Anniversaries, 2 April
H.C. Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen is Denmark’s best-known author. Born in Odense on the island of Funen, he had an extraordinary writing career that went from working class boy to famous writer. His father was a "free" cobbler, that is to say he was not a member of the cobblers' guild. He fought against Napoleon, and when he returned a broken man Andersen's mother, a washing woman, was forced to provide for the family as best she could until she died an alcoholic in 1833. There were few opportunities f...
Anniversaries, 2 April
Émile Zola
French author, born in Paris and raised in Aix-en-Provence. His father, who was Italian and a successful site engineer, died from pneumonia when Émile was only seven years old. His mother was then cheated of her inheritance and had to make great sacrifices for her son to get a good education. Émile, however, was not very successful in school. Nevertheless, during his early school years he beame friends with Paul Cézanne, the later on so famous artist. Their friendship would last many years.
As...
Photo: Ola Erikson / Forflex
Sample of authors
Sten, Viveca
Viveca Bergstedt Sten grew up in Stockholm. She spent her summer breaks on the island of Sandhamn in the Stockholm archipelago where her family has owned a house since 1917 when her great grandparents acquired the Lagerta family estate from the son of the master pilot. She read and wrote from an early age, she edited the school magazine and at university she contributed to the law students’ m...