Sonja Åkesson | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 5 May 1977 | (aged 51)
Occupation | Poet |
Known for | Feminism |
Sonja Åkesson (19 April 1926 – 5 May 1977) was a Swedish poet, writer, and artist born in Buttle, Gotland. [1] [2]
Sonja Åkesson first discovered her talent for writing at 28 after moving to Stockholm, after her divorce from Nils Westberg, a carpenter. They had two children at the time of the divorce and Sonja was expecting a baby (not her husband’s). The baby died from leukemia at the age of two. [1]
In 1956, Sonja married Bo Holmberg and had her fourth child, Mikael. [1] The following year she published her first collection of poems: Situationer ("Situations"). In 1963 she became a household name in Sweden after publishing Husfrid. She became known for her distinct style of writing, describing daily life and commenting on society. [3] The feminist movement embraced Åkesson's work and often cited it. The most famous of her poems is probably "äktenskapsfrågan" (the question of marriage). [2] This is often referred to as "vara vit mans slav" (to be the slave of a white man) as this is repeated throughout the poem.
After nine years of marriage, she divorced Bo Holmberg in 1965. She married Jarl Hammarberg, a Swedish artist and poet, and gave birth to her fifth child, Gertie. [1] Sonja Åkesson moved to Halmstad in the 1970s after suffering from mental illness, and in 1977 she died from liver cancer. [1]
Her works include: [2]
Her manuscripts and other papers are held within the Women’s History Collections, Gothenburg University, Sweden. [4]
Sonja Åkesson | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 5 May 1977 | (aged 51)
Occupation | Poet |
Known for | Feminism |
Sonja Åkesson (19 April 1926 – 5 May 1977) was a Swedish poet, writer, and artist born in Buttle, Gotland. [1] [2]
Sonja Åkesson first discovered her talent for writing at 28 after moving to Stockholm, after her divorce from Nils Westberg, a carpenter. They had two children at the time of the divorce and Sonja was expecting a baby (not her husband’s). The baby died from leukemia at the age of two. [1]
In 1956, Sonja married Bo Holmberg and had her fourth child, Mikael. [1] The following year she published her first collection of poems: Situationer ("Situations"). In 1963 she became a household name in Sweden after publishing Husfrid. She became known for her distinct style of writing, describing daily life and commenting on society. [3] The feminist movement embraced Åkesson's work and often cited it. The most famous of her poems is probably "äktenskapsfrågan" (the question of marriage). [2] This is often referred to as "vara vit mans slav" (to be the slave of a white man) as this is repeated throughout the poem.
After nine years of marriage, she divorced Bo Holmberg in 1965. She married Jarl Hammarberg, a Swedish artist and poet, and gave birth to her fifth child, Gertie. [1] Sonja Åkesson moved to Halmstad in the 1970s after suffering from mental illness, and in 1977 she died from liver cancer. [1]
Her works include: [2]
Her manuscripts and other papers are held within the Women’s History Collections, Gothenburg University, Sweden. [4]