Eugenie Söderberg (1903–1973) was a Swedish-American writer and journalist born in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

, Germany noted for her profound concern with women's issues which she addressed in her novels and short stories.

Early years

In 1912, her father, Alexander Riwkin, a

Russian-Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...

immigrant who had studied

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

established himself in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden, as an industrialist following a short return to the family's home town, Gomel in Russia. The Riwkin home flourished as a center for culture, attracting both established and upcoming literary figures from

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

and abroad. Eugenie, the eldest daughter was encouraged by her philosopher father who was also a lecturer and writer of short stories in Russian and

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

. Eugenie's younger brother Joseph Riwkin also followed a similar path, acting for a while as a stimulating nucleus within a group of the most aspiring young writers of Sweden. These included Gunnar Ekelöf,

Harry Martinson Harry Martinson (6May 190411February 1978) was a Swedish writer, poet and former sailor. In 1949 he was elected into the Swedish Academy. He was awarded a joint 1974 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1974 together with fellow ...

Karin Boye Karin Maria Boye (; 26 October 1900 – 24 April 1941) was a Swedish poet and novelist. In Sweden, she is acclaimed as a poet, but internationally, she is best known for the dystopian science fiction novel '' Kallocain'' (1940). Biography Ea ...

, Ebbe Linde, who with many others participated as writers and editors in the avant-garde Swedish magazine, ''Spektrum''.

Career

Eugenie was soon working as a creative writer and earning her living as an editor, journalist and newspaper reporter. She attained immediate success in 1930 with her first novel ''Studentfabriken'' (''The Student Factory''). The work was translated into fourteen languages and also produced as a film. In 1928 she married the young writer Mikael Söderberg and son of

Hjalmar Söderberg Hjalmar Emil Fredrik Söderberg (2 July 1869 – 14 October 1941) was a Swedish novelist, short story writer, playwright and journalist. His works often deal with melancholy and lovelorn characters, and offer a rich portrayal of contemporary Stoc ...

. After only a couple of years of marriage her husband died in 1931. She continued to maintain a close relationship with her in-laws, in particular her father-in-law. However it was her sister Anna Riwkin, Sweden's foremost photographer, who was to be her closest friend throughout her lifetime, although she remained close to her brother Joseph and her sister-in-law, Ester Riwkin, both also writers.

Later life

In 1940 Eugenie Söderberg came to the United States as a reporter for Scandinavian newspapers and in 1942 she married the well-known art dealer and

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

scholar

Hugo Perls Hugo Perls (24 May 1886–1977 was an international art dealer, historian, philosopher and notable collector born in Rybnik in Upper Silesia. During his lifetime, he witnessed his homeland change from its German origins to Polish. He studied law, ...

. She eventually became an American citizen and continued to write both journalistically and creatively, covering American theater, music and art. One of her later books, ''Min Son är Min'' (''My Son is Mine''), appeared in 1965 and was well received. The writer died in January 1973, at the age of sixty-nine.

Publications (selection)

* 1933 – ''Kulturen i Sovjet'' (as Eugénie Riwkin–Söderberg, Bonnier) * 1936 – ''Studentfabriken: roman'' (Bonnier) * 1947 – ''Med bästa avsikt: roman'' (Medén) * 1961 – ''Mokihana bor på Hawaii'' (Rabén & Sjögren) ** English translation: Mokihana lives in Hawaii (1961) * 1962 – ''Hawaii'' (with Anna Riwkin-Brick) * 1965 – ''Min son är min'' (Rabén & Sjögren) * 1970 – "Kollektivet kring Spektrum". In the newspaper ''Bonniers litterära magasin'', 1970: nr 8

Footnotes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Soderberg, Eugenie 1903 births 1973 deaths Writers from Heidelberg People from the Grand Duchy of Baden Swedish Ashkenazi Jews Swedish-language writers American people of Russian-Jewish descent Jewish American novelists Swedish emigrants to the United States 20th-century Swedish novelists Swedish women novelists 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers American women novelists 20th-century Swedish women writers 20th-century American Jews American Ashkenazi Jews German emigrants to Sweden Novelists from Stockholm