#Matilde fernandes professional

In 1866, she completed her training at the Helsingør telegraph station, and became the first woman to be employed as a telegraph operator in Denmark.Īfter two years in Helsingør, she was transferred to Nysted in 1869 to manage a newly opened station. In 1863, she began training as a telegraph operator for the Danish State Telegraph service, which had recently decided to hire women as operators under the management of Director Peter Faber. She supplemented a meager allowance, received from the state, by dressmaking and translating German literary works. While Fibiger’s novels generated critical acclaim, they were not commercially successful, and she began to look for other means to support herself. Minona, the chief character, overcomes her incestuous attraction after converting to Christianity. Minona created new controversy with its complex plot involving unwed mothers and incest. The older sister rejects her suitor, feeling that men are weak, while the younger sister falls in love. En Skizze efter det virkelige Liv is the story of two sisters who are orphaned at an early age, and the men with whom they develop relationships. Her later novels included En Skizze efter det virkelige Liv (A Sketch from Real Life) (1853) and Minona. She was only 20 when the novel was published, and, in doing so, she was the first public figure in Denmark to champion women’s rights.Ĭountering public opposition to women’s rights, Fibiger published two pamphlets, “Hvad er Emancipation?” (What is Emancipation?) and “Et Besøg” (A Visit). The Danish literary establishment was sharply divided between those who supported her and those who felt that her ideas were too radical, but they all agreed on the literary merit of her work. The book created a great deal of controversy on its publication in 1851. Clara’s ideas about women living an independent life run counter to the beliefs of the local population, and she resolves to make women’s emancipation her life objective.

The novel consists largely of letters written by Clara to her friend, Mathilde.

It is based in part on Fibiger’s experiences as a private tutor on the island of Lolland in 1849. It is the partially autobiographical story of a young woman, Clara Raphael, who works as a governess in the provinces. Her first novel, Clara Raphael, Tolv Breve (Clara Raphael, Twelve Letters), published in 1851, championed women’s rights.

#Matilde fernandes professional

Today is the birthday (1830) of Mathilde Fibiger, noted Danish campaigner for equal rights for women, novelist, and professional telegraph operator.