Döderhamn

When Ulla Bjerne died in 1969, her and Léon's home (link in Swedish only) in Lovisa was donated to the Society of Swedish Authors in Finland (Finlands svenska författareförening). Finnish authors or poets who write in Swedish can apply for a grant to stay there with no rent for three years.

On the picture above from 1940 Ulla is standing in her and Léon's home next to a 1918 painting by Einar Jolin. The legendary Danish silent movies actor Nils Asther is knealing at her feet so it's probably painted in Copenhagen. Ulla smokes the pipe like in many other pictures of her.

At Åbo Akademi in Turku (Finland) I have gone through Ulla Bjerne's archives of letters and manuscripts on several occasions, always kindly assisted by the people working there. The collection has been a treasure for me, offering new directions in my research, for instance leading me to Capri to learn more about Ulla's visits here, specifically about her friendship with the Italian author Italo Tavolato, who I just recently learned was part of the Futurist movement.

Oh, and I've been to Söderhamn a number of times. That's where we have our common roots, where my grand grandfather and Ulla's father, who were brothers, lived.

Söderhamn is also where Ulla grew up. She called the small town Döderhamn (pun in Swedish; Söderhamn means ”South harbor” but if you change to Döderhamn the name becomes ”Death harbor”).