Female works have long been marginalized. This is the opinion of Lisbeth Larsson, professor of literary science with a focus on gender research. According to her, women's authorship has been reduced many times throughout history.

- There is this tendency in the history of literature, besides sweeping away almost all female writers, to diminish those who are there.

But she sees a change in the attitude towards female literature. Lisbeth Larsson points out, among other things, how the image of Selma Lagerlöf's authorship has developed over the years.

- Selma Lagerlöf was described as a slippery old aunt who did not get married and consoled herself as a writer. After all, she has gained a whole new dignity after the 70s.

Several works are being reissued

The rise in interest in women's literature is evident not least this year. A number of fiction works are relevant for reissue. There are also biographies that depict women's lives and authorship. Last summer I wanted to set the world in motion, digging into Selma Lagerlöf's inner life and world of ideas. Later this year comes a biography depicting author Elin Wägner's activism.

The literary critic and author Ulrika Kärnborg believes that the change is partly due to the fact that more women are active in the publishing industry.

- The women's movement today wants to actively look at its own history and there the fiction texts play a big role. You want to read the writers you heard about or just glimpsed, she says.

- I also think it means something that so many women work at Swedish publishers today and that they have managerial positions. They can decide that "this is what we will actually publish".

New definition of classic

Fiction works by female writers are now being re-published as modern classics. Moa Martinson's Women & Apple Trees, Selma Lagerlöfs Mårbackas Suite and Tove Jansson's novels have this year come out as new releases.

- What I think is about to happen in 2019 is that we get a new definition of what is a classic, says Ulrika Kärnborg.

See a longer report on female classics in Babel, Sunday 29 September at. 20.00 in SVT2.