Fredrika Charlotta Runeberg (née Tengström; 2 September 1807,

Jakobstad Jakobstad (; fi, Pietarsaari) is a town and municipality in Ostrobothnia, Finland. The town has a population of () and covers a land area of . The population density is . Neighboring municipalities are Larsmo, Pedersöre, and Nykarleby. The ...

– 27 May 1879,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

) was a Finnish (

Finland-Swedish Finland Swedish or Fenno-Swedish ( sv, finlandssvenska; fi, suomenruotsi) is a general term for the variety of the Swedish language and a closely related group of Swedish dialects spoken in Finland by the Swedish-speaking population, commonly ...

) novelist, journalist and the wife of

Finland's Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothn ...

national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbo ...

Johan Ludvig Runeberg Johan Ludvig Runeberg (; 5 February 1804 – 6 May 1877) was a Finnish priest, lyric and epic poet. He wrote exclusively in Swedish. He is considered a national poet of Finland. He is the author of the lyrics to (''Our Land'', '' Maamme'' in F ...

. She was a pioneer of Finnish

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

and one of the first woman journalists in Finland. In her own time, she was mainly known as the wife of her famous husband, poet

. The family lived most of their life in

Porvoo Porvoo (; sv, Borgå ; la, Borgoa) is a city and a municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland, situated on the southern coast about east of the city border of Helsinki and about from the city centre. Porvoo was one of the six medieva ...

, where she created most of her works, including the historical novel ''Fru Catharina Boije och hennes döttrar'' (1858). She wrote in

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 ...

Life and career

Born in a bourgeoise family in

, Fredrika Tengström lived most of her youth in

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

, the then capital of Finland. She was educated in

Anna Salmberg Anna Salmberg, née ''Brinck'' (1788, Copenhagen – 1868, Åbo), was a Finnish educator. She was the founder and manager of '' Salmbergska flickpensionen'' ('Salmberg Pension for Girls'), one of the most famed and fashionable educational instituti ...

's school for girls in 1824–25. She met her future husband,

, her second cousin, while living with her great uncle

Jakob Tengström Jacob Tengström (4 December 1755 - 26 December 1832) was a Finnish prelate who became the first Archbishop of Turku and Finland. Biography Tengström was born on 4 December 1755 in Kokkola, Finland. He was the nephew of Anders Chydenius and t ...

Archbishop of Turku The Archdiocese of Turku ( fi, Turun arkkihiippakunta, sv, Åbo ärkestift), historically known as '' Archdiocese of Åbo'', is the seat of the Archbishop of Turku. It is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, and its see city is ...

, in

Pargas Pargas ( fi, Parainen) is a town and municipality of Finland, in the Archipelago Sea, the biggest archipelago in the world by the number of islands, 50,000. The big limestone mine in Pargas is the base of the main industry and except for the cent ...

, having lost her home in the

Great Fire of Turku The Great Fire of Turku ( fi, Turun palo, sv, Åbo brand and russian: Пожар Або) was a conflagration in the city of Turku in 1827. It is still the largest urban fire in the history of Finland and the Nordic countries. The city had burned ...

in 1827. In 1828, she moved to

, the new capital, with her mother, and married Runeberg in January 1831. The family settled in

and had seven sons; the only daughter died an infant. Fredrika Runeberg was the first Finnish author to critically analyze the status of women, at home and in the society. Her

oeuvre Oeuvre(s) or Œuvre(s) may refer to: * A work of art; or, more commonly, the body of work of a creator Books * ''L'Œuvre'', a novel by Émile Zola * ''Œuvres'', a work by Emil Cioran * ''Œuvres'', a work by Auguste Brizeux * ''Oeuvres'', a wo ...

includes two historical novels: ''Fru Catharina Boije och hennes döttrar'' (1858), set in

Finland during the Great Northern War The Great Wrath (, in contemporary sources: , 'Era of Russian domination/supremacy'; ) was a period of Finnish history dominated by the Russian invasion and subsequent military occupation of Finland, then part of the Swedish Empire, from 1714 ...

, and ''Sigrid Liljeholm'' (1862), set in the

Cudgel War The Cudgel War (also Club War, fi, Nuijasota, links=no, sv, Klubbekriget, links=no) was a 1596–1597 peasant uprising in Finland, which was then part of the Kingdom of Sweden. The name of the uprising derives from the fact that the peasants ...

. She also contributed to various newspapers and magazines, and translated foreign literature and articles, mostly from French, German, and English, into Swedish.

Legacy

Runeberg torte

According to a legend, Fredrika Runeberg is the creator of the famous Finnish pastry, the

Runeberg torte Runeberg torte ( fi, runebergintorttu; sv, Runebergstårta) is a Finnish torte flavored with almonds and arrack or rum and weighing about 100 grams. It usually has raspberry jam encircled by a ring of icing on top. The torte is named after the ...

, although her recipe is also said to be based upon an earlier recipe by

confectioner Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categorie ...

Lars Astenius from Porvoo. The torte is typically served on Johan Ludvig Runeberg's birthday, on 5 February, which is an established flag flying day in Finland. The torte tradition has spread all over Finland, commemorating the country's

Home museum

Shortly after her death, the Runeberg family home in

was made into a museum in 1882, being one of the most popular sights in town.

Fredrika Runeberg Stipendium

Since 1987, the

Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland 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 ...

has awarded the annual ''Fredrika Runeberg Stipendium'' in her memory to a "mother of community", i.e. women with political or societal achievements. The laureates include prominent people like

Elisabeth Rehn Märta Elisabeth Rehn (; born 6 April 1935) is a Finnish former politician and diplomat. She served as the Minister of Defence of Finland during 1990 to 1995 and as an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations during 1998 to 1999. She was al ...

(1996),

Märta Tikkanen Märta Eleonora Tikkanen (born 3 April 1935) is a Swedish-speaking Finnish writer. Biography Born in Helsinki, she has worked as a reporter for ''Hufvudstadsbladet'' from 1956 to 1961. She graduated from the University of Helsinki, Master of A ...

(2001),

Eva Biaudet Eva Rita Katarina Biaudet (born 27 February 1961) is a Finnish politician and Member of Parliament of Finland in the parliamentary group of the Swedish People's Party. She returned to the Finnish Parliament in the parliamentary election of April 2 ...

(2006), and

Astrid Thors Astrid Gunilla Margareta Thors (born 6 November 1957) has been a Member of the Finnish Parliament 19 March 2003 – 4 September 2013. A Finnish-Swedish politician, formerly of the Swedish People's Party, Thors is a Candidate of Law and held seve ...

(2011).

Bibliography

* ''Fru Catharina Boije och hennes döttrar. En berättelse från stora ofredens tid.'' Finska Litteratursällskapet, Helsinki 1858. * ''Teckningar och drömmar.'' Theodor Sederholm, Helsinki 1861. * ''Sigrid Liljeholm.'' Theodor Sederholm, Helsinki 1862. * ''Anteckningar om Runeberg. Min pennas saga'' (= ''Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland. Skrifter'' 310, ). Mercator, Helsinki 1946 (posthumous). * ''Receptbok'' (= ''Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland. Skrifter'' 652). Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland, Helsinki 2003, (posthumous).

References

External links

*
Fredrika Runeberg
by the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland

at

Project Runeberg Project Runeberg ( sv, Projekt Runeberg) is a digital cultural archive initiative that publishes free electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries. Patterned after Project Gutenberg, it was founded ...

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