At Kungliga Biblioteket in Stockholm you can find over 40 000 letters sent to Selma Lagerlöf. Many of her readers wrote and asked for her help, and the letters show that she helped a lot of people with money as well as with writing advice. People from all over the world asked her for money to be able to study, to finish their written works, or just to get through the day. Others want her to read their texts and poems, because they wish to hear her opinion or wonder if she can put in a good word for them at some publisher. This essay illuminates the question why so many people had this confidence in Selma Lagerlöf. Via a discussion of this subject it is possible to get closer to an understanding of the function of her authorship. The picture of Selma Lagerlöf as a helpful and caring person was built up partly through media and critics, partly because of the themes and style in her works. The high level of communication in her texts is of big importance when it comes to the result of her total work.