Little Womentravelling to Scandinavia

Abstract

The publishing history of an American classic in Sweden, Denmark and Norway illustrates how literature travels between countries and how translated books become integrated in the new national cultures. Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women (1868) still figures on lists of the most cherished, translated and influential children’s books. Sweden can probably boast of the longest translation history of all, starting in 1871, the latest translation appearing in 2016. The Danish material more or less replicates the Swedish, whereas data mining of the stacks of Norway’s National Library demonstrates to what extent a national culture is affected by translated foreign literary impulses and the wealth of sources in which canonized authors may leave a mark. “Little Women travelling to Scandinavia” addresses why Alcott’s book did so well there, why it appealed to readers, and in what circumstances it was read.