Children's Letters to Selma Lagerlöf

By Andreas Marklund

20. Nov. 2008

Thousands of children from all over the world wrote to Selma Lagerlöf and told her about their reading experiences. Many letters came from school classes who sent her essays, drawings, or maps of Sweden. 

Letter from Lendemark School in Stege to Selma Lagerlöf on the occasion of the 80th birthday on 20th November 1938. Royal Library, Stockholm. 

International bestseller

The book which incited the children to write to the author was above all "Nils Holgersson's Adventurous Journey through Sweden". In Denmark the book was published in three separate parts and each publication achieved a status comparable with the present-day Harry Potter books. Apparently it was just as addictive.

Augusta, „a Danish girl" from the village of Skjold near Horsens announced in a letter to Selma Lagerlöf in 1913 that „I do not wish to read any other books than those you have written".

Unbearable Suspense

Eight-year-old Helge from Copenhagen got acquainted with Nils Holgersson at an early stage. On 8th March 1907, he proudly wrote to the author that he had been "travelling with the wild geese". Helge's father had read the book aloud and the entire family had been listening to the adventures with rapt attention. Now they had finished and everybody was awaiting the continuation. The suspense was almost unbearable, not least to young Helge: „Are they also going to Trollhättan? I yearn for knowing all that".

Selma Lagerlöf in the Schools

The letters prove that the stories about Nils Holgersson were frequently used as educational material in Danish elementary schools. Some children even tell Selma Lagerlöf that they have her portrait hanging on the classroom wall. Others mention a Swedish flag or a map of Sweden. A fifth form from a school in Copenhagen wrote in November 1907 that they hoped „to go to Sweden one day and see some of the beautiful places we have read about". They also expressed their wish that a Danish author „would write such a lovely book about Denmark so that we could get to know our mother country better".

Congratulatory Letters

Many of the children's letters were written in connection with red-letter days, not least birthdays. They often contained small gifts in the shape of drawings or paper cuttings. A class from Lendemark School in Stege sent for instance the following greeting to Selma Lagerlöf on the occasion of her 80th birthday on 20th November 1938: „Happy birthday, dear Selma Lagerlöf and thank you for all the great stories you have told us." The letter is encircled by colourful drawings signed by the children. Arne has contributed with the Swedish flag crossed with the Dannebrog, Jytte has drawn a bus with a sign saying „To Mårbacka", and Henning has depicted the same building - Selma Lagerlöf's famous mansion - as a castle. They wish for good weather for the celebration, and the author also gets some greetings of the more personal kind: „My name is Arne and I would like to ask you if you know my grandmother. She is also from Sweden".

Twelve letters from Danish children to Selma Lagerlöf are on display in the exhibition. All letters quoted in this article are included and can be studied further in the exhibition. 

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