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Britta Gröndahl | |
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| Born | Britta Maartman (1914-03-08)8 March 1914 Eskilstuna, Sweden |
| Died | 18 November 2002(2002-11-18) (aged 88) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Resting place | Bromma Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Translator,journalist |
| Organization | Central Organisation of Swedish Workers |
| Movement | Anarchism in Sweden |
Britta Gröndahl (née Maartman; 1914–2002) was aSwedishwriter,journalist,translator, andanarcho-syndicalistactivist.
Britta Maartman was born on 8 March 1914, inEskilstuna. She was the daughter of Hans Maartman, aright-wingcouncillor for theEskilstuna Municipality, and Dagmar Tideman. Despite their social status, the family found it difficult to sustain amiddle class lifestyle, which made Britta familiar withclass stratification from an early age. She graduated fromsecondary school in 1931, and soon after she met and married the musician Gustav Gröndahl. They moved toStockholm, where Britta began learning languages at theuniversity; despite being inclined towardspolitical science, the subject was considered inappropriate for women at that time.[1]
During the 1940s, she gave birth to three daughters (Birgitta, Ulla and Anna) and lived the life of ahousewife, while also working a job and continuing her linguistics studies. She also published a series of Swedish translations of works in theDutch andEnglish languages, beginning with her translation ofClyde Brion Davis' novelThe Anointed in 1945. By 1953, she had graduated with alicentiate in literature.[1]
After her children came of age, Gröndahl moved into political activism. Under the influence of the German syndicalistHelmut Rüdiger, she joined theCentral Organisation of Swedish Workers (SAC) and began writing for its newspaperArbetaren. She became interested in theFrench andSpanish anarchist movements, and in 1959, she published a book aboutPierre-Joseph Proudhon. In 1965, Gröndahl was appointed as the first international secretary of the SAC. Gröndahl wasradicalised by theprotests of 1968, prompting her to resign from her posts atArbetaren and the SAC, which had become toomoderate for her. She instead became involved with the anarchist youth movement, establishing acoffeehouse onBellmansgatan [sv] and joining the team behind thelibertarian socialist journalFrihetlig socialistisk tidskrift [sv].[1]
She continued to work as a translator, moving into publishing Swedish translations ofFrench language works. In 1978, she published a translation ofMarie Cardinal's novelThe Words to Say It and cartoons byClaire Bretécher. During the 1980s, Gröndahl published a series of translations of the works ofMichel Foucault, most notably including his four-volume opusThe History of Sexuality. Towards the end of her life, in 1994, she published her memoirs. She died on 18 November 2002 and was buried in the graveyard ofBromma Church.[1]
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