Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (Swedish:[ˈǎsːtrɪdˈlînːɡreːn]ⓘ;néeEricsson; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuringPippi Longstocking,Emil of Lönneberga,Karlsson-on-the-Roof, andThe Six Bullerby Children (Children of Noisy Village in the US), and for thechildren's fantasy novelsMio, My Son;Ronia the Robber's Daughter; andThe Brothers Lionheart. Lindgren worked on the Children's Literature Editorial Board at theRabén & Sjögren publishing house in Stockholm and wrote more than 30 books for children. In 2017, she was calculated to be the world's 18th most translated author. Lindgren had by 2010 sold roughly 167 million books worldwide. In 1994, she was awarded theRight Livelihood Award for "her unique authorship dedicated to the rights of children and respect for their individuality". Her campaigning for animal welfare led to a new law,Lex Lindgren, in time for her 80th birthday.
Astrid Lindgren was born on 14 November 1907. She grew up in Näs, nearVimmerby,Småland, Sweden.[1] She was the daughter of Samuel August Ericsson and Johanna (Hanna) Sofia Jonsson.[1] Lindgren had an older brother and two younger sisters; the brother Gunnar became a member of theSwedish parliament.[2]
Upon finishing school, Lindgren took a job with the local newspaper,Vimmerby Tidning, in Vimmerby.[1] She had a relationship with the chief editor and became pregnant, causing a local scandal.[1] She moved to the capital city of Stockholm and learnt the skills of asecretary.[1] While there in 1926 she gave birth to her only son, Lars, who was fostered for four years and then returned to her.[1] He died in 1986.[3]
Starting in 1928, Lindgren worked as a secretary atSweden's Royal Automobile Club (Kungliga Automobil Klubben).[1] In 1931, she married her boss, Sture Lindgren (1898–1952). In 1934, Lindgren gave birth to her second child, Karin.[1]
As the children were sitting there eating pears, a girl came walking along the road from town. When she saw the children she stopped and asked, "Have you seen my papa go by?" "M-m-m," said Pippi. "How did he look? Did he have blue eyes?" "Yes," said the girl. "Medium large, not too tall and not too short?" "Yes," said the girl. "Black hat and black shoes?" "Yes, exactly," said the girl eagerly. "No, that one we haven't seen," said Pippi decidedly.
In 1944, Lindgren won second prize in a competition held by the book publishing companyRabén & Sjögren, with the novelBritt-Marie lättar sitt hjärta (The Confidences of Britt-Marie).[9] In 1945 she won first prize in the same competition with thechapter bookPippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstocking),[10] which had been rejected by the book publishing companyBonniers. (Rabén & Sjögren published it with illustrations byIngrid Vang Nyman, the latter's debut in Sweden.) Since then it has become one of the most beloved children's books in the world[11][12] and has been translated into at least 100 languages.[13][14] While Lindgren almost immediately became a much-appreciated writer, the irreverent attitude towards adult authority that distinguishes many of her characters has occasionally drawn the ire of conservatives.[15][16]
In 1958, Lindgren received the secondHans Christian Andersen Medal forRasmus på luffen (Rasmus and the Vagabond), a 1956 novel developed from her screenplay and filmed in 1955. The biennialInternational Board on Books for Young People, now considered the highest lifetime recognition available to creators of children's books, soon came to be called the Little Nobel Prize.[20][21] In her career, she wrote more than 30 books for children.[22] In 2017, she was calculated to be the world's 18th most translated author.[23] By 2010, she had sold roughly 167 million books worldwide.[24]
In 1976, a scandal arose in Sweden when it was publicised that Lindgren'smarginal tax rate had risen to 102 per cent. This was to be known as the "Pomperipossa effect", from a story she published inExpressen on 3 March 1976,[25] titledPomperipossa in Monismania, attacking the government and its taxation policies.[26] It was a satirical allegory in response to the marginal tax rate Lindgren had incurred in 1976,[27] which required self-employed individuals to pay both regularincome tax and employers' deductions.[27] In a stormy tax debate, she attracted criticism from Social Democrats and others. She responded by raising the issue of the lack of women involved in the Social Democrats' campaign.[28] Inthat year's general election, theSocial Democratic government was voted out for the first time in 44 years, and the Lindgren tax debate was one of several controversies that may have contributed to that result. Another controversy involvedIngmar Bergman's farewell letter to Sweden after charges had been made against him of tax evasion.[26] Lindgren nevertheless remained a Social Democrat for the rest of her life.[29]
In 1978, when she received thePeace Prize of the German Book Trade, Lindgren spoke against corporal punishment of children in a speech entitledNever Violence! After that, she teamed up with scientists, journalists and politicians to promote non-violent upbringing. In 1979, a law was introduced in Sweden prohibiting violence against children in response to her demands.[30]
From 1985 to 1989, Lindgren, with veterinarian Kristina Forslund, wrote articles concerning animal protection and mass production in the Swedish newspapersExpressen andDagens Nyheter. They wanted to launch an awareness campaign to promote better animal treatment infactory farming. Eventually, their activities led to a new law, dubbed theLex Lindgren, which was presented to Lindgren on her 80th birthday. At that time it was the strictest law concerning animal welfare in the world.[31] However, Lindgren and Forslund were unsatisfied with it. Not enough had been done and only minor changes occurred. The articles Forslund and Lindgren wrote were later published in the bookMin ko vill ha roligt (My cow wants to have fun).[32]
Lindgren represented in the Villa Villekulla exhibit at Kneippbyn inVisby, 2011
In 1967, the publisherRabén & Sjögren established an annualliterary prize, theAstrid Lindgren Prize, to mark her 60th birthday.[36] The prize—40,000Swedish kronor—is awarded to a Swedish-language children's writer every year on Lindgren's birthday in November.[37] In 1995, she was awarded theIllis quorum gold medal by the Swedish government.[38] On her 90th birthday, she was pronouncedInternational Swede of the Year 1997.[39]In its entry on Scandinavian fantasy,The Encyclopedia of Fantasy named Lindgren the foremost Swedish contributor to modern children's fantasy.[40] Its entry on Lindgren stated that "Her niche in children's fantasy remains both secure and exalted. Her stories and images can never be forgotten."[41]
In1972, Lindgren was nominated for theNobel Prize in Literature by German literary critic Klaus Doderer and Austrian librarian Josef Stummvoll.[48][49]
Asteroid3204 Lindgren, discovered in 1978 by Soviet astronomerNikolai Chernykh, was named after her.[50] The name of the SwedishmicrosatelliteAstrid 1, launched on 24 January 1995, was originally selected only as a commonSwedish female name, but within a short time it was decided to name the payload instruments after characters in Lindgren's books: PIPPI (Prelude in Planetary Particle Imaging), EMIL (Electron Measurements – In-situ and Lightweight), and MIO (Miniature Imaging Optics).[51]
In memory of Lindgren, a memorial sculpture was created next to her childhood home, namedKälla Astrid ("Astrid's Wellspring" in English). It is situated at the spot where Lindgren first heardfairy tales. The sculpture consists of an artistic representation of a young person's head (1.37 m high), flattened on top, in the corner of a square pond, and, just above the water, a ring of rosehip thorns.[52]
Lindgren's childhood home is near the statue and open to the public.[53] Just 100 metres (330 ft) from Astrid's Wellspring is a museum in her memory. The author is buried in Vimmerby,[54] where theAstrid Lindgren's World theme park is located.[55] The children's museumJunibacken, in Stockholm, was opened in June 1996 with the main theme of the permanent exhibition being devoted to Lindgren; at the heart of the museum is a theme train ride through the world of Lindgren's novels.[56]
By 2012, Lindgren's books had been translated into 95 different languages or variants. The first chapter ofRonja the Robber's Daughter has in addition been translated intoLatin. By 1997, some 3,000 editions of her books had been issued internationally.[58] By the time of her death, her books had sold a total of 80 million copies.[3] By 2010 that had risen to around 167 million books worldwide.[24]
The adaptation of Lindgren's books for film started withRolf Husberg's 1947Bill Bergson, Master Detective.[59] This was followed in 1949 by Per Gunvall's adaptation ofPippi Longstocking,[60] and then by many others.[61]
^Sixteen books written by Lindgren made the Children's Book and Picture Book longlist between 1956 and 1975, but onlyMio, My Son won a prize in its category.[19]
^Björk, Ulf Jonas (2012). "Pelle and Pippi at Home and Abroad: Swedishness as an Issue in Two Animated Films for Children".Scandinavian Studies.84 (4):485–504.doi:10.2307/41955691.JSTOR41955691.
^Henriksson, Simon (12 May 2017)."Milstolpe för Astrid Lindgrens böcker – översatts till 100 språk" [Milestone for Astrid Lindgren's Books – Translated to 100 Languages].Dagens Vimmerby (in Swedish). Retrieved29 June 2023.Under våren utkom Pippi Långstrump på oriya, ett språk som talas i en del av Indien. Det innebär att språkgränsen 100 passerades.
^Preisjahr "1956"[permanent dead link]. Database search report. DJLP. Retrieved 5 August 2013. See "Kategorie: Prämie".The Happy Lion by Louise Fatio and Roger Duvoisin won the main Children's Book award (Kategorie: Kinderbuch).
^"Vălkommen Till Astrid Lindgrens Năs" [Welcome to Astrid Lindgren's Năs [her childhood home]].Astridlindgrensnas.se (in Swedish). Retrieved22 February 2014.
Strömstedt, Margareta (2001).Astrid Lindgren. Ein Lebensbild. Hamburg: OetingerISBN3-7891-4717-6
Surmatz, Astrid (2005).Pippi Långstrump als Paradigma. Die deutsche Rezeption Astrid Lindgrens und ihr internationaler Kontext. Tübingen, Basel: FranckeISBN3-7720-3097-1
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