Born: 2 September 1807, Finland
Died: 27 May 1879
Country most active: Finland
Also known as: Frederika Tengström
The following is excerpted from “400 Outstanding Women of the World and the Costumology of Their Time” by Minna Moscherosch Schmidt, published in 1933.
Authoress, pioneer of the feminist movement in Finland. Fredrika Runeberg, nee Tengstrom, was born in 1807 in the city of Pietarsaari. Very early she showed literary talent, writing small poems and tales, even as a child. At the age of twenty-three she became the wife of Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finland’s national poet and the greatest poet the country has produced.
The life of Mrs. Runeberg was full of toil and care; seven sons were born of the marriage, and the economic conditions of the family were far from bright. At first, the Runebergs lived in Helsinki, but soon they moved to the near-by city of Porvoo, where Runeberg was active as a teacher in the high-school. Fredrika Runeberg died in 1879, a few years after the death of her husband.
Fredrika Runeberg is known not only as the self sacrificing wife of a great poet, but also as an independent author. She published, in the papers and, in 1861, in the form of a book, various Dreams and Pictures, in which the position of woman and her participation in public life are advocated. She also wrote the first historical novels written in Finland. In her writings she used the Swedish language. Her character was quiet and modest; increasing deafness contributed to her reserve. Her inner life was rich and refined; she had a warm heart and a keen intellect. She will always have a place among Finland’s remarkable women.