author
1873–1945
A key bridge between Scandinavian and American literary culture, this Norwegian-American writer, editor, and translator helped introduce major Nordic authors to English-language readers. She also broke ground in journalism, becoming the first woman to lead a Norwegian-language newspaper in America.
Born in Decorah, Iowa, Hanna Astrup Larsen built a career that moved between writing, editing, and translation. She worked for Scandinavian-American newspapers in Wisconsin and California, contributed to major newspapers in San Francisco and New York, and became especially known for her long association with The American-Scandinavian Review.
In 1921, she was appointed editor of the journal and also served as literary secretary of the American Scandinavian Foundation. In that role, she helped shape a large body of Scandinavian literature for English-speaking readers, editing more than seventy books and translating works by writers including J. P. Jacobsen and Steen Steensen Blicher.
Larsen also wrote literary biographies of Knut Hamsun and Selma Lagerlöf, and edited influential collections such as Norway's Best Stories, Sweden's Best Stories, and Denmark's Best Stories. Her work earned international recognition, including honors from Sweden, Norway, and Denmark in the 1930s.