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Early life and career
[edit]Hagar Olsson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 16 September 1893 Kustavi, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire |
| Died | 21 February 1978 Helsinki, Finland |
| Occupation | Writer, literary critic, translator |
| Literary movement | Modernism |
Hagar Olsson was born in Gustavs, in Southwest Finland, where her father Karl Sixtus Olsson served as a parish priest from 1889 to 1893. The family moved to Föglö the same year, and at the age of 13 she moved to Räisälä on the Karelian Isthmus, where her father was appointed parish priest. She went to school in Vyborg at the Fruntimmersskolan and graduated in 1913. After graduating from the Higher Swedish Commercial College in Helsinki, she began studying Nordic and Finnish philology at the University of Helsinki in 1914[1]. She made her literary debut in 1916 with the novel Lars Thorman och döden.[1]
She was a critic for Dagens Press and Svenska Pressen, among others. Together with a few other writers, Olsson, who was about 25 years old at the time, was one of the first in Finland to write about modern literature, and she quickly became a household name.[1]
Olsson documented her early interest in Eric Hermelin's interpretations of Persian literature and was one of the first to draw attention to his literary work.[3] In Arbetare i natten (1935) she also has an essay on Hermelin's work.[2]
Relationship with Edith Södergran
[edit]In January 1919, Olsson wrote a review of Edith Södergran's poetry collection Septemberlyran, in which she not only criticized Södergran's way of interfering in the debate before it had even begun, but also demonstrated an appreciation of the Nietzschean and modernist traits, prompting Södergran to write her a letter that was both passionate and angry. This was the start of a lifelong friendship and alliance.[2]
Olsson's professional life, however, has for many years been overshadowed by his friendship with Södergran.[4] In Södergran's collection of poems Rosenaltaret (1919), several of the poems are addressed to her, calling her my sister. In 1940, she published Edith Södergran's Poems with an introductory essay.
There were many similarities between Södergran and Olsson:
- They were born a year apart
- They lived in small towns in the Finnish part of the Karelian Isthmus
- Their social background and level of education was similar
- They were both worldly women who spoke several languages
- Both were fascinated by Friedrich Nietzsche and interested in modernism
- They questioned traditional male power structures and wanted to promote the 'new woman'
However, unlike Olsson, Södergran had traveled more in Europe and knew more about contemporary Russian poetry. Olsson, on the other hand, had a broader sphere of interest and stable employment.[2] Moreover Olssson was healthy whereas Södergran was ill with tuberculosis.
The friends met for the first time as early as February that year, when Olsson visited Raivola for a few days. In total, they would meet five times.[5] Over the next four years until Södergran's death, she sent over 90 letters to Olsson (out of the 250 that have been preserved).[2] These letters are the main source of knowledge about Södergran's life for over three years, which is problematic because Södergran only rarely describes her life and when she does, she is keen to present an image of herself as a creative artist.[2]
At the beginning of the correspondence, the tone of Södergran's letters is overwhelmingly positive, but as Olsson shows signs of having a social life outside of her relationship with Södergran, the poet becomes increasingly irritated and even jealous.[2] Olsson was a change for Södergran who, as an only child, had been idolized by her mother and often got her way.[6] Olsson's letters provide a nuanced picture of Södergran as a sometimes rather difficult and demanding friend.[7] Olsson's letters are not always easy to read.
In 1955, Olsson published parts of the correspondence between her and Södergran, annotated by Olsson.[6] However, Olsson's letters have not been preserved, which means that her part in the relationship is "constructed" afterwards.[2] It was also Olsson who edited the poetry collection Rosenaltaret and put Södergran in contact with Elmer Diktonius in March 1922, which to some extent relieved Hagar Olsson as an intellectual sparring partner for Södergran.[8].
Towards the end of Södergran's life, the friends drifted apart and the contact became mostly about Södergran's translation work, but one of Södergran's last letters was to Olsson[8].
Personal life
[edit]Hagar Olsson had a relationship with Kylli Siegberg (1895-1931) and for some time they lived together[2].
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Rahikainen (2014). Poeten och hennes apostlar. Helsinki: Helsingfors universitet. pp. 39–44. ISBN 978-952-10-9790-4.
- ^ Walsh, P. G. (1975-04). "Birger Bergh: Sancta Birgitta, Revelaciones, Book v. Pp. 184. Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1971. Paper, Kr.50. - Sten Eklund: Sancta Birgitta, Opera Minora, ii: Sermo Angelicus. Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1973. Paper". The Classical Review. 25 (1): 166–166. doi:10.1017/s0009840x00245186. ISSN 0009-840X.
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