(Jacobine) Camilla Collett, née Wergeland (January 23, 1813 - March 6, 1895) was a Norwegian writer, commonly referred to as the first Norwegian feminist. She was the younger sister of Norwegian poet Henrik Wergeland, and is recognized as being one of the first contributors to realism in Norwegian literature.

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Life
Camilla was born in Kristiansand. Her father, Nicolai Wergeland, was a theologian and politician. At the age of four, Camilla moved to Eidsvoll. Her mother, Alette Thaulow, had been raised in a traditional fashion and therefore taught her daughters to be discrete and humble, and that a young woman's goal was to get married to a man that could provide her with sufficient care. She was educated at a girls school in Kristiana and was later sent to Germany in order to learn new languages and receive a "european education".

She then met Johan Sebastian Welhaven, with whom she fell in love with. However, Welhaven was one of her brother Henrik's hated enemies, and the relation between these three became described as "a threesome drama" in norwegian romanticism.

Over time, her relation with Welhaven ended, and in 1841 she married Peter Jonas Collett. At the time, Collett was an important political figure and member of Intelligenspartiet (the Intelligence party). He became a good husband, as they could openly talk about any topic to each other, something which was relatively rare in couples at the time. It was also he that incited her to write.

Her most famous work is undoubtedly the novel Amtmandens Døttre (The District Governor's Daughters) which was published anonymously in two separate parts in 1854 and 1855. The book deals with forced marriages and women's rights to choose their own spouses. This became her only written novel.

After ten years of marriage, Collett suddenly died. This left Camilla in a delicate situation with her four young sons. She was forced to sell her house and never managed to buy a new house again. Her three eldest sons were sent to be raised by relatives. She stressed with personal financial problems for the rest of her life.

She died in Oslo in 1895.