The Modern Swedish Translator of St Birgitta's Works: Tryggve Lundén, his Background and his Impact

In the late 1950's the first complete translation of the Revelations of St Birgitta was published by Allhem Förlag, a publisher in Malmö. The publishers spared no pains to achieve a handsome result: a well-known book designer, Harry Kumlien, was employed; a great number of illustrations was acquired, and the quarto format was chosen for the four volumes. The result is impressive, and the Allhem volumes are for very many people the gateway to the world of St Birgitta. In this paper I focus attention on the translator, Tryggve Lundén, and try to show what motivated him to undertake this laborious work. I also report on how the translation was received by critics.