Harriet Bosse’s Autobiography

This article is a close reading of Swedish-Norwegian actress Harriet Bosse’s (1878–1961) unpublished autobiography. The theoretical points of departure are feminist historiographical theory and historical contextualization. The purpose is to offer a counter-story of Bosse in the history of theatre- and literature research that releases her from the role of Swedish author August Strindberg’s muse and puts her career in the context of the modern breakthrough.The counter-story is about an actress who both resisted and embraced the transition of the modern breakthrough, who fought for her artistic ambitions to position herself as a diva, but in the end, was marginalized, primarily because of a combination of age, gender, and animosity. Bosse represents herself as modest, but we know that she regarded herself as an important actress in Swedish theatre history whose talent was God-given. Bosse’s specific acting style and some of her thoughts on the art of acting are also briefly discussed.