Helga Bergvall was born on a farm in Uppland, moved together with her mother to Stockholm at the age of fourteen, and managed before she died to complete the trilogy Jungfru skär, 1975, Jungfru vart tog du vägen?, 1976, and Livslögnen, 1978, which attracted much attention. She describes the lives of poverty of mothers, the violence, sexuality, and alcohol abuse of fathers, and a daughter’s struggle for a better life. Her debut came at a late stage after initial rejections, revisions, and completion of a correspondence course in creative writing.
Helga Bergvall’s writing was one of many important responses to the interest of society in the 1970s in the stories of women. She was awarded a prize by Samfundet De Nio (The Nine Society) along with other distinctions.