Edith Södergran’s biography by Agneta Rahikainen, the leading expert on Södergran’s poetry, is now travelling to Denmark, where it will be published by Turbine.
Edith Södergran was one of the greatest lyrical voices from Finland, and a modern classic. Her biography by Agneta Rahikainen, who with 30 years of research on Södergran is the leading expert in the field, is now travelling to Denmark, where it will be published by Turbine.
Edith Södergran (1892-1923) was one of the giants of the Swedish-speaking literature, and one of the first modernist writing in Swedish. With influences from Symbolism and Expressionism, she debuted at 24 with Dikter (“Poems”) and released four collections of poems during her life. Landet som icke är (“The Land that is not”) was released posthumously, after Södergran died aged only 31.
Södergran enjoyed worldwide fame and appreciation, and is a unique lyrical voice whose poetry is still gaining in popularity and status today: her writing has never stopped attracting attention, and there is a growing interest in her biography and persona.
In this biography by Agneta Rahikainen, we follow a fascinating narration of Södergran’s life story, from her upbringing in St Petersburg, to her passion for photography and her debut as an author, and then the time in sanatoria and eventually the in Raivola, Carelia, leading up to her death. Edith Södergran’s life was exceedingly short, but eventful and marked by the unruly times she lived in: the last days of Tsarist Russia, the war, and the outbreak of tuberculosis of the early 1900s. Her poetry enjoyed worldwide appreciation, and was translated into 27 languages.
Agneta Rahikainen (1963) is a literary scholar and non-fiction author, who has written two more books about Södergran and, among others, a book about syphilis (Smittans rike: Om syfilis i konst, kultur och kropp) published by the Swedish publisher Natur&Kultur.
Turbine is a publishing house based in Aarhus, founded in 2004. With an impressive over 400 titles a year, they have quickly earned a spot among the leading publishing houses in Denmark, and they have previously published Edith Södergran’s poems in Danish.
Warmest congratulations to the author and the publisher!