Born in Mårbacka in southern Sweden in 1858, Selma Lagerlöf grew up in a traditional but financially strapped estate family. After training as a teacher, she taught in Landskrona from 1885 before devoting herself entirely to writing. In 1906, Nils Holgersson's marvellous journey through Sweden was published, making her world-famous. In 1909, she was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. Throughout her life, she campaigned for women's rights. She died in Mårbacka in 1940.