Ellen Emma Augusta Kleman (1867–1943) was a Swedish writer, newspaper editor and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist. From 1907, she was editor of ''

Dagny Dagny () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Population Geography The river Aubetin flows northwestward through the commune. See also * Communes of the Seine-et-Marne departme ...

'', a journal in support of the women's movement, replaced in 1914 by '' Hertha'', which she also edited until 1932.

Biography

Born in

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Swed ...

in 1867, Ellen Emma Augusta Kleman was the daughter of Commander Carl Kleman (1820–1872) and Johanna Augusta Grahm (1825–1904). Her older sister,

Anna Kleman Anna Kleman at the International Congress of Women in 1915 Anna Sofia Kleman (1862–1940) was a Swedish insurance officer and feminist. She is remembered for her work as a women's rights activist and pacifist, especially in regard to voting right ...

(1862–1940), was also active in the women's movement. After attending the girls' school in Karlskrona, she worked in banks in

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...

and

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. Kleman was an avid supporter of women's rights. In 1907, she became editor of ''

'', the principal organ of the women's movement. She wrote many of the articles herself, including accounts of women's conventions and biographies of notable women. When ''Dagny'' ceased publication in 1913, she became the editor of its replacement '' Hertha'' from 1914 to 1932. In 1921, she served on the board of the

Fredrika Bremer Association The Fredrika Bremer Association ( sv, Fredrika Bremer Förbundet, abbreviated FBF) is the oldest women's rights organisation in Sweden. The association stands for an inclusive, intersectional and progressive liberal feminism, and advocates for wome ...

, the Swedish women's rights organization, chairing its Stockholm chapter from 1922 to 1931. She became strongly interested in the association's founder, Fredrika Bremer (1801–1865), publishing a collection of essays about her. Together with her friend

Klara Johanson Klara Elisabeth Johanson (6 October 1875 – 8 October 1948) was a Swedish literary critic and essayist. She was unusually well educated for a woman in her city. She initially wrote for journals and newspapers before she and her partner spent five ...

, with whom she lived from 1912 until she died, Kleman published four large volumes of Bremer's letters. In addition to her writings on the women's movement, Kleman published a historical novel titled ''Fabian Wendts hustru'' (Fabian Wendt's Wife) about women who have been manipulated and guided by others, without any opportunity for self-development.

Awards

In 1942, Kleman was honoured with the

Illis Quorum ''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') (English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It"), is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society. The award was introduced in 1784 by King Gust ...

medal, the highest award for Swedish individuals.

Biography

Awards

References

Further reading