Bringing Ester Blenda Nordström to English Readers
A Maid Among Maids &
Americana
2024
In 1914, Nordström went undercover as a farm maid to reveal the grueling conditions and harsh realities faced by domestic workers of the time. Her vivid, empathetic storytelling not only sheds light on the struggles of these women but also challenges the rigid class structures of Swedish society.
In 1923 Nordström embarked on a journey to America as an emigrant, offering readers a rare, firsthand account of early 20th-century America. She explored the country’s diverse landscapes and cultures with a keen eye for detail and fearless curiosity, delving into the lives of various communities to reveal the complexities and contrasts of the American melting pot.
Stories that leave a mark
Bringing Ester Blenda Nordström’s A Maid Among Maids and Americana to English readers for the first time has been a truly rewarding project for me. Working with these texts from my home in Småland—the very region that saw so much emigration—I’ve felt the weight of responsibility in preserving Nordström’s distinctive voice while making her work accessible to a new audience.
Ester Blenda Nordström (1891-1948) was one of Sweden’s most daring journalists, a pioneer of investigative reporting who went undercover to expose injustices and explore the world with fearless curiosity. Her books A Maid Among Maids (1914) and Americana (1923) capture both sides of the Swedish emigration story—the harsh rural conditions that in part drove people to leave Sweden and the immigrant experience in America.
As someone whose own ancestors made this journey from Småland to Minnesota in the 1890s, I believe these voices from the past deserve to be heard by English-speaking readers, especially those seeking to understand their Swedish heritage. These translations are my contribution to preserving the stories that connect us across the Atlantic, offering new generations a window into the world their ancestors knew.
Both books are now available on Amazon in paperback and e-book formats, bringing Nordström’s sharp wit, compassionate observations, and pioneering journalism to readers more than a century after she first put pen to paper.
—Erik Sellström, editor and publisher.