selma Lagerlöf to Valborg Olander). Bonnier
Valborg H C Olander, urn:sbl:7676, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Eva Andersson), hämtad 2015-12-11.

Life and career

In popular culture

References

Additional sources

Further reading