It is with great sadness that we announce the death of former SELTA Chair Eivor Martinus at the age of 79. Eivor was both one of the founding members of SELTA and an integral part of its running, having served as Chair for fifteen years and as a contributor to Swedish Book Review.

Her early years were spent in Gothenburg, where she also went on to study literature before moving to the UK in her early twenties. It was here she would complete her studies and continue to live and work for the rest of her life, apart from summers spent in Blekinge.

Beginning her career as a novel writer before becoming a translator, Eivor initially translated plays: she and her husband Derek were heavily involved in the theatre and Eivor went on to translate – amongst other works – fifteen of Strindberg’s plays into English, as well as writing a biography of Strindberg and the women in his life.

She will be both greatly missed and fondly remembered by SELTA and all those who crossed paths with her.

Read Kate Lambert’s interview with Eivor marking SELTA’s 40th anniversary here.

Read her obituary in Swedish Book Review 2023:2, written by Tom Geddes, here.