Ulla-Lena Lundberg

Ulla-Lena Lundberg (born July 14, 1947, Kökar, Åland) is a Finland-Swedish author living in Porvoo, Finland. Her Swedish language books have been translated into several languages, including Finnish, Danish, German, Russian and Dutch.

Biography

Lundberg made her debut at age 15 with the poetry anthology "Utgångspunkt" in 1962. In 1964, she spent some time in the United States on a scholarship. She subsequently wrote of her experiences in the US. Lundberg also wrote a book about Japan after living there in 1968.

Her breakthrough is generally considered to be the 1976 book "Kökar", a factual account of the past and present of her island of birth, told through the stories of some of the islanders. She would later write two novels about the fictional Kökar native "Anna" in "Kungens Anna" and "Ingens Anna".
She would write extensively about Africa (the fictional "Tre afrikanska berättelser", "Sand" and "Regn" and the factual "Öar i Afrikas inre"), having lived for two years in the African nations of Botswana, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania.

After obtaining her Master's degree in 1985 from Åbo Akademi University, Lundberg spent the academic year of 1986 - 1987 as a lecturer and writer in residence at the University of Minnesota. Save for this one year at the University of Minnesota, Lundberg has worked her entire professional life as an author and continues to do so.

In 1993, Lundberg published "Sibirien", which, in addition to being an autobiography, is an account of four month-long stays in Siberia. This has been the most internationally successful of her books.

Among her other works, the most notable include the acclaimed seafaring trilogy of "Leo", "Stora världen" and "Allt man kan önska sig", a series of fact-based, fictional novels detailing the history and evolution of shipping in Åland/Finland.

She has received numerous awards for her writing, including Runebergspriset and the prize for Finnish authors awarded by the Swedish Academy. She has been nominated three times for Finland's top literary award the Finlandia award. In 1993, Lundberg was awarded an honorary doctorate of arts by Åbo Akademi University. Between 1994 and 1999, Lundberg held the title Professor of Arts.

Bibliography

As author

* "Utgångspunkt" (1962) (poetry)
* "Strövtåg" (1966) (travel)
* "En berättelse om gränser" (1968) (travel)
* "Gaijin-utlänning i Japan" (1970) (travel)
* "När barometern stod på Karl Öberg och andra hörspel" (1974) (radio theater)
* "Kökar" (1976) (factual)
* "Tre afrikanska berättelser" (1977) (novella anthology)
* "Öar i Afrikas inre" (1981) (anthropology)
* "Kungens Anna" (1982) (novel)
* "Ingens Anna" (1984) (novel)
* "Franciskus i Kökar" (1985) (master's thesis)
* "Sand" (1986) (novel)
* "Leo" (1989) (novel)
* "Stora världen" (1991) (novel)
* "Sibirien" (1993) (travel)
* "Allt kan man önska sig" (1995) (novel)
* "Regn" (1997) (novel)
* "Marsipansoldaten" (2001) (novel)
* "Människan och målaren" (2005) (biography of Åke Hellman, co-authored by Erik Kruskopf)
* "Hundra År i Gammelgård" (2006) (history of a Gammelgård's social club in Esbo, co-authored by Lasse Hoffman and Unni Malmgren)

As editor

* "Vackre Alen. Memoarer av Algot Lundberg." (1981) (autobiography of Algot Lundberg)
* "Männen som kom från havet. Jakthistorier från Kökar" (2000)

External links

* [http://www.mhbibl.aland.fi/forf/index.php?id=75&lang=engelska Biography of Ulla-Lena Lundberg, Library of Mariehamn, Åland]
* [http://www.mhbibl.aland.fi/forf/?id=74 Complete bibliography of Lundberg, Library of Mariehamn, Åland]
* [http://hbl.fi/text/kultur/2007/12/29/d8760.php Interview with Ulla-Lena Lundberg, Dec. 2007]
* [http://www.edu.fi/svenska/mlm/ml/forfattaren/ul_lundberg.html Interview with Ulla-Lena Lundberg]
* [http://www.gummerus.fi/page.asp?sivuID=281&component=/PublishDB/Kirjailijat_kirjailijaesittely.asp&recID=92 Entry for Lundberg] on the website of Finnish publisher Gummerus