Ågot Gjems Selmer, also known as Ågot Gjems-Selmer, was a Norwegian actress, writer, and lecturer, born in 1858 and passing away in 1926.^[1]

Gjems-Selmer was married to the physician, Alfred Selmer (1851–1919). They had eight children, five reaching adulthood, including the singer Tordis Gjems Selmer, the actor Alfred Gjems Selmer, and the actor and writer Lillemor von Hanno.

While working as an actress, Gjems-Selmer graced the stage of the Christiania Theatre, where she garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of Petra in Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” in 1883. That same year, she married Alfred Selmer. Throughout her career, she authored ten books, some of which were translated into multiple languages including German, Dutch, and Hungarian. Several of her works were inspired by her own childhood memories in Kongsvinger in southeastern Norway. Notably, “Da mor var liten” (When Mother was Little) recounted her encounters with Norwegian cultural figures such as Jonas Lie, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Ole Bull, Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, and Erik Werenskiold. Later, Gjems-Selmer and her husband resided in Balsfjord in the Tromsø region for 19 years, which inspired her to write about family life in the far north. One of her works, “Die Docktorsfamilie im Hohen Norden” (The Doctor’s Family in the Far North), was published in Germany with multiple reprints.An Enemy of the People^[2]She toured Scandinavia lecturing onVore børns sedelige opdragelse(Our Children’s Proper Upbringing) andHvad kan vi gjøre for at utrydde krig?(How Can We Eradicate War?), the latter aimed at ensuring peace in what became the First World War.

While Gjems-Selmer was not among the leading Norwegian authors of her day, she was a recognized female intellectual and a useful source of detailed information.^[3]She was also active in the area of women’s rights, supporting votes for women.^[4]