Astrid Lindgren

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Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren

Born November 14, 1907(1907-11-14)
Vimmerby, Småland Sweden
Died January 28, 2002 (aged 94)
Stockholm, Sweden
Occupation Children's book author
Nationality Swedish

Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (listen to pronunciation (help·info), née Ericsson, November 14, 1907 – January 28, 2002) was a Swedish children's book author and screenwriter, whose many titles were translated into 85 languages and published in more than 100 countries. She has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide. Today, she is most remembered for writing the Pippi Longstocking books, as well as Karlsson-on-the-Roof book series.

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[edit] Biography

Astrid Lindgren grew up in Näs, near Vimmerby, Småland, and many of her books are based on her family and childhood memories. Pippi Longstocking, her most famous character, however, was originally invented by her daughter Karin, who was, at the time, ill and bed-ridden.

Lindgren was the daughter of Samuel August Ericsson and Hanna Johnsson. She had two sisters. Her brother, Gunnar Ericsson, was a member of the Swedish parliament. Upon finishing school, Lindgren took a job with the a local newspaper in Vimmerby. When Astrid became pregnant with the chief editor's child in 1926, the editor proposed marriage. Astrid demurred, and moved to Stockholm, learning to become a typist and stenographer. In due time she gave birth to her son Lars in Copenhagen and left him in the care of a foster family.

Although poorly paid, she saved whatever she could and travelled as often as possible to Copenhagen to be with Lars; often just over a weekend, spending most of her time on the train back and forth. Eventually, she managed to bring Lars home, leaving him in the care of her parents until she could afford raising him in Stockholm. In 1931 she married her boss, Sture Lindgren (1898-1952). Three years later, in 1934, Lindgren gave birth to her second child, Karin, who later became a translator. The family moved in 1941 to an apartment on Dalagatan, with a view over Vasaparken, where Astrid lived until her death.

Astrid Lindgren died in 2002, at the age of 94. Following her death the government of Sweden instituted the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in her memory. The award is the world's largest monetary award for children's and youth literature, in the amount of five million SEK.

[edit] Author

In 1944 Lindgren won second prize in a competition held by the newly founded publishing house Rabén & Sjögren with her novel named Britt-Marie lättar sitt hjärta (Britt-Marie unburdens her heart). A year later she won first prize in the same competition with the children's book Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstocking), which has since become one of the most beloved children's books in the world. She had already sent Pippi Longstocking to the Bonniers publishing house but was rejected. While Lindgren almost immediately became a much appreciated writer, the irreverent attitude towards adult authority that is a distinguishing characteristic of many of her characters has occasionally drawn the ire of some conservatives.

The ladies' magazine Damernas Värld sent Lindgren to the USA in 1948 to write short essays. Upon arrival she is said to have been upset by the discrimination against African Americans. A few years later she published the book Kati in America, a collection of short essays inspired by the trip.

In 1967, Rabén & Sjögren established an annual literary prize, the Astrid Lindgren Prize, in connection with her 60th birthday. The prize, SEK 40,000, is awarded to a Swedish-language children's author, every year on Astrid Lindgren's birthday in November.

The collection of Astrid Lindgren's original manuscripts in Kungliga Biblioteket (the Royal Library), Stockholm, was placed on UNESCO's World heritage list in 2005.

[edit] Politics

In 1976, a scandal arose in Sweden when Lindgren's marginal tax rate was publicized to have risen to 102%. This was to be known as the "Pomperipossa effect" from a story she published in Expressen [1] on March 3, 1976. The publication led to a stormy tax debate. In the parliamentary election later in the same year the Social Democrat government was voted out for the first time in 40 years, and the Lindgren tax debate was one of several controversies that may have contributed to the election result.

Astrid Lindgren was well known both for her support for children's and animal rights, and for her opposition to corporal punishment. In 1993, she received the Right Livelihood Award (also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize), "...For her commitment to justice, non-violence and understanding of minorities as well as her love and caring for nature." In 1958, she became the second recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, an international award for youth literature. On her 90th birthday she was pronounced Swede of the Year by a radio show.

[edit] Other

A minor planet 3204 Lindgren discovered in 1978 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh was named after her.[1] The name of the Swedish micro satellite Astrid 1, launched on January 24, 1995, was originally selected only as a common Swedish female name, but within a short time it was decided to name the instruments after characters in Astrid Lindgren's books: PIPPI (Prelude in Planetary Particle Imaging), EMIL (Electron Measurements - In-situ and Lightweight), and MIO (Miniature Imaging Optics). Astrid said that maybe people should call her Asteroid Lindgren instead.

[edit] The Death of All Tales

Sagornas Död / The Death of All Tales
Sagornas Död / The Death of All Tales

In memory of Astrid Lindgren, a memorial was raised just next to her home, called "Källa Astrid" ("Well Astrid" in English), more popularly called "Sagornas Död" in Swedish which roughly translates "The Death of All Tales".

The main part of it depicts a childs head, partly cut off, on water with a strange decoration in the water. It was intended to be in the city center, but the people of Vimmerby vehemently opposed the idea of having it there. Astrid Lindgren furthermore had stated that she never wanted to be a statue. However, there is a statue of Lindgren in the city center. The memorial was sponsored by the culture council of Shimmery.

Lindgren lived in a house just nearby the statue. There is also a museum in her memory, nearby. The author is also buried in Vimmerby.

The Astrid Lindgren Museum
The Astrid Lindgren Museum
The grave of Astrid Lindgren
The grave of Astrid Lindgren

[edit] Bibliography

The best-known books by Astrid Lindgren:

An alphabetically sorted list of other books by Astrid Lindgren which have been translated into English:

  • A Calf for Christmas
  • Brenda Helps Grandmother
  • Christmas in Noisy Village
  • Christmas in the Stable
  • Circus Child
  • Dirk Lives in Holland
  • Gerda Lives in Norway
  • Emil and the Bad Tooth
  • Emil and His Clever Pig
  • Emil Gets into Mischief
  • Emil in the Soup Tureen
  • Emil's Little Sister
  • Emil's Pranks
  • Emil's Sticky Problem
  • Happy Times in Noisy Village
  • I Don't Want to Go to Bed
  • I Want a Brother or Sister
  • I Want to Go to School Too
  • Kati in America
  • Kati in Italy
  • Kati in Paris
  • Lotta
  • Lotta's Bike
  • Lotta's Christmas Surprise
  • Lotta's Easter Surprise
  • Lotta Leaves Home
  • Lotta on Troublemaker Street
  • Markos Lives in Yugoslavia
  • Marje
  • Marje to the Rescue
  • Matti Lives in Finland
  • Mirabelle
  • Mischievous Martens
  • Mischievous Meg
  • Most Beloved Sister
  • My Nightingale Is Singing
  • My Swedish Cousins
  • My Very Own Sister
  • Nariko-San,girl of Japan
  • Noby Lives in Thailand
  • Rastus and the Vagabond (aka Rastus and the Tramp)
  • Scrap and the Pirates
  • Sea crow Island
  • Siva lives on Kilimanjaro
  • Simon Small Moves in
  • That's Not My Baby
  • The Children of Noisy Village
  • The Children on Troublemaker Street
  • The Day Adam Got Mad
  • The Dragon With Red Eyes
  • The Ghost of Skinny Jack
  • The Mischievous Martens
  • The Runaway Sleigh Ride
  • The Tomten
  • The Tomten and the Fox
  • The World's Best Karlson
  • Kajsa Kavat

[edit] References

 This article or section, while providing some complete reference citations, includes a list of references or external links, and its verifiability remains partly unclear because it has insufficient in-text citations.
You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations.
  1. ^ Dictionary of Minor Planet Names - p.256
  • Astrid Lindgren - en levnadsteckning. Margareta Strömstedt. Stockholm, Rabén & Sjögren, 1977.
  • Astrid Lindgrens webbplats
  • Paul Berf, Astrid Surmatz (ed.): Astrid Lindgren. Zum Donnerdrummel! Ein Werk-Porträt. Zweitausendeins, Frankfurt 2000 ISBN 3-8077-0160-5
  • Vivi Edström: Astrid Lindgren. Im Land der Märchen und Abenteuer. Oetinger, Hamburg 1997 ISBN 3-7891-3402-3
  • Maren Gottschalk: Jenseits von Bullerbü. Die Lebensgeschichte der Astrid Lindgren. Beltz & Gelberg, Weinheim 2006 ISBN 3-407-80970-0
  • Jörg Knobloch (ed.): Praxis Lesen: Astrid Lindgren: A4-Arbeitsvorlagen Klasse 2-6, AOL-Verlag, Lichtenau 2002 ISBN 3-89111-653-5
  • Sybil Gräfin Schönfeldt : Astrid Lindgren. 10. ed., Rowohlt, Reinbek 2000 ISBN 3-499-50371-9
  • Margareta Strömstedt: Astrid Lindgren. Ein Lebensbild. Oetinger, Hamburg 2001 ISBN 3-7891-4717-6
  • Astrid Surmatz: Pippy Longstrump als Paradigma. Die deutsche Rezeption Astrid Lindgrens und ihr internationaler Kontext. Francke, Tübingen, Basel 2005 ISBN 3-7720-3097-1
  • Metcalf, Eva-Maria: Astrid Lindgren. New York, Twayne, 1995.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Persondata
NAME Lindgren, Astrid
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lindgren, Astrid Anna Emilia; née Ericsson
SHORT DESCRIPTION Swedish children's book author
DATE OF BIRTH November 14, 1907
PLACE OF BIRTH Näs, Vimmerby, Småland, Sweden
DATE OF DEATH January 28, 2002
PLACE OF DEATH Stockholm, Sweden