Maj Bylock (21 March 1931 – 18 August 2019) was a Swedish children's writer, translator, and teacher. Her works have been translated into Danish, English, Finnish, Faroese, Dutch, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Sami, Turkish, and German. She is the recipient of the Litteris et Artibus medal among other awards.
Maj Kerstin Andersson[1] was born in Visby, on the Swedish island of Gotland,[2] on 21 March 1931. At the age of 12, the family moved to Värmland where she stayed. She completed her studies to be a primary school teacher, and then worked in that profession until 1961.[3]
The first books she wrote were textbooks in history and religion, when she, as a teacher, found that there were no good books for children in these subjects. Over the years, she also wrote books for children and young people as well as adults. Her authorship has a clear historical mark.[3] In 2010, her contribution to improving children's education was the subject of Mary Ingemansson's thesis The Historical Novel and Historical Consciousness in ten- to twelve-year-olds - Maj Bylocks.[4] She is translated into Danish, English, Finnish, Faroese, Dutch, Latvian, Norwegian, Polish, Sami, Turkish, and German. Bylock also contributed a hymn, No. 524, Är dagen fylld av oro och bekymmer, in the Swedish hymn book, music by Anfinn Øien. Her award-winning Solstenen, became a musical. In later years, in addition to her own writing, Bylock recounted a number of notable classics in world literature. The intention was to make them accessible to a greater number of readers and to contribute to a rich, international cultural heritage being passed on.[5] Bylock was awarded the Astrid Lindgren Prize in 1990. She received an honorary doctor from Karlstad University in 2006.[6]
Bylock died in Karlstad on 18 August 2019.[7][5] She is buried at Nyed's cemetery.[8]
