3
Mårbacka
Memorial Estate,
Sunne
As you have probably already figured out, she
was a very special and interesting woman.
Selma Lagerlöf did not want to be referred
to as an old lady telling stories. She was a very
hard working person with a clear direction,
but like most writers she also suffered from
writer’s block from time to time. It was not
always easy for her to accomplish what
everyone expected of her.
– She was a politician with liberal views,
Lena Gynnemo points out, manager at
Mårbacka Memorial Estate. And she was
a farmer. Once she’d managed to buy back
Mårbacka, she became the manager of the
estate – even in times when there was a
steward working here. Mårbacka was a large
estate.
Her childhood at Mårbacka
is often
portrayed through rose-tinted glasses.
– However, we now know that it wasn’t
always that idyllic. The family was upper
class and highly acclaimed. They had a
large circle of friends and family. Selma was
the second youngest, with two sisters and
two brothers.
– Her father Erik Gustav Lagerlöf had
great plans for the estate and had hopes of
receiving a large inheritance from his wife’s
side of the family. But the inheritance didn’t
materialise. At the death of his father-in-
law, all assets were heavily mortgaged.
When the financial problems arose, he
turned to alcohol. What he had built up at
Marbacka slowly withered and when he
died the family could no longer keep the
At the home of the author
who created
Nils Holgersson
Selma Lagerslöf’s beloved Mårbacka outside of Sunne in
Värmland has celebrated its 70th anniversary as a memorial
estate. Here you have the opportunity to get to know the
author behind the book, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils.
16 | naturally
