
author
1856–1927
A Dutch social reformer and translator, she helped bring Scandinavian literature to Dutch readers and played an active role in early feminist and social welfare work. Her career linked books, public service, and international ideas in a way that still feels strikingly modern.

by Selma Lagerlöf, Margaretha Meijboom
Margaretha Meijboom was born in Amsterdam in 1856 and became known in the Netherlands as a translator, social worker, and feminist. She is especially remembered for translating Scandinavian literature into Dutch and for introducing Dutch readers to writers including Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, and Selma Lagerlöf.
Alongside her literary work, she was active in social causes and public life. Sources describe her as a supporter of women's rights and cooperative or reform movements, showing how closely her writing and her social ideals were connected.
She died in 1927 in Voorburg. Today, she stands out as a cultural bridge-builder: someone who not only translated books, but also helped new ideas travel across borders.