Born: 16 June 1634, Norway
Died: 16 February 1716
Country most active: Norway, Denmark
Also known as: Dorothe Hardenbeck
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Dorothe Engelbretsdatter was a Norwegian author who principally wrote hymns and strongly religious poems and is often considered the first female professional writer. She received the royal privilege to publish poetry in 1682.
Her first work, Siælens Sang-Offer, was published in 1678, and her second work, the Taare-Offer, was published for the first time in 1685. It is a continuous religious poem in four books later combined with Siælens Sang-Offer. In 1698, she wrote a third volume of sacred verse, Et kristeligt Valet fra Verden. She died in 1716.