The First Vanguard

Hulda Garborg was one of the most influential Norwegian women’s activists of the 1890s, and the wife of author and social reformer Arne Garborg. The couple was among the first Norwegian members of the European intellectual vanguard. They traveled widely on the Continent, partaking of bohemian life. At home they advocated modern causes such as women’s rights and free love. They criticized the authority of the church and embraced socialism and, in its turn, anarchism—then they distanced themselves from both when the doctrines became too dogmatic. At the same time, they were instrumental in the dawning nationalist movement, as champions for Norwegian independence and self-awareness.