Vivi Laurent-Täckholm facts for kids

Vivi Laurent-Täckholm

Vivi Laurent-Täckholm was a Swedish scientist who studied plants, known as a botanist. She was also a talented author who wrote books for children. Vivi was born on January 7, 1898, in Danderyd Municipality, Sweden, and passed away on May 3, 1978. She spent a big part of her life and career working in Egypt.

Her Early Life and Studies

Vivi Laurent-Täckholm was the daughter of Dr. Wilhelm Edvard Laurent. She had a brother named Torbern Laurent. Vivi loved plants and decided to study botany at the Stockholm University in Sweden. She earned her degree in 1921. After her studies, she traveled to the United States from 1921 to 1923. In 1926, she married Gunnar Täckholm, who was also a botany professor. That same year, they moved to Egypt to study the plants there.

Her Amazing Career in Egypt

During World War II, Vivi worked at a newspaper in Stockholm. But after the war, she moved back to Egypt. She became a professor at the University of Cairo in 1946 and later at Alexandria University in 1947, returning to Cairo in 1948. In 1952, she received a special honorary degree from the University of Stockholm.

Vivi Täckholm did something incredible: she built the Botanical Institute at Cairo University! This institute became a very important place for studying plants. She also created a huge collection of dried plants, called a herbarium. This herbarium grew to be the largest in all of Africa, with about 100,000 plants from many different places, especially from Egypt, Lebanon, Arabia, and Sudan.

Thanks to her connections in Sweden, the Agricultural Academy in Stockholm sent a large library of books about plants. Even Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden, the King of Sweden, helped by paying for more foreign books. Another organization, SIDA, donated a collection of microfilms with over half a million pages of books and plant samples. The Wallenberg Foundation also helped Cairo University build a special lab to study pollen using an electron microscope. During Vivi's time, the plant department had about 20 professors and teachers, and more than 2,000 students!

Vivi Täckholm passed away during a visit to Sweden. She is buried in the Old Cemetery in Uppsala.

Books She Wrote

Vivi Laurent-Täckholm wrote many books, including some wonderful ones for children and books about her experiences and Egyptian culture.

• Vivis resa (Vivi's Journey), 1923 – This book is about her year working as a maid from New York to San Francisco.
• Vivis resa II. Från Saltsjöbaden till Pacifikens stränder (Vivi's Journey II. From Saltsjöbaden to the Pacific Shores), 1924
• Sagan om Snipp, Snapp, Snorum (The Tale of Snipp, Snapp, Snorum), 1926 – A children's story.
• En skolflicka berättar (A Schoolgirl Tells Her Story), 1927
• Katt: en kärlekssaga berättad och tecknad (Cat: A Love Story Told and Drawn), 1936
• Som husmor i Egypten (As a Housewife in Egypt), 1937 – About her life in Egypt.
• Faraos blomster: en kulturhistorisk-botanisk skildring av livet i Gamla Egypten (Pharaoh's Flowers: A Cultural-Historical Botanical Description of Life in Ancient Egypt), 1951 – This book explores plants and life in ancient Egypt.
• Öknen blommar (The Desert Blooms), 1969
• Lillans resa till månen: En saga för stora och små (Lillan's Trip to the Moon: A Story for Big and Small), 1976 – A children's story with pictures by Veronica Leo.
• Våra hav: En bok för stora och små (Our Seas: A Book for Big and Small), 1978 – With pictures by Veronica Leo.
• Egypten i närbild (Egypt Up Close), 1964
• Sagans minareter: En bok om islam (Minarets of the Tale: A Book About Islam), 1971
• Levande forntid: Strövtåg i Kairomuseet (Living Antiquity: Rambles in the Cairo Museum), 1967
• Egyptisk vardag (Egyptian Everyday Life), 1966
• Faraos barn: Kopterna i Egypten (Pharaoh's Children: The Copts in Egypt), 1965
• Students Flora of Egypt, 1974 – A very important book about the plants of Egypt, often called a "green bible" because it's so detailed.

About Her Life

Two books have been written about Vivi Täckholm's life and work:

• Irma Ridbäck: Vivi Täckholm - botanist och kulturinstitution, 1994
• Beata Arnborg: Professor Vivi - den sagolika botanisten, 2008

See also

In Spanish: Vivi Täckholm para niños