Sonja Åkesson

Sonja Åkesson (1926-1977) was a Swedish writer, poet and artist born April 19 1926 in Buttle, a village on the Swedish island of Gotland. Sonja Åkesson first discovered her talent for writing at 28 after moving to Stockholm after her divorce from Nils Westberg, a carpenter. They had two children at the time of the divorce and Sonja was expecting a baby (not her husbands). The baby died from leukemia at the age of two.

In 1956 Sonja married Bo Holmberg and had her fourth child. The following year she publishes her first collection of poems: "Situationer" ("Situations"). In 1963 she became a household name in Sweden after publishing "Husfrid". She became known for her distinct style of writing, describing daily life and commenting on society. The feminist movement embraced Sonja Åkesson's work and often cited it. The most famous of her poems is probably "äktenskapsfrågan" (the question of marriage). This is often referred to as "vara vit mans slav" (to be the slave of a white man) as this is repeated throughout the poem.

After nine years of marriage she divorced Bo Holmberg in 1965. She marries Jarl Hammarberg, a Swedish artist and poet, and gives birth to her fifth child. Sonja Åkesson moved to Halmstad in the 1970s after suffering from mental illness. In 1977 she died from liver cancer.