again; and what had originally been intended as a
second volume of the 'Sketches' appeared in 1830 as 'Familjen H.' (The
H. Family). Its success was immediate and unmistakable. It not only was
received with applause, but created a sensation, and Swedish literature
was congratulated on the acquisition of a new talent among its writers.

The secret of Fredrika's authorship--which had as yet not been confided
even to her parents--was presently revealed to the poet (and later
bishop) Franzen, an old friend of the family. Shortly afterward the
Swedish Academy, of which Franzen was secretary, awarded her its lesser
gold medal as a sign of appreciation. A third volume met with even
greater success than its predecessors, and seemed definitely to point
out the career which she subsequently followed; and from this time until
the close of her life she worked diligently in her chosen field. She
rapidly acquired an appreciative public in and out of Sweden. Many of
her novels and tales were translated into various languages, several of
them appearing simultaneously in Swedish and English. In 1844 the
Swedish Academy awarded her its great gold medal of merit.

Several long journeys abroad mark the succeeding years: to Denmark and
America from 1848 to 1857; to Switzerland, Belgium, France, Italy,
Palestine, and Greece, from 1856 to 1861; to Germany in 1862, returning
the same year. The summer months of 1864 she spent at Arsta, which since
1853 had passed out of the hands of the family. She removed there the
year after, and died there on the 31st of December.

Fredrika Bremer's most successful literary work was in the line of her
earliest writings, descriptive of the every-day life of the middle
classes. Her novels in this line have an unusual charm of expression,
whose definable elements are an unaffected simplicity and a certain
quiet humor which admirably fits the chosen _milieu_. Besides the ones
already mentioned, 'Presidentens Doettrar' (The President's Daughters),
'Grannarna' (The Neighbors), 'Hemmet' (The Home), 'Nina,' and others,
cultivated this field. Later she drifted into "tendency" fiction, making
her novels the vehicles for her opinions on important public questions,
such as religion, philanthropy, and above all the equal rights of women.
These later productions, of which 'Hertha' and 'Syskonlif' are the most
important, are far inferior to her earlier work. She had, however, the
satisfaction of seeing the realization of