Alice Lyttkens (1897–1991)

Alice Lyttkens, née Cronquist, was born in Malmö, Sweden, to the family of a socially-minded doctor and his wife. In 1918, she married Yngve Lyttkens, a lawyer from Stockholm, with whom she had three children.

She made her literary debut in 1932 with the novel Synkoper. During the 1930s, she wrote a series of novels about the problems faced by modern women in their efforts to combine love and work, such as Flykten från vardagen (1933), – kommer inte til middagen (1934), and a trilogy about the lawyer Ann Ranmark, 1935-1937. Although her everyday realism and positive heroines made her popular, her most successful works were historical novels about the fictional Tollman family set in the 18th century, beginning with Lyckans tempel in 1943.

She and her husband hosted a renowned salon frequented by many writers, artists, and business and political figures, which served as an anti-Nazi gathering place during World War II. Three of her books were adapted into films: Die Frau am Scheidewege (1938), Längtans blåa blomma (1998) and Hylands hörna (1962). Alice published a total of about 50 novels, including science fiction works, and a 3-volume history of women, published in 1972-1974. Her memoirs, entitled Leva om sitt liv, appeared in seven volumes between 1977 and 1989.