Elsie Johansson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elsie Johansson
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Elsie Johansson at the Gothenburg Book Fair in 2008.
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| Born | Elsie Gunborg Johansson 1 May 1931 Vendel, Sweden |
| Died | 15 February 2025 (aged 93) |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | Swedish |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Period | 1979–2016 |
| Notable works | Brorsan hade en vevgrammofon (1979) Glasfåglarna (1996) Mosippan (1998) Nancy (2001) Sin ensamma kropp (2008) Riktiga Elsie (2016) |
Elsie Gunborg Johansson (born May 1, 1931 – died February 15, 2025) was a talented writer from Sweden. She is known for her stories that often describe the lives of working-class people.
Contents
About Elsie Johansson
Early Life and Education
Elsie Johansson was born in Vendel, Sweden. She was the fifth child in her family. Her father was a statare, which means he was a farm worker who often received housing and food instead of much money. Later, her father worked as a lumberjack and construction worker.
Elsie's family lived in a very simple cabin. This cabin and their way of life later inspired many of the settings in her books. Thanks to a teacher who encouraged her, Elsie was able to attend a special school called realskola in Uppsala. She finished school in 1948.
Starting Her Career
After graduating, Elsie started working at the post office. She got married when she was 18 years old and had her first child at 19. She continued to work at the post office for 30 years.
Becoming a Writer
Elsie Johansson started her writing career when she was 48 years old. Her first book was a collection of poems called Brorsan hade en vevgrammofon (My Brother Had a Wind-up Gramophone). Her first novel, Kvinnan som mötte en hund (The Woman Who Met a Dog), came out in 1984.
Besides books for adults, Elsie also wrote many books for children and teenagers.
Her Famous Books
Elsie became very well-known for her "Nancy" series of books. This series includes three novels: Glasfåglarna (The Glass Birds), Mosippan (The Pasqueflower), and Nancy. These books helped her win several important awards, like the Aniara Prize. She also received the Litteris et Artibus award, which is a special medal given by the King of Sweden for outstanding artistic contributions.
Elsie Johansson passed away on February 15, 2025, at the age of 93.
Awards and Recognition
Elsie Johansson received many awards for her writing throughout her career. Here are some of them:
- Lundequistska bokhandelns litteraturpris 1996
- Fackföreningsrörelsens Ivar Lo-pris 1997
- BMF-plaketten 1998 (for Mosippan)
- Moa Award 1999
- Stig Dagerman Prize 2001
- Siripriset 2001
- SKTF:s pris-writer of the year 2001
- Hedenvind-plaketten 2002
- Aniara-priset 2002
- The Litteris et Artibus medal 2002
- Årets väckarklocka 2004
- ABF:s litteraturpris 2006
- Jan Fridegårdspriset 2008
- Sveriges Radios romanpris 2009 (for Sin ensamma kropp)
