Astrid Lindgren

By Drusie Shehan

Astrid Lindgren was born Astrid Ericsson on November 14, 1907 on a farm called Nas outside the small town of Vimmerby in Sweden. As a child, Astrid loved to read, particularly books which had girls as the heroine. She loved Anne of Green Gables and the Pollyanna books (1). One of her strongest recollections as a child was meeting two pilots, Captains Sonders & Madicken. One of them tried to land on the roof of her house, or that is the way it looked at the time. After attending public school, she moved to Stockholm and married Sture Lindgren. The Lindgrens had two children. She wrote her first story, Britt-Mari Opens Her Heart in 1944. Her second book,Pippi Longstocking, which she wrote as a present for her daughter's tenth birthday was published in 1945 (2). She received the Raben & Sjogren's Best Children's Book prize for Pippi and became a book editor for that publisher for many years. Her husband Sture died in 1952.

The wholesome fun of Lindgren's books is captured at the Astrid Lindgren's Varld, a theme park. Children from all over the world have enjoyed her books which have been translated into many languages.

Her Springtime in Noisy Village captures the special season of spring as children share outdoor adventures. Crazy adventures take place-walking the barn roofline, riding the bull, jumping from the shed, and playing hide-and-seek. Several critics feel that this book is too wholesome, too good, too loving. What is wrong with this? What is wrong with a truly wonderful childhood? I grew up in a small town (population 1500). This book reminds me of my childhood. I remember playing in the mud, trying to sail sailboats and similar activities. I enjoy the color, wholesomeness, happiness, merriment and mischief in Springtime in Noisy Village. My boys have and still love this book and the others in the series.

Lindgren received many awards for her work, including the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for Pippi Longstocking in 1973; the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1958; and the International Book Award from UNESCO in 1993. Her publisher, Viking Press, received the Mildred Batchelder Award for her book, Ronia, the Robber's Daughter, in 1984. She received other recognition including honorary doctorates from universities. Her favorite character, Pippi Longstocking, has been the star of movies as well. Columbia Pictures made the movie, New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking in 1988. If you have seen that movie and would like to vote for it, visit Internet Movie Database and enter Pippi Longstocking in the Find box.

If you would like to learn more about Astrid Lindgren, you can read about her life at Astrid Lindgren. The Educational Paperback Association offers Astrid Lindgren page as part of their Top 100 Authors For Children.

See also the titles listed in the following references and bibliography. You might also want to visit Astrid Lindgren for more links.

Bibliography and References

Astrid Lindgren Bibliography
astrid-lindgren.com

Picture courtesy of Astrid Lindgren's Varld [Second link on this page].

References

Hurwitz, Johanna. Astrid Lindgren; Storyteller to the World Illustrated by Michael Dooling. New York: Viking Kestrel, 1989. 54p. [biography]
Children's Literature Review, vol 38, p122. (1)
Metcalf, Eva-Maria. Astrid Lindgren New York: Twayne Publishers, 1995. Twayne's World authors Series. 157p. [literary criticism]
Something about the Author, v38, p120. (2)

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