Agnes von Krusenstierna

She was born in 1894 in Växjö and was the daughter of Eva Hamilton and Wilhelm Ernst von Krusenstjerna, who was then a captain in the Kalmar regiment. The family moved in 1898 to Visby and in 1902 to Gävle where her father was appointed colonel. When he retired in 1909, the family moved to Stockholm. On the mother's side, Agnes von Krusenstjerna was the granddaughter of the writer and historian Erik Gustaf Geijer. She married in 1921 David Sprengel who was a critic and writer. In 1940 she died aged 46 from a brain tumour. ​ The growing up environment had great significance for Agnes von Krusenstjerna's writing. She debuted in 1917 with the girl's novel Nina's diary, which was followed a year later by Helena's first love. She had her breakthrough with the Tony books, a trilogy published from 1922-26 about a young noble girl's awakening to womanhood. The books depicted taboo subjects such as sexuality and mental illness and caused a stir.

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Fröknarna von Pahlen, som gavs ut i sju band mellan 1930 och 1935, har kallats en kvinnlig kollektivroman, en släktroman och en biologisk roman. Den tar upp fjorton kvinnors levnadsöden och handlar ytterst om hur kvinnan ska bli fri från de begränsningar som könsskräck och kvinnoförakt orsakar. De fyra sista böckerna i serien utlöste den så kallade Krusenstjernafejden, som utvecklades till en tvåårig, hätsk strid om litteratur och moral. Det var framförallt den öppna skildringen av kvinnors sexualitet som upprörde kritikerna. Flera författare tog däremot Agnes von Krusenstjernas parti, bland andra Karin Boye, Eyvind Johnson, Johannes Edfelt och Torgny Segerstedt.

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Fattigadel is considered Agnes von Krusenstjerna's masterpiece. It is a development novel and a family chronicle, but also a reconciliation with both the upbringing environment and the mother figure. At the center of the novel series is Viveka von Lagercrona, whose life is depicted from childhood to the separation from the family. . Mai Zetterling has made two films about Agnes von Krusenstjerna and her novels. Loving couple from 1964 is a film adaptation of Fröknarna von Pahlen, while Amorosa from 1986 depicts the life of Agnes von Krusenstjerna. The latest edition of Fattigadel was published in 2010 by Bonnier's publisher.

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Read more about Agnes von Krusenstjerna:

• Gävle läser Agnes, hösten 2011

• Nina Lekander om Fattigadel i Expressen, 19 oktober 2010

• Ulrika Kärnborg om Fattigadel i Aftonbladet, 12 december 2010

 

Source: Nordisk kvinnolitteraturhistoria. Band III, Vida världen 1900-1960. Höganäs 1996.

Barbro Johnsson (1992). Krusenstiernorna och deras släktarkiv. Särtryck ur Kalmar län.

Nationalencyklopedin. http://www.ne.se/lang/agnes-von-krusenstjerna. 2011-09-29.