Velma Swanston Howard

Velma Swanston Howard
Velma Swanston Howard, from a 1911 publication
Born
Velma Swanston

(1868-01-24)January 24, 1868
Sweden
DiedMarch 10, 1937(1937-03-10) (aged 69)
New York, New York, U.S.
Other namesVelma S. Howard
OccupationsTranslator, writer, lecturer, suffragist

Velma Swanston Howard (January 24, 1868[1] – March 10, 1937) was an American translator and writer, best known for translating the works of Selma Lagerlöf and August Strindberg from Swedish into English.

Early life and education

Howard was born in Sweden and raised in the United States.[2] She attended schools in Chicago, and graduated from the Boston School of Oratory in 1888.[1] She studied at the School of Dramatic Art with David Belasco.[3]

Career

Howard translated many works by Swedish writer Selma Lagerlöf into English,[1][4][5] including Christ Legends (1908), The Girl from the Marsh Croft (1910),[6] Further Adventures of Nils (1911), The Legend of the Sacred Image (1914), The Emperor of Portugallia (1916),[7] Jerusalem: A Novel (1916), The Holy City: Jerusalem II (1918),[8] Gösta Berling's Saga (1918), Mȧrbacka (1925),[9] and Charlotte Löwensköld (1927).[10][11] "Even today, when you come across Lagerlöf in English, it is likely that it will be an abridged or edited version based on Howard's work."[12]

She also translated works by dramatist August Strindberg,[13] including Lucky Pehr: A Drama in Five Acts[14] and Easter: A Play in Three Acts.[10] She contributed to a Swedish-language newspaper published in the United States,[3] and wrote one short book of her own in Swedish, När Maja-Lisa kom hen från Amerika, encouraging Swedish immigrants in America to consider returning to Sweden.[12]

Howard was also a lecturer,[2][3] suffragist,[3] pacifist, and Christian Scientist.[12] She was in the cast of a skit presented by the Professional Woman's League of New York in 1900,[15] and played Mary Baker Eddy in a New York City suffrage pageant in 1911.[16]

Personal life

Swanston married Charles Howard. Her husband died in 1917,[17] and she died in 1937, at the age of 69, in New York City, about a month after she suffered a stroke.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c Björn Sundmark. "'Dear Selma'–'Dear Velma': Selma Lagerlöf’s Translation Instructions to Velma Swanston Howard" in Authorial and Editorial Voices in Translation 1 - Collaborative Relationships between Authors, Translators, and Performers, Hanne Jansen and Anna Wegener, eds. (Montréal: Éditions québécoises de l'œuvre, collection Vita Traductiva, 2013): 289-301. ISBN 9789187351211
  2. ^ a b Gray, Lillian (1904-07-28). "Velma Swanston; Interpreter of Ibsen". The Topeka State Journal 1892-1905. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-10-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d "Velma Swanston Howard" The American Scandinavian (September 1911): 5.
  4. ^ "Woman's World: Velma Howard, the American Boswell for Selma Lagerlof". The Beloit Daily Free Press. 1910-08-19. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-10-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "With Writers and Thinkers: Selma Lagerlof, Sweden's Most Honored Woman". The Cleveland Leader. 1911-10-15. p. 48. Retrieved 2025-10-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Lagerlöf, Selma (1916). The Girl from the March [i.e. Marsh] Croft. Doubleday, Page.
  7. ^ Lagerlöf, Selma (1916). The Emperor of Portugallia: From the Swedish of Slema Lagerlör. Doubleday, Page.
  8. ^ Lagerlöf, Selma (1918). The Holy City: Jerusalem II. Doubleday, Page.
  9. ^ Lagerlöf, Selma (1926). Mårbacka. Doubleday, Page.
  10. ^ a b "Velma Swanston Howard". The Online Books Page. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  11. ^ Lagerlöf, Selma (1927). Charlotte Löwensköld. Doubleday, Page.
  12. ^ a b c Sundmark, Björn (2009). "'But the Story Itself is Intact' (Or Is It?): The Case of the English Translations of The Further Adventures of Nils". In Epstein, B. J. (ed.). Northern Lights: Translation in the Nordic Countries. Peter Lang. pp. 170–171. ISBN 978-3-03911-849-6.
  13. ^ "Strindberg Plays to be Seen Here; Swedish Dramatist's "Lucky Per's Travels" Will Be Produced Next Season". The New York Times. December 16, 1907. p. 9. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  14. ^ "Strindberg's 'Lucky Pehr'; An Allegory That Clothes Cynicism In Entertainment". The New York Times. January 26, 1913. p. 23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  15. ^ "Women in a Merry Skit; Feature of Professional Woman's League Annual Frolic. Popular Plays, Past and Present, Furnish Amusement in "Bill Boarded" at Herald Square Theatre". The New York Times. May 29, 1900. p. 7. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  16. ^ "Pageant of Protest Given for Suffrage; Uncle Sam Is Staged to Show That He Favors Women's Demand for Votes". The New York Times. March 29, 1911. p. 13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
  17. ^ "Charles Howard (death notice)". The New York Times. 1917-11-13. p. 13. Retrieved 2025-10-28 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Mrs. Velma S. Howard; Swedish-American Translator and Writer Victim of a Stroke". The New York Times. March 11, 1937. p. 23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-10-28.
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