Olof Lagercrantz
Swedish writer, critic, and literary scholar (1911–2002)
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Key Takeaways
- Olof Gustaf Hugo Lagercrantz (10 March 1911 – 23 July 2002) was a Swedish writer, critic, literary scholar (PhD 1951) and publicist (editor-in-chief of Dagens Nyheter 1960–1975).
- Lagercrantz married Martina Ruin (born 1921), daughter of Professor Hans Ruin and Karin Sievers, in 1939.
- His sister Lis Asklund was an author, social worker, curator, and program producer for Sveriges Radio.
- His childhood was dark, under the clouds of his mother's mental illness and later his sister's suicide.
Olof Gustaf Hugo Lagercrantz (10 March 1911 – 23 July 2002) was a Swedish writer, critic, literary scholar (PhD 1951) and publicist (editor-in-chief of Dagens Nyheter 1960–1975).
Life and career
Lagercrantz was born in Stockholm, Sweden, the son of bank director Carl Lagercrantz, of the noble Lagercrantz family, and Countess Agnes Hamilton, whose great-grandfather was the prominent Swedish writer Erik Gustaf Geijer. Lagercrantz married Martina Ruin (born 1921), daughter of Professor Hans Ruin and Karin Sievers, in 1939. Lagercrantz is the father of actress Marika Lagercrantz and author David Lagercrantz. His sister Lis Asklund was an author, social worker, curator, and program producer for Sveriges Radio. His nephews Lars and Johan Lönnroth are also famous in their own right.
His childhood was dark, under the clouds of his mother's mental illness and later his sister's suicide.
Lagercrantz commanded considerable influence as a critic and publicist. He became an expert of sorts in literary biography, and several of his studies on important Swedish writers are still cornerstones of Swedish literary studies, in particular, his biography of August Strindberg (1979) and his portrait of his friend Gunnar Ekelöf, Jag bor i en annan värld men du bor ju i samma.
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