Cecilia Ulrika Laura Lovisa Bååth-Holmberg (1 March 1857 – 30 July 1920) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

writer, translator, educator, and activist. Best known for her Swedish translation of the

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

"", she was awarded the Swedish royal medal

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The ob ...

for her significant contributions. As an active proponent of public morality, Bååth-Holmberg established the Swedish National Association for Moral Culture in 1909. At her suggestion, Mother's Day was celebrated for the first time in Sweden in 1919.

Life

Cecilia Bååth-Holmberg was born on 1 March 1857 in

Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. Her father Laurentius Andreas Bååth was a vicar, and her mother Alfhilda Bååth came from a German family. Bååth-Holmberg's father died when she was very young. She grew up in a religious family, which helped develop in her a strong social conscience and firmly held conservative ideas. In 1877, Bååth-Holmberg married Teodor Holmberg. They moved to

Västmanland Västmanland ( or ), is a historical Swedish province, or ''landskap'', in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland. Västmanland means "(The) Land of the Western Men", where the "western men" (''västerm ...

where her husband became the first principal of the newly formed Tärna Folk High School. Bååth-Holmberg was responsible for supervising the school's domestic science education, and she started teaching courses that were intended for female students. As lecturers and debaters, the couple became prominent figures in the field of popular education, and were actively engaged in discussions on educational, social and cultural issues. They ran the school for 36 years. Bååth-Holmberg had a productive writing career. She authored several works of fiction including, the anthology of short stories entitled ''Pepita och andra berättelser'' (1899), and ''I häfdernas hall: Verklighetssagor för de unga'' (1900). Her works of nonfiction included travel books on Nordic places, and historical biographies of eminent figures such as those of

Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

and

Charles XV Charles XV also Carl (''Carl Ludvig Eugen''); Swedish: ''Karl XV'' and Norwegian: ''Karl IV'' (3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden (''Charles XV'') and Norway, there often referred to as Charles IV, from 8 July 1859 until his dea ...

. Commentators have described her writings to be reproduced by Bååth-Holmberg's stereotyping of

national romanticism Romantic nationalism (also national romanticism, organic nationalism, identity nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state claims its political legitimacy as an organic consequence of the unity of those it governs. This includes ...

. Bååth-Holmberg was widely recognised as a translator and she translated a large number of works from Norwegian, Danish, and German to Swedish. She is arguably best known for her Swedish translation of the

"". Bååth-Holmberg actively championed against the negative impact of literature and press on public morality, publishing an article in ''

Stockholms Dagblad ''Stockholms Dagblad'' was a conservative morning newspaper published in Stockholm between 1824 and 1931. History and profile ''Stockholms Dagblad'' was established on 2 January 1824 as a newspaper for the Swedish capital. Under the editorship o ...

'' in 1908. The following year, she co-founded the Swedish National Association for Moral Culture with her husband. Since its inception, the association was influential in the social scene, releasing publications, lectures, and a programme called ''Förädlande folknöjen''. Bååth-Holmberg became an imperative figure of the organisation, serving as its chairperson, and later its secretary. During this time, she also wrote for its magazine ''På Vakt'', contributing reviews that criticised the modernity of literature. At her suggestion, Mother's Day was celebrated for the first time in Sweden in 1919.

Life

References

Further reading