Astrid Lindgren

(1907 – 2002)

Biographical Sketch

Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren, née Ericsson (Vimmerby, Småland, Sweden, November 14, 1907 – Stockholm, Sweden, January 28, 2002) was a Swedish author and screenwriter. As of December 2012, she is the world’s 20th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide. She is best known for the Pippi Longstocking, Karlsson-on-the-Roof and the Six Bullerby Children (Noisy Village) book series.

Lindgren worked as a journalist and secretary before becoming a full-time author. In 1944 she won second prize in a competition held by the newly founded publishing house Rabén & Sjögren with her novel 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, with translations into 60 languages. 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 conservatives.

Lindgren was the first-ever winner of the German Youth Literature Prize (Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis), inaugurated in 1956, and later (in 1978) she would also be awarded Germany’s most prestigious literary prize, the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (Friedenspreis des deutschen Buchhandels). 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.

Astrid Lindgren was well known both for her support for children’s and animal rights, and for her opposition to corporal punishment. In 1994, she received the Right Livelihood Award, “… for her commitment to justice, non-violence and understanding of minorities as well as her love and caring for nature.”

In its entry on Scandinavian fantasy, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy named Lindgren the foremost Swedish contributor to modern children’s fantasy, stating: “Her niche in children’s fantasy remains both secure and exalted. Her stories and images can never be forgotten.”

Major Awards and Honors

Order Litteris et Artibus (Sweden)

1975

Swedish Academy

1971: Gold Medal

Swedish State Award for Literature

1965

Swedish State Award for Writers of High Literary Standard

1957

Nils Holgersson Medal (Sweden)

1950: “Nils Karlsson-Pyssling”
(“Simon Small”)

Selma Lagerlöf Award (Sweden)

1986

Swede of the Year

1997

UNESCO

1993: International Book Award

International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY)

1958: Hans Christian Andersen Award for Literature – “Rasmus på Luffen”
(“Rasmus and the Vagabond”)

Danish Academy

1985: Karen Blixen Award

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Youth Literature Prize)

1956: Children’s Book – “Mio, My Son”

Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels (Peace Prize of the German Book Trade)

1978

Zilveren Griffel (Silver Pen, Netherlands)

1973: “Lotta på Bråkmakargatan”
(“Lotta on Troublemaker Street”)
1975: “Bröderna Lejonhjärta”
(“The Brothers Lionheart”)
1983: “Ronja Rövardotter”
(“Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter”)

Tolstoy Medal (Russia)

1987

Albert Schweitzer Medal (AWI – Animal Welfare Institute USA)

1989

Bibliography

Pippi Långstrump / Pippi Longstocking

Pippi Långstrump (1945)
(Pippi Longstocking)
Pippi Långstrump Går Ombord (1946)
(Pippi Longstockings Goes Aboard; Pippi Goes on Board)
Känner du Pippi Långstrump? (1947)
(Do You Know Pippi Longstocking?)
– Picture book.
Pippi Långstrump i Söderhavet (1948)
(Pippi in the South Seas)
Boken om Pippi Långstrump (The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking) (1952)
- Pippi Longstocking
- Pippi Goes on Board
- Pippi in the South Seas
Pippi flyttar in (1969)
(Pippi Moves In)
– Picture book.
Pippi ordnar allt (1969)
(Pippi to the Rescue)
– Picture book.
Pippi starkast i världen (1970)
– Picture book.
Pippi håller Kalas (1970)
(Pippi goes to school)
– Picture book.
På Rymmen med Pippi Långstrump (1971)
(Pippi on the Run)
– Picture book.
Pippi går till Sjöss (1971)
– Picture book.
Pippi vill inte bli stor (1971)
(Pippi’s Extraordinary Ordinary Day)
– Picture book.
Pippi goes to the Circus (1999)
Pippi Långstrump har Julgransplundring (1979)
(Pippi Longstocking’s After-Christmas Party)
Pippi Långstrump i Humlegården (2001)
(Pippi Longstocking in the Park)

Kalle Blomkvist / Bill Bergson

Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist (1946)
(Bill Bergson, Master Detective)
Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist lever farligt (1950)
(Bill Bergson Lives Dangerously)
Kalle Blomkvist och Rasmus (1953)
(Bill Bergson and the White Rose Rescue)

Barn i Bullerbyn / The Children of Noisy Village

Alla vi Barn i Bullerbyn (1947)
(The Six Bullerby Children; The Children of Noisy Village)
Mer om oss Barn i Bullerbyn (1949)
(Cherry Time at Bullerby)
Bara roligt i Bullerbyn (1952)
(Happy Times in Noisy Village; Happy Days at Bullerby)
Bullerbyboken (1961)
– Collection:
- The Children of Noisy Village
- Cherry Time at Bullerby
- Happy Times in Noisy Village
Jul i Bullerbyn (1962)
(Christmas in Noisy Village; Christmas at Bullerby)
– Picture book.
Vår i Bullerbyn (1965)
(Springtime in Noisy Village; Springtime in Bullerby)
– Picture book.
Barnens Dag i Bullerbyn (1966)
(A Day in Bullerby)
– Picture book.
All About the Bullerby Children (1970)

Karlsson på Taket / Karlsson on the Roof

Lillebror och Karlsson på Taket (1955)
(Eric and Karlsson-on-the-Roof; Karlsson on the Roof)
Karlsson på Taket flyger igen (1962)
(Karlsson Flies Again)
Karlsson på Taket smyger igen (1968)
(Karlsson-on-the-Roof Is Sneaking Around Again; The World’s Best Karlsson)
Allt om Karlsson på Taket (1972)
– Collection.

Nils Karlsson-Pyssling / Simon Small

Nils Karlsson-Pyssling (1949)
(Simon Small)
Nils Karlsson-Pyssling flyttar in (1956)
(Simon Small Moves In)
– Picture book.

Rasmus

Rasmus på Luffen (1956)
(Rasmus and the Vagabond; Rasmus and the Tramp)
Rasmus, Pontus och Toker (1957)

Lotta / The Children on Troublemaker Street

Barnen på Bråkmakargatan (1958)
(The Children on Troublemaker Street; The Mischievous Martens)
Lotta på Bråkmakargatan (1961)
(Lotta on Troublemaker Street)
Visst kan Lotta cykla (1971)
(Lotta’s Bike; Of Course Polly Can Ride a Bike)
– Picture book.
Visst kan Lotta nästan allting (1977)
(Of Course Polly Can Do Almost Anything; Lotta’s Christmas Surprise)
– Picture book.
Visst är Lotta en Glad Unge (1990)
(Lotta’s Easter Surprise)
– Picture book.
Lottas Komihågbok (1993)
– Collection.

Madicken / Mardie

Madicken (1960)
(Mischievous Meg; Mardie’s Adventures)
Madicken och Junibackens Pims (1976)
(Mardie to the Rescue)
Titta, Madicken, det Snöar! (1983)
(The Runaway Sleigh Ride)
– Picture book.
Allas vår Madicken (1983)
– Collection.
När Lisabet pillade in en Ärta i Näsan (1991)
Jullov är ett bra Påhitt, sa Madicken (1993)

Emil in Lönneberga

Emil i Lönneberga (1963)
(Emil in Lönneberga; Emil in the Soup Tureen; This Emil)
Nya Hyss av Emil i Lönneberga (1966)
(Emil’s Pranks; Emil Gets into Mischief)
Än lever Emil i Lönneberga (1970)
(Emil and Piggy Beast; Emil and His Clever Pig)
Den där Emil (1972)
– Picture book.
När Emil skulle dra ut Linas Tand (1976)
(Emil and the Bad Tooth)
– Picture book.
Stora Emilboken (1984)
– Collection.
När lilla Ida skulle göra Hyss (1984)
(Emil’s Little Sister; When Little Ida Wants to Do Mischief)
Emils Hyss Nr 325 (1985)
(Emil’s Sticky Problem)
Inget knussel, sa Emil i Lönneberga (1986)
Ida och Emil i Lönneberga (1989)
– Collection.
Emil och Paltsmeten (1995)
– Picture book.
Emil och soppskålen (1997)
– Picture book.

Ronia

Ronja Rövardotter (1981)
(Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter)
Från Pippi till Ronja (1981)
– Collection.

Kids Around the World

Kati i Amerika (1950)
(Kati in America)
Kati på Kaptensgatan (1952)
(Kati in Italy)
Kati i Paris (1953)
(Kati in Paris)
Eva möter Noriko-San (1956)
(Noriko-San, Girl of Japan)
– Picture book.
Sia bor på Kilimandjaro (1958)
(Sia Lives on Kilimanjaro)
– Picture book.
Marko bor i Jugoslavien (1962)
(Marko Lives in Yugoslavia)
– Picture book.
Jackie bor i Holland (1963)
(Dirk Lives in Holland)
– Picture book.
Randi bor i Norge; Randi bor i Lofoten (1965)
(Randi Lives in Norway; Gerda Lives in Norway)
– Picture book.
Noy bor i Thailand (1966)
(Nor Lives in Thailand)
– Picture book.
Matti bor i Finland (1968)
(Matti Lives in Finland)
– Picture book.

Småland; Folk- and Fairy Tales

Småländska Tjurfäktare (1982)
– Collection.
Sagorna: En Samlingsvolym (1980)
(Fairy Tales: A Collection)
Skinn Skerping, Hemskast av all Spöken I Småland (1986)
(The Ghost of Skinny Jack)
– Picture book.
Assar Bubbla (1987)
Mitt Småland (1987)
– Collection.
I Skymningslandet (1994)
– Picture book.
Mirabell (2002)
(Mirabelle)

Christmas Stories

Jul i Stallet (1961)
(Christmas in the Stable)
– Picture book.
Tomten (1961)
(The Tomten)
Forsslund Räven och Tomten (1966)
(The Tomten and the Fox; The Fox and the Tomten)
Julberättelser (1985)
(Collection: A Call for Christmas)
God Jul i Stugan (1992)
– Collection.

Stand-Alone Books

Britt-Mari lättar sitt Hjärta (1944)
(The Confidences of Britt-Mari; Britt-Mari Unburdens Her Heart)
Kerstin och Jag (1945)
(Kerstin and I)
Mio, min Mio (1954)
(Mio, My Son)
Sunnanäng (1959)
Lilibet, Cirkusbarn (1960)
(Lilibet, Circus Child)
Vi på Saltkråkan (1964)
(Seacrow Island)
Salikons rosor (1967)
– Collection.
Skrållan och Sjörövarna (1967)
(Skrållan and the Pirates; Scrap and the Pirates)
Bröderna Lejonhjärta (1973)
(The Brothers Lionheart)
Min Ko vill ha roligt (1990)
(Collection: My Cow Wants to Have Fun)
Alla mina barn (2001)
– Collection: All My Children.

Picture Books

Jag vill inte gå och lägga mig (1947)
(I Don’t Want to Go to Bed)
Kajsa Kavat hjälper Mormor (1950)
(Brenda Breve Helps Grandmother; Brenda Helps Grandmother)
Jag vill också gå i Skolan (1951)
(I Want to Go to School Too)
Jag vill också ha ett Syskon (1954)
(That’s My Baby; I Want a Brother or Sister)
Mina svenska Kusiner (1959)
(My Swedish Cousins)
Allrakäraste Syster (1973)
(Most Beloved Sister)
Spelar min Lind, sjunger min Näktergal (1984)
(My Nightingale is Singing)
Draken med de röda Ögonen (1985)
(The Dragon with Red Eyes)
När Bäckhultarn for till stan (1989)
När Adam Engelbrekt blev tvärarg (1991)
(The Day Adam Got Mad)

Nonfiction

Mina Påhitt (1971)
(Collection: My Ideas)
Samuel August från Sevedstorp och Hanna i Hult (1975)
(Samuel August from Sevedstorp and Hanna from Hult)
– About Lindgren’s parents.
Never Violence! (1978)
– Acceptance speech for the German Booksellers’ Prize for Peace.

A Selection of Quotes

Pippi Longstocking

“But Nightshirts aren’t dangerous,” Pippi assured her. “They don’t bite anybody except in self defense.”

“You understand Teacher, don’t you, that when you have a mother who’s an angel and a father who is a cannibal king, and when you have sailed on the ocean all your whole life, then you don’t know just how to behave in school with all the apples and ibexes.”

“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.”

“The girl hurried away, but then Pippi shouted, “Did he have big ears that reached way down to his shoulders?”
“No,” said the girl and turned and came running back in amazement. “You don’t mean to say that you have seen a man walk by with such big ears?”
“I have never seen anyone who walks with his ears,” said Pippi. “All the people I know walk with their feet.”

Find more quotes by Astrid Lindgren on Goodreads.