Astrid (Ericsson) Lindgren

Family: Born November 14, 1907, in Vimmerby, Smaaland, Sweden; died following an illness, January 28, 2002, in Stockholm, Sweden; daughter of Samuel August and Hanna (Jonsson) Ericsson; married Sture Lindgren, April 4, 1931 (died, 1952); children: Lars, Karin (Mrs. Carl Olof Nyman). Memberships: Union of Swedish Writers, League of the Nine, PEN (Sweden).

Writer of children's books. Rabén & Sjögren (publishers), Stockholm, Sweden, children's book editor, 1946-70.

Rabén & Sjögren Prize Competition, second prize for books for girls ten to fifteen years old, 1944, for Britt-Mari laatar sitt hjaarta, first prize for books for children six to ten years old, 1945, for Pippi Longstocking, shared first prize for detective books for youth, 1946, for Maasterdetektiven Blomkvist: Svenska Dagbladet(Swedish newspaper) Litteraturpris, 1946, for Pippi Longstocking; Nils Holgersson Medal, Swedish Library Council, 1950, for Nils Karlsson-Pyssling; German Sonderpreis for Children's Books, 1956, for Mio, min Mio; Swedish Joan Tate Award, 1957, for high literary standard; Hans Christian Andersen Medal, 1958, Boys' Clubs of America Junior Book Award, 1961, both for Rasmus and the Vagabond; New York Herald Tribune Children's Spring Book Festival Award (shared with Anna Anna Riwkin-Brick), 1959, for Sia Lives on Kilimanjaro; Horn BookHonor List, 1962, for Christmas in the Stable; Swedish Joan Tate Artist Award, 1965; Expressen (newspaper) "Heffaklump" Award, 1970, for Aan lever Emil i LoonneBjoorn Berga; Litteraturfraamjandets hederspris Guldskeppet (Literary Achievements Honorary Golden Ship Award), 1970; Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, 1970, for The Tomten, and 1973, for Pippi Longstocking; Swedish Academy Gold Medal, 1971; Ph.D, University of Linkoping (Sweden), 1973; Brooklyn Art Books for Children citation, 1973, for The Tomten; Bokhandelsmedhjaalparnas plakett (Bookseller's Cooperative Plaque), 1974, and Janusz Korczak Literary Prize, 1979, both for Brooderna Lejonhjaarta; "Medalj foor leende" (Russian distinction), 1974, for a reading on Russian radio of Karlsson naa taket and Pippi Laangstrump; Literis et Artibus Medal from the King of Sweden, 1975; International Writer's Prize, Welsh Arts Council, and Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Peace Prize), both 1978; D.L.H., University of Leicester, 1978; Mildred L. Batchelder Award, 1984, for Ronia, the Robber's Daughter; Swedish government created the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award to honor authors of children's literature in 2003.

BY THE AUTHOR:

FOR CHILDREN; IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION

• Pippi Långstrump, illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1945, revised edition, 1983, translation by Florence Lamborn and illustrated by Louis S. Glanzman, published as Pippi Longstocking, Viking (New York, NY), 1950, special edition illustrated with photographs from the film Pippi Longstocking, 1973.
• Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1946, revised edition, 1981, translation by Herbert Antoine and illustrated by Louis S. Glanzman published as Bill Bergson, Master Detective, Viking (New York, NY), 1952.
• Pippi Långstrump går ombord, illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1946, revised edition, 1969, translation by Marianne Turner and illustrated by Richard Kennedy published in England as Pippi Goes Aboard, Oxford University Press (London, England), 1956, translation by Florence Lamborn and illustrated by Louis S. Glanzman published as Pippi Goes on Board, Viking (New York, NY), 1957, special edition illustrated with photographs from the film Pippi Longstocking, 1973.
• Alla vi barn i Bullerbyn (also see below), illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1947, revised edition, 1975, translation by Evelyn Ramsden and illustrated by Ilon Wikland published in England as The Six Bullerby Children, Methuen (London, England), 1963.
• Pippi Långstrump i Söderhavet, illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1948, revised edition, 1969, translation by Marianne Turner and illustrated by Richard Kennedy published in England as Pippi in the South Seas, Oxford University Press (London, England), 1957, translation by Gerry Bothmer and illustrated by Louis S. Glanzman, Viking (New York, NY), 1959.
• Kati i Amerika, illustrations by Gobi (pseudonym of Margit Uppenberg), Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1950, translation by Marianne Turner and illustrated by Daniel Dupuy published in England as Kati in America, Brockhampton, 1964.
• Mäaut;sterdetektiven Blomkvist lever farligt, illustrations by Laurell, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1951, revised edition, 1981, translation by Herbert Antoine and illustrated by Don Freeman published as Bill Bergson Lives Dangerously, Viking (New York, NY), 1954.
• Kati på Kaptensgatan, Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1952, reissued as Kati i Italien, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1971.
• Kalle Blomkvist och Rasmus, illustrations by Kerstin Thorval, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1953, revised edition, 1981, translation by Florence Lamborn and illustrated by Don Freeman published as Bill Bergson and the White Rose Rescue, Viking (New York, NY), 1965.
• Kati i Paris, Bonnier (Stockholm, Sweden), 1953, revised edition, 1972.
• Mio, min Mio (also see below), illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1954, revised edition, 1983, translation by Marianne Turner published as Mio, my Son, Viking (New York, NY), 1956.
• Lillebror och Karlsson på taket, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1955, revised edition, 1983, translation by Marianne Turner and illustrated by Richard Kennedy published in England as Eric and Karlsson-on-the-Roof, Oxford University Press (London, England), 1958, illustrated by Jan Pyk, published as Karlsson-on-the-Roof, Viking (New York, NY), 1971.
• Rasmus på luffen, illustrations by Eric Palmquist, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1956, revised edition, 1982, translation by Gerry Bothmer published as Rasmus and the Vagabond, Viking (New York, NY), 1960, published in England as Rasmus and the Tramp, Methuen (London, England), 1961.
• Barnen på Bråkmakargatan (also see below), illustrations by Ilon Wikland, first published in Klumpe Dumpejournal, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1958, revised edition, 1982, translation by Gerry Bothmer published as The Children on Troublemaker Street, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1964, published in England as The Mischievous Martens, Methuen (London, England), 1968.
• Madicken, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1960, revised edition, 1982, translation by Gerry Bothmer and illustrated by Janina Domanska published as Mischievous Meg, Viking (New York, NY), 1962, translation by Marianne Turner published in England as Madicken, Oxford University Press, 1963.
• Bullerbyboken (also see below), illustrated by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1961, selections translated by Florence Lamborn published in two volumes: The Children of Noisy Village, Viking (New York, NY), 1962, published in England as Cherry Time at Bullerby, Methuen (London, England), 1963; Happy Times in Noisy Village, Viking (New York, NY), 1963, published in England as Happy Days at Bullerby, Methuen (London, England), 1964.
• Lotta på Bråkmakargatan, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1961, revised edition, 1983, translation by Gerry Bothmer and illustrated by Julie Brinkloe published as Lotta on Troublemaker Street, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1963, selections published in England as Lotta Leaves Home, Methuen (London, England), 1969, selections published as Lotta, Penguin (New York, NY), 1972.
• Karlsson på taket flyger igen, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1962, revised edition, 1983, translation by Florence Lamborn published in England as Karlson Flies Again, Methuen (London, England), 1977.
• All about the Bullerby Children (stories; includes selections from Alla vi barn i Bullerbyn, and Bullerbyboken), Methuen (London, England), 1963, revised edition, 1970.
• Emil i Lönneberga, illustrations by Bjoorn Berg, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1963, revised edition, 1980, translation by Lilian Seaton published as Emil in the Soup Tureen,Follett (New York, NY), 1970.
• Vi på Saltkråkan, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1964, revised edition, 1979, translation by Evelyn Ramsden and illustrated by Robert Hales published as Seacrow Island, Oliver & Boyd, 1968, Viking (New York, NY), 1969.
• (Adapted) The Tomten and the Fox, by Karl-Erik Forsslun, illustrated by Harald Wiberg, Coward, McCann (New York, NY), 1965.
• Nya hyss av Emil i Lönneberga, illustrations by Bjoorn Berg, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1966, revised edition, 1972, published as Emil's Pranks, Follett (New York, NY), 1971.
• Än lever Emil i Lönneberga, illustrations by Bjoorn Berg, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1970, revised edition, 1979, translation by Michael Heron published as Emil and Piggy Beast, Follett (New York, NY), 1973, published in England as Emil and His Clever Pig, Brockhampton, 1974.
• Bröderna Lejonhjärta, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1973, revised edition, 1983, translation by Joan Tate and illustrated by James Keaton Lambert published as The Brothers Lionheart, Viking (New York, NY), 1975.
• Ronja Rövardotter, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1981, published as Ronia, the Robber's Daughter, illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman, Viking (New York, NY), 1983.
• När Adam Engelbrekt Blev Tvararg, published as The Day Adam Got Angry, translated by Barbara Lucas, R & S Books (New York, NY), 1993.
• Pippi Långstrump Har Julgransplundring, published as Pippi Longstocking's After-Christmas Party, illustrations by Michael Chesworth, translated from the Swedish by Stephen Keeler, Viking (New York, NY), 1996.
• The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, illustrated by Michael Chesworth, Viking (New York, NY), 1997.
• Most Beloved Sister, translated by Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 2002.

FOR CHILDREN; IN SWEDISH

• Britt-mari lättar sitt hiärta (title means "Britt-Mari Opens Her Heart,") Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1944, revised edition, 1959.
• Kerstin och jag (title means "Kerstin and I,") Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1945, revised edition, 1970.
• Mera om oss barn i Bullerbyn (title means "More about the Bullerby Children,") illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1949, revised edition, 1975.
• Nils Karlsson-Pyssling (fairy tales; title means "Niels, the Midget;" also see below), illustrations by Eva Billow, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1949, revised edition, 1982.
• Kajsa Kavat och andra barn (fairy tales; title means "Kajsa Kavat and Other Children,") illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, 1950, revised edition, 1969.
• Bara roligt i Bullerbyn (title means "Only Good Times in Bullerby,") illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1952, revised edition, 1975.
• Boken om Pippi Långstrump (short stories; title means "The Book about Pippi Longstocking,") illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1952.
• Rasmus, Pontus och Toker (title means "Rasmus, Pontus, and Toker,") illustrations by Eric Palmquist, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1957, revised edition, 1980.
• Bullerbybarnen (title means "The Bullerby Children,") edited by Aake W. Edfeldt, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Ehlin, 1957, revised edition, Liber, 1969.
• Kajsa Kavats äventyr (title means "Kajsa Kavat's Adventures,") edited by Aake W. Edfeldt, Ehlin, 1957, revised edition, Liber, 1969.
• Tillbaka till Bullerbyn (title means "Back to Bullerby,") edited by Aake W. Edfeldt, Ehlin, 1958, revised edition, 1969.
• Sunnanäng (fairy stories; title means "The South Wind Field;" also see below), illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1959, revised edition, 1975.
• Salikons rosor: Savor (includes Mio, min Mio, Nils Karlsson-Pvssling, and Sunnanäng; title means "Salikon's Roses: Fairy-tales,") Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1967.
• Karlsson på taket smyger igen (title means "Karlsson-on-the-Roof Lurking Again,") illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1968, revised edition, 1983.
• Mina påhitt: Ett urval från Pippi till Emil (title means "My Pranks: Selections from Pippi to Emil,") illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, Ilon Wikland, and Bjoorn Berg, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1971.
• Allt om Karlsson på taket (title means "All about Karlsson-on-the-Roof,") illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1972.
• Draka med de roda ogonen, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1985, translation published as The Dragon with Red Eyes, Viking (New York, NY), 1987.
• När Bäckhultam for tell Stan, illustrations by Marit Torngurst, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1990.
• När Adam Engelbrekt blev tvararg, illustrations by Marit Torngurst, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1991.
• (Adaptor) Naske, illustrated by Harald Wiberg, Nordfriist Institute, 1987.
• Immer dieser Michel, translated by Karl Kurt Peters, Reclam-Verlag, 1990.
• Astrids klokbok, Eriksson & Lindgren, 1998.
• Barnens dag: Bullerbyn, 1998.
• Kalle Blomkvist och Rasmus, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1998.
• Nils Karlsson Pyssling flyttar in, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1998.
• Den dar Emil, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1999.
• Hujedamej och andra visor, 1999.

PICTURE BOOKS; IN ENGLISH TRANSLATION

• Jag vill inte gå och lägga mei, illustrations by Birgitta Nordenskjoold, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1947, revised edition illustrated by Ilon Wikland, 1969, translation by Barbara Lucas published as I Don't Want to Go to Bed Farrar, Straus (New York, NY), 1988.
• Jag vill också gå i skolan, illustrations by Birgitta Nordenskjoold, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1951, revised edition illustrated by Ilon Wikland, 1959, translation by Barbara Lucas published in England as I Want to Go to School, Too, Methuen (London, England), 1980.
• Jag vill också ha ett syskon, illustrations by Birgitta Nordenskjoold, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1954, translation by Eric Bibb and illustrated by Ilon Wikland published as I Want a Brother or Sister, Harcourt (New York, NY), 1981.
• (With Anna Riwkin-Brick) Eva möter Noriko-San, photographs by Anna Riwkin-Brick, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1956, revised edition, 1970, translation published as Eva Visits Noriko-San, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1957, published in England as Noriko-San, Girl of Japan, Methuen (London, England), 1958.
• Nils Karlsson-Pyssling flyttar in, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1956, revised edition, 1975, translation by Marianne Turner published in England as Simon Small Moves In, Burke, 1965.
• Kajsa Kavat hjälper mormor, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1958, revised edition, 1975, translation by Kaye Ware and Lucille Sutherland published as Brenda Brave Helps Grandmother, Webster, 1961, translation by Marianne Helweg published as Brenda Helps Grandmother, Burke, 1966.
• (With Anna Riwkin-Brick) Sia bor på Kilimandjaro,photographs by Anna Riwkin-Brick, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1958, translation published as Sia Lives on Kilimanjaro,Macmillan (New York, NY), 1959.
• (With Anna Riwkin-Brick) Mina svenska kusiner, photographs by Anna Riwkin-Brick, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1959, translation published as My Swedish Cousins, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1960.
• (With Anna Riwkin-Brick) Lilibet, cirkusbarn, photographs by Anna Riwkin-Brick, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1960, translation published as Circus Child, Methuen (London, England), 1960, published as Lilibet, Circus Child, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1961.
• (With Harald Wiberg) Jul i stallet, illustrations by Harald Wiberg, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1961, revised edition, 1978, published as Christmas in the Stable, Coward (New York, NY), 1962.
• (Adapter) Viktor Rydberg, The Tomten, Coward (New York, NY), 1961, revised edition, 1968.
• (With Anna Riwkin-Brick) Marko bor i Jugoslavien, photographs by Anna Riwkin-Brick, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1962, translation published as Marko Lives in Yugoslavia, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1962.
• (With Anna Riwkin-Brick) Jackie bor i Holland, photographs by Anna Riwkin-Brick, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1963, translation published as Dirk Lives in Holland, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1963.
• Jul i Bullerbyn, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1963, revised edition, 1980, translation by Florence Lamborn published as Christmas in Noisy Village, Viking (New York, NY), 1964, revised edition, 1981, published in England as Christmas at Bullerby, Methuen (London, England), 1964.
• (With Anna Riwkin-Brick) Randi bor i Norge, photographs by Anna Riwkin-Brick, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1965, translation published as Randi Lives in Norway, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1965, published as Gerda Lives in Norway, Methuen (London, England), 1965.
• (Adapter) Karl-Eric Forsslund, Räven och Tomten, translation published as The Tomten and the Fox, Coward (New York, NY), 1965, published as The Fox and the Tomten, Constable, 1965.
• Vår i Bullerbyn, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1965, revised edition, 1975, translation published as Springtime in Noisy Village, Viking (New York, NY), 1966, published as Springtime at Bullerby, Methuen (London, England), 1981.
• Barnens dag i Bullerbyn, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1966, revised edition, 1973, published as A Day at Bullerby, Methuen (London, England), 1967.
• (With Anna Riwkin-Brick) Nov bor i Thailand, photographs by Anna Riwkin-Brick, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1966, translation published as Nov Lives in Thailand, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1967.
• Skrållan och sjörövarna, photographs by Sven-Eric Deler and Stig Hallgren, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1967, translation by Gunvor Edwards published as Scran and the Pirates, Oliver & Boyd, 1968, translation by Albert Read and Christine Sapieha published as Skrallan and the Pirates, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1969.
• (With Anna Riwkin-Brick) Matti bor i Finland, photographs by Anna Riwkin-Brick, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1968, translation published as Matti Lives in Finland, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1969.
• På rymmen ged Pippi Långstrump, photographs by Bo-Eric Gyberg, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1971, translation published as Pippi on the Run, Viking (New York, NY), 1976.
• Visst kan Lotta cykla (adaptation of Barnen på Bråkmakargatan), illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1971, translation published as Of Course Polly Can Ride a Bike, Follett (New York, NY), 1972, published as Lotta's Bike, Methuen (London, England), 1973.
• Den där Emil, illustrations by Bjoorn Berg, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1972, translation by Joan Tate published as That Emil, Brockhampton, 1973.
• Allrakaaraste syster, illustrations by Hans Arnold, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1973, published in England as My Very Own Sister, Methuen (London, England), 1974.
• När Emil skulle dra ut Linas tand, illustrations by Bjoorn Berg, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1976, published as Emil and Lina's Bad Tooth, Brockhampton, 1977.
• Visst kan Lotta nästan allting, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1977, translation published as Of Course Polly Can Do Almost Everything,Follett (New York, NY), 1978, published as Lotta's Christmas Surprise, Methuen (London, England), 1978.
• Mardie, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Methuen (London, England), 1979.
• The World's Best Karlson, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Methuen (London, England), 1980.
• That's My Baby, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Methuen (London, England), 1980.
• Spelar min lind sjunger min näktergal, illustrations by Svend Otto, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1984, translation by Barbara Crampton published as My Nightingale Is Singing, Viking (New York, NY), 1986.
• The Runaway Sleigh Ride, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Viking (New York, NY), 1984.
• Skinn Skerping hemskast av alla spöken i Småland,illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1986, translation published as The Ghost of Skinny Jack,Viking (New York, NY), 1988.
• The Dragon with Red Eyes, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Viking (New York, NY), 1987.
• Visst är Lotta en glad unge, illustrations by Ilon Wikland, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1990, translation by Barbara Lucas published as Lotta's Easter Surprise, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1991.

Also author of The Day Adam Got Mad, A Calf for Christmas, Emil's Little Sister, and Emil's Sticky Problem.

PICTURE BOOKS; IN SWEDISH

• Känner du Pippi Långstrump? (title means "Do You Know Pippi Longstocking?,") illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1947, revised edition, 1968.
• Sjung med Pippi Långstrump (title means "Sing with Pippi Longstocking,") illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, words and music by Per-Martin Hamberg, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1949.
• Här Kommer Pippi Långstrump (title means "Here Comes Pippi Longstocking,") illustrations by Ingrid Vang Nyman, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1957.

PUBLISHED PLAYS

• Huvudsaken är att man är frisk: Kriminal komedi (title means "The Most Important Thing in Life Is Health: Criminal Comedy,") Lindfors, 1945.
• Pippi Långstrumps liv och leverne: Lustpel foor barn (title means "Pippi Longstocking's Life: Comedy Play for Children,") Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1946, revised edition, 1950.
• Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist: Teaterpjaas foor barn (title means "Master Detective Bloomquist: Theater Play for Children,") Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1948.
• Sex Pjaaser foor barn och ungdom (title means "Six Plays for Children and Youth"), Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1950.
• Pjäser för barn och ungdom: Foorsta samlingen (title means "Plays for Children and Youth: First Collection,") Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1959, revised edition, 1971.
• Pjäser för barn och ungdom: Andra samlingen (title means "Plays for Children and Youth: Second Collection,") Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1968.

PRODUCED PLAYS

• Pippi Långstrump, first performed at Oscars Theatre, Stockholm, Sweden, 1948, revised production performed at Folkan Theatre (Stockholm, Sweden), 1980.
• Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist, first performed at Oscars Theatre (Stockholm, Sweden), c, 1950.
• Karlsson på taket, first performed at Dramaten Theatre (Stockholm, Sweden), 1969.
• Mio, min Mio, first performed at Folkan Theatre (Stockholm, Sweden), 1980.
• Emil i Lönneberga, first performed at Limabrall AB, Sweden, February 18, 1984.

SCREENPLAYS

• Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist, Bauman-Production, 1947.
• Pippi Långstrump, Andrews, 1949, Nord-Art, 1969.
• Mästerdetektiven och Rasmus, Artfilm, 1953.
• Luffaren och Rasmus, Artfilm, 1955, produced as Rasmus på luffen, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1981.
• Rasmus, Pontus och Toker, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1956.
• Mästerdetektiven lever farligt, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1957.
• Alla vi barn i Bullerbyn, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1961, re-produced, 1987.
• Bara roligt i Bullerbyn, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1961.
• Tjorven Båtsman och Moses, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1965.
• Tjorven och skrållan, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1966.

  BY THE AUTHOR:

• Tjorven och Mysak, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1966.
• Skrållan Ruskprick och Knorrhane, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1967.
• Vinaa Saltkråkan, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1968.
• Pippi Långstrump på de sju haven, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1969, released as Pippi in the South Sea, G. G. Communications Films, 1974.
• På rymmen med Pippi Långstrump, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1970, released as Pippi on the Run, G. G. Communications Films, c. 1975.
• Emil i Lönneberga, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1971.
• Nya hyss av Emil i Lönneberga, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1972.
• Emil och Griseknoen (based on Aan lever Emil i Lönneberga,) Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1973.
• Världens bästa Karlsson, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1974.
• Bröderna Lejonhjärta, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1977.
• Du aar inte klok Madicken, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1979.
• Ronja Rövardotter, Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1984.
• The Land of Faraway (based on Mio, min Mio,) directed by Vladimir Grammatikov, Nordisk Tonefilm/Svensk Filmindustri/NorWay Film/Goskino, 1988.
• The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, Columbia, 1988.

OTHER

• Fuenf automobilturer i Sverige (title means "Five Automobile Trips to Sweden,") Motormaannens riksfoorbund, 1939.
• Twenty-five Automobile Tours in Sweden, Motormaannens riksfoorbund, 1939, revised edition, 1953.
• Drei kleine Schweinchen im Apfelgarten (title means "Three Little Pigs in the Apple Orchard,") illustrations by Ingrid Joorg, translation by Karl Kurt Peters, Berliner Handpresse, 1972.
• Samuel August fraan Sevedstorp och Hanna i Hult (title means "Samuel August from Sevedstorp and Hanna of Hult,") Bokvaannerna, 1973, revised edition, Rabén & Sjögren (Stockholm, Sweden), 1975.

Contributor to The Young America, Lyons and Carnahan, 1972; contributor of picture stories to Klumpe Dumpe journal (Sweden). Pippi Långstrump, as well as many of Lindgren's other stories, have been translated into Bulgarian, Danish, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, Hebrew, Dutch, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, Swahili, German, and thirty-eight other languages.

Many motion pictures based on Lindgren's screenplays were later released as television series in Sweden, including Pippi Långstrump, Mästerdetektiven och Rasmus, Luffaren och Rasmus, Via på Saltkråkan, Mästerdetektiven lever farligt, Du aar inte klok Madicken, Bara roligt i Bullerbyn, Pippi Långstrump paa de sju haven, and På rymmen med Pippi Långstrump. Five short movies based on Lindgren's stories were released in Sweden in 1990. Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist på nya åventyr (title means "Blomkvist, the Master Detective's New Adventures,") broadcast on Swedish television, December 26, 1966; Madicken (ten-part series), Artfilm/Svensk Filmindustri, 1979. Christmas in Noisy Village(filmstrip), Miller-Brody, 1964; The Tomten (filmstrip), Weston Woods, 1965; Christmas in the Stable (filmstrip), Weston Woods, 1965; The Tomten and the Fox (filmstrip), Weston Woods, 1973. Pippi Longstocking has also been adapted into a recorded book (cassette or record format) read by Esther Benson and produced by Miller-Brody, and a ballet produced by the Royal Swedish Ballet company; Lindgren has recorded many of her books onto cassette and many of her texts have been published in braille editions in Sweden.

One of four children born to a farmer and his wife, Lindgren spent her childhood in Vimmerby, Sweden, at a farm called Naas. The surrounding area of Småland became the setting for many of her books. The people she encountered as a young girl and the steady flow of hired farm workers passing through her rural community provided a wealth of inspiration for her later writing. "It was fun and it was instructive for a child to grow up, as I did, with people of varying habits and types and ages," Lindgren wrote in her memoir, Samuel August fraan Sevedstorp och Hanna i Hult. "Without their knowing it and without my knowing it myself, I learned something from them about the conditions of life and how complicated it can be to be a human being. I learned other things as well, for these were outspoken people who did not keep anything back just because children happened to be around. And we were around, my brother and sisters and I, for we had to bring them coffee while they were working in the fields. That is what I remember best--the coffee breaks, when they were all gathered, sitting there at the edge of a ditch, drinking coffee, dunking their rye-bread sandwiches, and exchanging thoughts about this and that."

Lindgren described how she started writing in Astrid Lindgren Tells about Herself. In 1926, then a young woman, she moved to the city of Stockholm and began working as a secretary in an office. A few years later she married Sture Lindgren and soon had two children of her own. Her family became an enthusiastic audience for the imaginative stories she recalled from her own childhood. In 1941, her then seven-year-old daughter Karin was sick in bed with pneumonia. She insisted that her mother entertain her with a story. "Tell me about Pippi Longstocking," she asked, making up the name on the spot. The character her mother created that day became the subject of numerous stories for Karin and her playmates in the months to come. It would be a few years, however, before "Pippi" would find her way into a published book. Lindgren recalled, "I didn't write any books, no, because I had very early decided that I wouldn't. Most of the people who never write books probably don't make up their minds not to do so, but for me, it was in fact a decision. When I was going to school I was always hearing people say, 'You'll probably be a writer when you grow up.' I think that scared me. I didn't dare try, even though somewhere deep inside I probably thought it would be fun to write."

Much as the name "Pippi Longstocking" had been a result of circumstance, so too was the series of events that eventually led Lindgren to change her mind and write her stories down on paper. In March of 1944, while out for a walk, she slipped on a patch of snow-covered ice and fell, spraining her ankle. Spending two weeks in bed recovering from her injury, Lindgren began to take down the "Pippi" stories in shorthand. In May she presented Karin with the completed manuscript for her daughter's tenth birthday. Lindgren also decided to send a copy of Pippi Longstocking to a publisher for consideration. The manuscript was rejected, but in the meantime Lindgren wrote another book and sent it to the publishing house of Rabén & Sjögren as an entry in their annual prize contest for girls' books. She won second prize in the competition. The following year she entered Pippi Longstocking, receiving first prize.

"Well, one thing followed another," Lindgren recounted. "Pippi became a success, even if there were some who were shocked over the book and thought that now children would go around behaving like Pippi. 'No normal child eats up a whole cake at a coffee-party,' wrote one indignant reader. And in fact it's true. No normal child lifts a horse straight up in the air either. But if you're one of those who can, then you're also the type who can pack away a whole cake."

Pippi Longstocking is a "character" in every sense of the word--a nine-year-old dynamo sporting unruly red braids that jut out on either side of her head. She possesses an unusual physical strength giving her a vaguely magical quality. Living alone--her father is a ship's captain out to sea, and her mother is "an angel in heaven"--with enough gold coins hidden in her kitchen to take care of her material needs, she is untidy, freethinking, full of contempt for authority, a teller of tall tales, and yet loyal to her friends in the extreme. Happy and cheerful in countenance, she manages to avoid all responsibility except the care of her pets, a horse and a monkey.

From the moment Pippi Longstocking was first introduced in Sweden, the book became resoundingly popular with children. Pippi's independence from adult supervision--the fact that she lives alone, does not go to school, and ignores such social conventions as table-manners and codes of polite behavior--made her very popular with children who led lives structured by such conventions. Mary Orvig in Horn Book wrote, "Pippi Longstocking is a prime example of the anti-authoritarian book. . . . Pippi stands for every child's dream of doing exactly what he or she wants to (regardless of any prohibitions), or feeling his or her strength and ability, and of enjoying himself or herself every minute. The book can be described as a children's safety valve against the pressure of authority and daily life: This is the secret of its incredible success." Margalit Fox in the New York Times Book Review noted that "the sheer subversive quality of the books, whose brazen young heroine does exactly as she pleases, made them unusual for juvenile literature."

Lindgren also had an explanation for Pippi's continuing popularity: "Bertrand Russell has written that a child dreams about power as grownups dream sexual wish dreams," she told Miriam Berkley in Publishers Weekly. "This is a child who has power. That is wonderful, for children to think, 'Oh, if I were like Pippi! I could say to Father, "You don't do that!"'. . . . She has power, but she never misuses that power, which I think is the most splendid thing, and the most difficult."

Most reviews of Lindgren's writing have been in the context of escapist fiction for children. However, the folkloric aspects of the character "Pippi"--immortality and incredible physical strength are two examples--have led some critics to view the Pippi books, including Pippi Longstocking, Pippi in the South Seas, and Pippi Goes on Board, in the more complex framework of "Utopian" literature. Nancy Huse included Lindgren in a discussion of contemporary fantasy writers in The Lion and the Unicorn: A Critical Journal of Children's Literature, suggesting that the positioning of such an extraordinary character as Pippi in otherwise normal circumstances was Lindgren's attempt to "advocate children's liberation."

Lindgren viewed her writing in a simpler light, commenting to Jonathan Cott in the New Yorker: "I don't write books for children. I write books for the child I am myself. I write about things that are dear to me--trees and houses and nature--just to please myself." Metcalf noted that although Lindgren wrote for herself, her ability to vividly recreate childhood memories appealed to a wide audience: "When she wrote, Lindgren said repeatedly, she wrote for the child within--an approach to the art of writing that many children's authors share. Yet, her ability to remember vividly and in great detail what childhood was like and what her preferences and desires were at various ages make her books especially engaging. Her books show that she never lost touch with the smells, sights, sounds, and feelings she experienced as a girl. Indeed, her writing reflects the intensity and freshness with which only a child can perceive the world. Lindgren combined her ability for vivid detail with a talent for storytelling that she likely inherited from her father. The Protestant work ethic she imbibed at home harnessed her boundless curiosity and desire for experimentation and enabled her later to try many different genres and to develop her own style. Her compassion for those in need, coupled with the courage to speak up for them, also marks a basic element in her writing. Lindgren wrote not what fashion or fad dictated--nor what publishers demanded--but what her inner sense of urgency compelled her to express."

Lindgren's writings were influenced to a great extent by the fairy tales she listened to as a child. Her first exposure to reading was through such stories: "This girl Edith--blessed be she now and forever--read to me the fairy tale about the giant Bam-Bam and the fairy Viribunda, and thus set my childish soul moving in a direction that it has not yet completely ceased to follow," she wrote in her memoirs. "The miracle occurred in the kitchen of a poor farmhand, and from that day forth there was no other kitchen in the world." Lindgren's affection for the stories from her childhood inspired the works Sunnanäng and Nils Karlsson-Pyssling,both collections of fairy tales. "[Lindgren's fairy] stories have a melodious quality of their own. . . . The combination of an amazing plausibility in depicting the labyrinths of fantasy, a tenderness untrammeled by any vestige of sentimentality, and the wisdom by which the mental world of children is recreated makes these stories quite unforgettable," commented Orvig. "Most of them describe how lonely and sick children create a world of their own, which transcends the dreariness of their surroundings and enriches their lives. Astrid Lindgren frequently oscillates between black and pink. The gloomier aspect is particularly apparent in Sunnanäng, four fairy tales about Swedish poverty in the nineteenth century--full of poetry and compassionate melancholy." Kerstin Auraldsson suggested in Bookbirdthat "The mingling of melancholy and childish happiness gives [Lindgren's] books that magic attraction we all know."

By contrast, Lindgren's "Bullerbyn" series--published in the United States as Children of Noisy Village and Happy Times in Noisy Village--are full of "the exciting ordinariness of everyday,"according to Pamela March in the Christian Science Monitor. With nine-year-old Lisa serving as narrator for a collection of stories about the goings-on in a small Swedish farm community, Lindgren paints a picture reminiscent of her own childhood at Naas with subtle strokes. The "Emil"books, including Emil in the Soup Tureen, Emil's Pranks, and Emil and Piggy Beast, are Lindgren's personal favorites from among her own writings. She told Berkley, "[They preserve] a time and a milieu that doesn't exist anymore, but that every Swede knows about. When my father was a little boy, he was like Emil." Quick-minded, mischievous, but also well-meaning, five-year-old Emil disrupts the routines of rural life in humorous fashion in this collection of stories also set in the countryside of Lindgren's youth.

Lindgren grew to be a literary figure of such stature and popularity in Europe that in 1987, on the occasion of her eightieth birthday, Sweden honored her with a series of forty-nine commemorative stamps--designed by illustrators Bjorn Berg, Ilon Wikland, Ingrid Vang Nyman, and Eva Billow--depicting the most popular of her fictional characters. The West German school system also demonstrated its appreciation for the writings of Lindgren by proclaiming 1987 as "official Astrid Lindgren Year."

In addition to her writing career, Lindgren achieved prominence through her outspoken concerns in the political arena. "In the 1970's," Fox related, "she stepped into public life to protest Sweden's income tax laws, which sent self-employed artists like Mrs. Lindgren and the director Ingmar Bjoorn Bergman reeling under a staggering tax burden. A lifelong supporter of the ruling Social Democratic Party, Mrs. Lindgren published a caustic newspaper satire before the 1976 election in which she calculated that, because of competing local and federal taxes, her income was taxed at an annual rate of 102 percent. The Social Democrats, in power for more than 40 years, were defeated, and tax cuts followed, events Mrs. Lindgren was sometimes credited with bringing about."

In 1988, through repeatedly publishing letters in Sweden's major newspaper, Lindgren almost single-handedly lobbied an animal rights bill into law. Dubbed "Lex Astrid" by Sweden's Prime Minister, the new legislation ensured that cattle, pigs, and chickens be given natural grazing rights, and that the use of drugs and hormones be eliminated except in cases of medical necessity. In March of 1989, Lindgren was presented with the Albert Schweitzer Award by the Animal Welfare Fund for her victories in her native country on behalf of the farm animals she had loved since childhood.

Lindgren reflected on writing for children in her acceptance speech for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the text of which was published in Bookbird: "It is useless to make a conscious effort to try and recall how things were. You have to relive your own childhood and rememberwith your very soul what the world looked like." She continued, "I write for one child only; a child who is sometimes six, sometimes eight, and sometimes eleven years old. And yet it's always the same child. . . . she was a girl and she lived on a farm in Sweden many years ago; it was during the Horse Age when it was so wonderful to be a child."

"Memory--it holds unknown sleeping treasures: fragrances and flavors, sights and sounds of childhood past!" Lindgren wrote in her memoir. "I can still see and smell and remember the bliss of that rosebush in the pasture, the one that showed me for the first time what beauty means. I can still hear the chirping of the land rail in the rye fields on a summer evening, and the hooting of the owls in the owl tree in the nights of spring. I still know exactly how it feels to enter a warm cow barn from biting cold and snow. I know how the tongue of a calf feels against a hand, and how rabbits smell. . . . and how milk sounds when it strikes the bottom of a bucket, and the feel of small chicken feet when one holds a newly hatched chick. Those may not be extraordinary things to remember. The extraordinary thing . . . is the intensity of these experiences when we were new here on earth."

Throughout her prolific career, Lindgren never veered from her original inspiration. "Children work miracles when they read," she said in her acceptance speech. "They take our poor sentences and words and give them a life which in themselves they do not have. The author alone does not create all the mystical essence contained within the pages of a book. The reader must help. But the author of books for adults has no willing little helpers at his disposal as we have. His readers do not work miracles. It is the child and only the child who has the imagination to build a fairy castle if you provide him with a few small bricks."

"All great things that have happened in the world, happened first of all in someone's imagination, and the aspect of the world of tomorrow depends largely on the extent of the power of imagination in those who are just now learning to read," said Lindgren. "This is why children must have books, and why there must be people . . . who really care what kind of books are put into the children's hands."

Metcalf concluded: "Throughout her long life Astrid Lindgren displayed the agility, energy, curiosity, wit, courage, and caring attitude that imbued her fictional heroes and heroines. She remained physically active until her death on 28 January 2002, at the age of ninety-four. In life and in art Lindgren entertained, inspired, and consoled generations of readers, influenced changes in Swedish laws, and--not least of all--hastened a reexamination of the purpose of literature in children's lives."

PERIODICALS

• Australian (Sydney, Australia), January 30, 2002, "Pippi's Popular Creator, " p. 12.
• Birmingham Post (Birmingham, England), March 9, 2002, "Fairytale Funeral, " p. 7.
• Capital Times (Madison, WI), February 16, 2002, Karin Bennett and Kathy Guillermo, "Pippi Longstocking Creator Was Animal Advocate, " p. 9A.
• Daily Telegraph (Surry Hills, Australia), January 31, 2002, "Posthumous Nomination for Nobel, " p. 25.
• Grand Rapids Press (Grand Rapids, MI), February 3, 2002, "Pippi Longstocking Author, 94, " p. A24.
• Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), February 1, 2002, Katie Lapthorne, "Pippi's Global Stories, " p. 95.
• New York Times, January 29, 2002, Margalit Fox, "Astrid Lindgren, Author of Children's Books, Dies at 94, " p. B9; February 4, 2002, "The Power of Pippi, " p. A22.
• Seattle Times, February 3, 2002, p. A17.
• Washington Post, January 29, 2002, Libby Copeland, "Free Spirit; Astrid Lindgren's Legacy, Pippi Longstocking, Stands on Her Own, " p. C1; February 3, 2002, p. C4.*