Profile of the Day: Camilla Collett

Camilla Collette

Do you have Norwegian ancestry? On this day in 1813, Norwegian writer Camilla Collett was born in Kristiansand, Norway. Often referred to as the first Norwegian feminist writer, Collett was a passionate advocate of women’s rights and an influential figure in Norwegian literature.

Collett was the daughter of Alette Thaulow and Nicolai Wergeland, a priest and politician. Her father was a member of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly at Eidsvoll, which wrote the Constitution of Norway in 1814. Her brother, Henrik Wergeland, is remembered one of Norway’s most beloved poets and a symbol of the country’s independence.

In 1854, Collett anonymously published her most famous novel, Amtmandens døttre, which sharply criticized the constraints of marriage for women. Considered to be the first political and social realism novel in Norway, the book addressed the subjugation of women in society, focusing specifically on forced marriages. After the book’s publication, Collett wrote many more essays on the struggle for women’s rights and independence. Today she is remembered as one of the most influential Norwegian writers and an early pioneer of the women’s movement in Norway.

Explore Camilla Collett’s family tree on Geni and share your connection to the writer.
 

View Camilla Collett’s Geni Profile

Image: National Library of Norway, Flickr