From the mid-1930s Greta Baars-Jelgersma produced a versatile and socially engaged body of translated works of Scandinavian literature and nonfiction. Many of these works would later become classics in their country of origin. The fact that she was able to interest a wide range of Dutch publishers in her authors, speaks volumes about how receptive these publishers were to innovative literature from Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and about the literary network that Baars-Jelgersma succeeded in creating. A self-made woman who was an autodidact in the languages and literature of Scandinavia, Baars-Jelgersma single-handedly set up an impressive network.