Anna Lisa Andersson was a journalist, editor, author and translator. She is best remembered as the author who used the byline ‘Huglek’ in Aftonbladet.

Anna Lisa Andersson grew up in Stockholm, one of five children born to grain-merchant Carl Johan Andersson and his wife Elise Katarina. She gained her education from Klara primary school, the Lychouska school and the Wallinska school, all in Stockholm.

Anna Lisa Andersson began working at Aftonbladet in 1907. However, she left the newspaper only a year later in order to focus on her own writing. Her first book was published in 1908 and comprises a collection of causerie-style articles – Rösträtt och ricinolja, af Huglek. She had already won a prize in 1907 from the weekly Hvar 8 Dag, for her novella Brittsommar, which was subsequently published in book format in 1912 after its initial release in the journal. She also won first prize in a prize-competition for novels in the journal Vi och Vårt with Kapten Bengts pojkar, published in 1909. When the second edition was published in 1923 it had been retitled as Kapten Bengts pojkar, en bok om sju flickor. Anna Lisa Andersson published two novels – Med unga hjärtans makt, in 1915, and Oberoende, in 1917 – a few collections of novellas and collection of fairy tales called Solslottets prinsessa och andra sagor och berättelser, in 1925. In addition to this she translated two novels from English – Lejonhuden, in 1912 and Evas uppvaknande, in 1913. Her writings have, however, not received the same favourable reception that her journalism did.

Anna Lisa Andersson took up journalism again in 1911, this time at Aftontidningen. The very next year, however, she returned to Aftonbladet, where she remained until she retired in 1933. Anna Lisa Andersson’s journalistic work included reporting, reviewing and writing causerie-style articles. She is often referred to as one of the pioneers of interviewing so-called ‘ordinary’ people. Her work is imbued with a strong sense of empathy for her fellow beings. She was, for example, one of the first to organize collections for those in need and those who had fallen onto hard times.

In 1913 Anna Lisa Andersson was awarded a travel-fund raised by the female journalists of Sweden in 1911. The fund-raising had occurred through making films and holding soirées, and was intended to bring attention to how few women were awarded the grants made available by the National Press Club. In the years between 1914 and 1929 she undertook study-tours to Great Britain, France, Russia and other European countries.

Anna Lisa Andersson’s life was in many ways broadly similar to those of her contemporary female journalist colleagues. Many of them appear to have worked incessantly. Anna Lisa Andersson was, for example, fully employed as a journalist at a newspaper when she also wrote her own books, translated others and, not infrequently, collaborated on contributions to other newspapers.

Anna Lisa Andersson died in 1958. At that time her pseudonym, Huglek, was so well-known and established that Aftonbladet used it as a byline on the very article which printed the news of her death.