Biography

Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren is a Swedish writer, author of a number of world-famous children's books, including "The Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof" and the tetralogy about Pippi Longstocking. In Russian, her books became known and very popular thanks to the translation of Lilianna Lungina.

early years

Astrid Lindgren was born on November 14, 1907 in southern Sweden, on the farm of Nes (Näs) near Vimmerby in the county of Kalmar, into a peasant family. Her parents - father Samuel August Eriksson and mother Hanna Jonsson - met in the market when he was 13 and she was 7 years old. In 1905, when Hannah was 18 years old, they got married. Astrid became their second child. She had an older brother Gunnar (July 27, 1906 - May 27, 1974) and two younger sisters - Hanna Ingrid Stina (March 1, 1911 - December 27, 2002) and Ingegerd Britta Salome (March 15, 1916 - September 21, 1997).

As Lindgren herself pointed out in Mina påhitt, 1971, a collection of autobiographical essays, she grew up in the age of "horse and cabriolet." The main means of transportation for the family was a horse-drawn carriage, the pace of life was slower, entertainment was simpler, and relations with the natural environment were much closer than today. This environment contributed to the development of the writer's love for nature.

The writer herself always called her childhood happy (it had a lot of games and adventures, interspersed with work on the farm and in its environs) and pointed out that it was it that served as a source of inspiration for her work. Astrid's parents not only had a deep affection for each other and for the children, but also did not hesitate to show it, which was rare at that time. The writer spoke about special relationships in the family with great sympathy and tenderness in her only book not addressed to children, Samuel August from Sevedstorp and Hanna from Hult (1973). Hannah died in 1961, Samuel in 1969.

The beginning of creative activity

As a child, Astrid was surrounded by folklore, and many jokes, fairy tales, stories that she heard from her father or from friends later formed the basis of her own works. Love for books and reading, as she later admitted, arose in the kitchen of Christine, with whose daughter, Edith, she was friends. It was Edith who introduced Astrid to the amazing, exciting world that one could get into by reading fairy tales. The impressionable Astrid was shocked by this discovery, and later mastered the magic of the word herself.

Her abilities became apparent already in elementary school, where Astrid was called "Wimmerbün Selma Lagerlöf", which, in her own opinion, she did not deserve.

Years of creativity

After her marriage in 1931, Astrid Lindgren decided to become a housewife in order to devote herself entirely to caring for children. During the Second World War, for 6 years she kept a diary, which was published by the Salikon publishing house in connection with the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. In 1941, the Lindgrens moved into an apartment overlooking Stockholm's Vasa Park, where the writer lived until her death. Occasionally taking on secretarial work, she wrote travel descriptions and rather banal tales for family magazines and advent calendars, which gradually honed her literary skills.

According to Astrid Lindgren, "Pippi Longstocking" (1945) was born primarily thanks to her daughter Karin. In 1941, Karin fell ill with pneumonia, and every night Astrid told her all sorts of stories before going to bed. Once a girl ordered a story about Pippi Longstocking - she invented this name right there, on the go. So Astrid Lindgren began to compose a story about a girl who does not obey any conditions. Since Astrid then defended the idea of ​​​​education taking into account child psychology, which was new for that time and caused heated debate, the challenge to conventions seemed to her an interesting thought experiment. If we consider the image of Pippi in a generalized way, then it is based on innovative ideas that appeared in the 1930s and 40s in the field of child education and child psychology. Lindgren followed and participated in the controversy unfolding in society, advocating education that would take into account the thoughts and feelings of children and thus show respect for them. The new approach to children also affected her creative style, as a result of which she became an author who consistently speaks from the point of view of a child.

After the first story about Pippi, which Karin fell in love with, Astrid Lindgren over the next years told more and more evening tales about this red-haired girl. On Karinee's tenth birthday, Astrid Lindgren made a shorthand record of several stories, from which she then compiled a book of her own making (with illustrations by the author) for her daughter. This original manuscript of "Pippi" was less carefully finished stylistically and more radical in its ideas. The writer sent one copy of the manuscript to Bonnier, the largest Stockholm publishing house. After some deliberation, the manuscript was rejected. Astrid Lindgren was not discouraged by the refusal, she already realized that composing for children was her calling. In 1944, she took part in a competition for the best book for girls, announced by the relatively new and little-known publishing house Raben and Sjögren. Lindgren received the second prize for Britt-Marie Pours Out Her Soul (1944) and a publishing contract for it.

In 1945, Astrid Lindgren was offered the position of editor of children's literature at the publishing house Raben and Sjögren. She accepted this offer and worked in one place until 1970, when she officially retired. All of her books were published by the same publishing house. Despite being very busy and combining editorial work with household chores and writing, Astrid turned out to be a prolific writer: if you count picture books, a total of about eighty works came out of her pen. Work was especially productive in the 1940s and 1950s. In the years 1944-1950 alone, Astrid Lindgren wrote a trilogy about Pippi Longstocking, two stories about children from Bullerby, three books for girls, a detective story, two collections of fairy tales, a collection of songs, four plays and two picture books. As you can see from this list, Astrid Lindgren was an unusually versatile author, willing to experiment in a wide variety of genres.

In 1946, she published the first story about the detective Kalle Blomkvist (“Kalle Blomkvist plays”), thanks to which she won first prize in a literary competition (Astrid Lindgren did not participate in competitions anymore). In 1951, a sequel followed, “Kalle Blomkvist risks” (both stories were published in Russian in 1959 under the title “The Adventures of Kalle Blomkvist”), and in 1953 - the final part of the trilogy, “Kalle Blomkvist and Rasmus” (was translated into Russian in 1986). With Calle Blumqvist, the writer wanted to replace cheap thrillers that glorified violence.

In 1954, Astrid Lindgren wrote the first of her three fairy tales - "Mio, my Mio!" (trans. 1965). This emotional, dramatic book combines the techniques of heroic tale and fairy tale, and tells the story of Boo Vilhelm Olsson, the unloved and neglected son of foster parents. Astrid Lindgren more than once resorted to fairy tales and fairy tales, touching on the fate of lonely and abandoned children (this was the case before “Mio, my Mio!”). To bring comfort to children, to help them overcome difficult situations - this task was not the last thing that moved the work of the writer.

In the next trilogy - “The Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof” (1955; transl. 1957), “Carlson, who lives on the roof, flew in again” (1962; trans. 1965) and “Carlson, who lives on the roof, plays pranks again ”(1968; transl. 1973) - the fantasy hero of a non-evil streak is again acting. This “moderately well-fed”, infantile, greedy, boastful, puffed up, self-pitying, self-centered, though not without charm little man lives on the roof of the apartment building where the Kid lives. As Baby's semi-adult friend from a semi-fabulous reality, he is a much less wonderful image of childhood than the unpredictable and carefree Pippi. The kid is the youngest of three children in the most ordinary family of the Stockholm bourgeoisie, and Carlson enters his life in a very specific way - through the window, and he does this every time the kid feels superfluous, bypassed or humiliated, in other words, when the boy feels sorry for himself . In such cases, his compensatory alter ego appears - in all respects, "the best in the world" Carlson, who makes the Kid forget about troubles. It is important to note that Carlson, despite his "flaws", under certain conditions is capable of such actions that can serve as an example to follow - to scare and drive the robbers out of the Kid's apartment, or in a mild form to teach a lesson to forgetful parents (the case of a little girl from attic, which was left alone).

Screen adaptations and theatrical productions

In 1969, the illustrious Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm staged Carlson, who lives on the roof, which was unusual for that time. Since then, dramatizations based on books by Astrid Lindgren have been constantly staged in both large and small theaters in Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe and the United States of America. A year before the performance in Stockholm, the performance about Carlson was shown on the stage of the Moscow Satire Theater, where he is still being played (this character is very popular in Russia). If on a global scale, the work of Astrid Lindgren attracted attention primarily due to theatrical performances, then in Sweden, films and television series based on her works contributed a lot to the writer's fame. The stories about Kalle Blumkvist were the first to be filmed - the premiere of the film took place on Christmas Day 1947. Two years later, the first of four films about Pippi Longstocking appeared. From the 1950s to the 1980s, renowned Swedish director Ulle Hellbum created a total of 17 films based on Astrid Lindgren's books. Hellbum's visual interpretations, with their inexpressible beauty and receptivity to the writer's word, have become classics in Swedish cinema for children.

Personal life

At the age of 18, Astrid became pregnant by the editor of the Vimerby magazine, Axel Gustaf Reinhold Blumberg (May 29, 1877 - August 26, 1947). However, Bloomberg then had a difficult period - he was divorcing his former wife Olivia Frolund, and although they no longer lived together, they were formally married, because of which Astrid's pregnancy could give rise to a discrediting reputation for adultery around Bloomberg, and therefore they did not could get married. Because of this, Astrid, in order to avoid rumors, was forced to leave Vimmerby, and in December 1926 she gave birth in Copenhagen (in Denmark, single mothers were then allowed to give birth without disclosing the name of the biological father) son Lars (December 4, 1926 - July 22, 1986 ), and since there was not enough money, Astrid had to leave her beloved son there in Denmark in the family of foster parents named Stevens. Leaving the post of junior reporter, she went to Stockholm. There she completed secretarial courses and in 1931 found a job in this specialty. Before that, in 1928, she got a job as a secretary at the Royal Automobile Club, where she met Nils Sture Lindgren (November 3, 1898 - June 15, 1952). They married in April 1931, and after that Astrid was able to take Lars home (although Niels adopted him and Lars also took on the name Lindgren after that, Reinhold Blumberg recognized him, and after his death, Lars received his part of the inheritance due to him). Married to Lindgren, Astrid had a daughter, Karin Niemann, on May 21, 1934.

Astrid's great-niece on the part of her brother Gunnar is the well-known detective writer Karin Alvtegen in Sweden.

Social activity

Over the years of her literary activity, Astrid Lindgren has earned more than one million crowns by selling the rights to publish her books and their film adaptations, to release audio and video cassettes, and later also CDs with recordings of her songs or literary works in her own performance, but nothing didn't change her lifestyle. From the 1940s, she lived in the same - rather modest - apartment in Stockholm and preferred not to accumulate wealth, but to distribute money to others.

Only once, in 1976, when the tax collected by the state amounted to 102% of her profits, Astrid Lingren protested. On March 10 of the same year, she went on the offensive, sending an open letter to the Stockholm newspaper Expressen, in which she told a fairy tale about a certain Pomperipossa from Monismania. In this fairy tale for adults, Astrid Lindgren took the position of a profane or naive child (as Hans Christian Andersen did before her in The King's New Clothes) and, using it, tried to expose the vices of society and universal pretense. In the year of parliamentary elections, this fairy tale became an almost naked, crushing attack on the bureaucratic, self-satisfied and self-interested apparatus of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, which had been in power for 40 years in a row. Finance Minister Gunnar Strang sneered in a parliamentary debate: "She can tell stories, but she can't count," but was later forced to admit that he was wrong. Astrid Lindgren, who turned out to be right from the start, said that she and Strang should have traded jobs with each other: "It's Strang who can tell stories, but he can't count." This event led to a large protest during which the Social Democrats were heavily criticized both for the tax system and for disrespecting Lindgren. Contrary to popular misconception, this story did not cause the electoral defeat of the Social Democrats. In the autumn of 1976, they received 42.75% of the vote and 152 out of 349 seats in parliament, which was only 2.5% worse than the result of the previous elections in 1973. However, this was enough for an opposition coalition to form in the government, led by Thorbjørn Feldin.

The writer herself was a member of the Social Democratic Party all her adult life - and remained in its ranks after 1976. And she objected, first of all, to the distance from the ideals that Lindgren remembered from her youth. When she was once asked what path she would have chosen for herself if she had not become a famous writer, she answered without hesitation that she would like to take part in the social democratic movement of the initial period. The values ​​and ideals of this movement played - together with humanism - a fundamental role in the character of Astrid Lindgren. Her inherent desire for equality and caring attitude towards people helped the writer overcome the barriers erected by her high position in society. She treated everyone with the same cordiality and respect, whether it was a Swedish prime minister, a foreign head of state, or one of her child readers. In other words, Astrid Lindgren lived according to her convictions, which is why she became the subject of admiration and respect, both in Sweden and abroad.

Lindgren's open letter with the tale of Pomperipossa had such a big impact because by 1976 she was no longer just a famous writer - she enjoyed great respect throughout Sweden. An important person, a person known throughout the country, she became thanks to numerous appearances on radio and television. Thousands of Swedish children have grown up listening to books by Astrid Lindgren on the radio. Her voice, her face, her opinions, her sense of humor have been familiar to most Swedes since the 50s and 60s, when she hosted various quizzes and talk shows on radio and television. In addition, Astrid Lindgren won attention with her speeches in defense of such a typically Swedish phenomenon as a universal love for nature and reverence for its beauty.

In the spring of 1985, when the daughter of a Smålandian farmer spoke publicly about the oppression of farm animals, the Prime Minister himself listened to her. Lindgren heard about the mistreatment of animals on large farms in Sweden and other industrialized countries from Christina Forslund, a veterinarian and lecturer at Uppsala University. Seventy-eight-year-old Astrid Lindgren sent an open letter to major Stockholm newspapers. The letter contained another tale - about a loving cow who protests against mistreatment of livestock. With this tale, the writer began a campaign that lasted three years. In June 1988, an animal protection law was passed, which received the Latin name Lex Lindgren (Lindgren's Law); however, his inspirer did not like him for his vagueness and obviously low efficiency.

As in other cases when Lindgren stood up for the well-being of children, adults or the environment, the writer was based on her own experience, and her protest was caused by deep emotional excitement. She understood that at the end of the 20th century it was impossible to return to small-scale pastoralism, which Astrid had witnessed in her childhood and youth on her father's farm and in neighboring farms. She demanded something more fundamental: respect for animals, because they are also living beings and endowed with feelings.

Astrid Lindgren's deep belief in non-violent treatment extended to both animals and children. “Not violence,” she called her speech at the 1978 presentation of the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (received by her for the story The Brothers Lionheart (1973; trans. 1981) and for the writer’s struggle for peaceful coexistence and a decent life for all Living creatures). In this speech, Astrid Lindgren defended her pacifist beliefs and advocated raising children without violence and corporal punishment. “We all know,” Lindgren reminded, “that children who are beaten and abused will themselves beat and abuse their children, and therefore this vicious circle must be broken.”

Astrid Sture's husband died in 1952. In 1961, her mother died, eight years later - her father, and in 1974 her brother and several bosom friends died. Astrid Lindgren has come across the mystery of death more than once and thought about it a lot. If Astrid's parents were sincere adherents of Lutheranism and believed in life after death, then the writer herself called herself an agnostic. Astrid herself passed away on January 28, 2002. She was 94 years old.

Awards

In 1958, Astrid Lindgren was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen medal, which is called the Nobel Prize in children's literature. In addition to awards for purely children's writers, Lindgren received a number of awards for "adult" authors, in particular, the Karen Blixen Medal established by the Danish Academy, the Russian Leo Tolstoy Medal, the Chilean Gabriela Mistral Prize and the Swedish Selma Lagerlöf Prize. In 1969, the writer received the Swedish State Prize for Literature. Her philanthropic achievements have been recognized with the 1978 German Booksell Peace Prize and the 1989 Albert Schweitzer Medal (awarded by the American Animal Welfare Institute).

Film and animation

Almost all of Astrid Lindgren's books have been filmed. Several dozen films were made in Sweden from 1970 to 1997, including the entire series about Pippi, Emil from Lönneberga and Kalle Blumqvist. Another constant producer of film adaptations was the USSR, where animated films based on the Carlson series were made. "Mio, my Mio" was filmed as an international project.

Screen adaptations

1968 - Kid and Carlson (dir. Boris Stepantsev)
1969 - Pippi Longstocking (dir. Olle Hellbum. Screenplay Astrid Lindgren)
1970 - Carlson returned (dir. Boris Stepantsev)
1971 - Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof (dir. Valentin Pluchek, Margarita Mikaelyan), film-play
1974 - Emil from Lönneberga (dir. Olle Hellbom)
1976 - The Adventures of Kalle the Detective (dir. Arunas Zhebryunas)
1977 - Brothers Lionheart (dir. Olle Hellbom)
1978 - Rasmus the tramp (dir. Maria Muat)
1979 - Are you crazy, Madiken! (dir. Goran Graffman)
1980 - Madiken from Unibakken (dir. Goran Graffman)
1981 - Rasmus the tramp (dir. Olle Hellbum)
1984 - Roni, the robber's daughter (dir. Tage Danielson)
1984 - Pippi Longstocking (dir. Margarita Mikaelyan)
1985 - Tricks of a tomboy (dir. Varis Brasla)
1986 - “We are all from Bullerby” (dir. Lasse Hallström)
1987 - "New Adventures of Children from Bullerby" (dir. Lasse Hallström)
1987 - Mio, my Mio (dir. Vladimir Grammatikov)
1989 - Lively Kaisa (dir. Daniel Bergman)
1996 - Super detective Kalle Blomkvist risks his life (dir. Göran Karmbak)
1997 - Kalle Blomkvist and Rasmus (dir. Göran Karmbak)
2014 - "Ronya, the robber's daughter" (TV series, dir. Goro Miyazaki).

Honors

Laureate of the Janusz Korczak International Literary Prize (1979) - for the story "Brothers Lionheart".
In 1991, a Danish rose variety, Astrid Lindgren, was named after the writer.

In 2002, the Swedish government created the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for achievements in children's literature. The prize is awarded annually and the prize fund is 5 million SEK.

On April 6, 2011, the Bank of Sweden announced plans to issue a new series of banknotes in 2014-2015. Astrid Lindgren's portrait will be placed on the obverse of the 20 Swedish krona note.

Astrid Lindgren(born Astrid Anna Emilia Ericsson) is a Swedish children's writer.

She was born on November 14, 1907 in southern Sweden, in the small town of Vimmerby in the province of Småland (Kalmar county), into a farming family. She became the second child of Samuel August Eriksson and his wife Hannah. My father farmed on a rented farm in Ness, a pastoral estate on the very outskirts of the town. Together with his older brother, Gunnar, three sisters grew up in the family - Astrid, Stina and Ingegerd. The writer herself always called her childhood happy (it had a lot of games and adventures, interspersed with work on the farm and in its environs) and pointed out that it was it that served as a source of inspiration for her work. Astrid's parents not only had a deep affection for each other and for the children, but also did not hesitate to show it, which was rare at that time. The writer spoke about the special relationship in the family with great sympathy and tenderness in her only book not addressed to children, Samuel August from Sevedstorp and Hanna from Hult.

As a child, Astrid Lindgren was surrounded by folklore, and many jokes, fairy tales, stories that she heard from her father or from friends later formed the basis of her own works. Love for books and reading, as she later admitted, arose in the kitchen of Christine, with whom she was friends. It was Christine who introduced Astrid to the amazing, exciting world that one could get into by reading fairy tales. The impressionable Astrid was shocked by this discovery, and later mastered the magic of the word herself.

A gift for writing and a passion for writing manifested itself in her, as soon as she learned to read and write. Her abilities became apparent already in elementary school, where Astrid was called "Wimmerbün Selma Lagerlöf", which, in her own opinion, she did not deserve.

After school, at the age of 16, Astrid Lindgren started working as a journalist for the local newspaper Wimmerby Tidningen. But two years later, she became pregnant, unmarried, and, leaving her position as a junior reporter, went to Stockholm. There she completed secretarial courses and in 1931 found a job in this specialty. In December 1926, her son Lars was born. Since there was not enough money, Astrid had to give her beloved son to Denmark, to the family of foster parents. In 1928, she got a job as a secretary at the Royal Automobile Club, where she met Sture Lindgren. They married in April 1931, and after that, Astrid was able to take Lars home.

After her marriage, Astrid Lindgren decided to become a housewife in order to devote herself entirely to caring for Lars, and then for her daughter Karin, who was born in 1934. In 1941, the Lindgrens moved into an apartment overlooking Stockholm's Vasa Park, where the writer lived until her death. Occasionally taking on secretarial work, she wrote travel descriptions and rather banal tales for family magazines and advent calendars, which gradually honed her literary skills.

According to Astrid Lindgren, "Pippi Longstocking" was born primarily thanks to her daughter Karin. In 1941, Karin fell ill with pneumonia, and every night Astrid told her all sorts of stories before going to bed. Once a girl ordered a story about Pippi Longstocking - she invented this name right there, on the go. So Astrid Lindgren began to compose a story about a girl who does not obey any conditions. Since Astrid then defended the idea of ​​​​education taking into account child psychology, which was new for that time and caused heated debate, the challenge to conventions seemed to her an interesting thought experiment. If we consider the image of Pippi in a generalized way, then it is based on innovative ideas that appeared in the 1930s and 40s in the field of child education and child psychology. Lindgren followed and participated in the controversy unfolding in society, advocating education that would take into account the thoughts and feelings of children and thus show respect for them. The new approach to children also affected her creative style, as a result of which she became an author who consistently speaks from the point of view of a child.

After the first story about Pippi, which Karin fell in love with, Astrid Lindgren over the next years told more and more evening tales about this red-haired girl. On Karin's tenth birthday, Astrid Lindgren wrote down several stories in shorthand, from which she compiled a book of her own making (with illustrations by the author) for her daughter. This original manuscript of "Pippi" was less carefully finished stylistically and more radical in its ideas. The writer sent one copy of the manuscript to Bonnier, the largest Stockholm publishing house. After some deliberation, the manuscript was rejected. Astrid Lindgren was not discouraged by the refusal, she already realized that composing for children was her calling. In 1944, she took part in a competition for the best book for girls, announced by the relatively new and little-known publishing house Raben and Sjögren. Lindgren received the second prize for Britt-Marie Pours Out Her Soul and a publishing contract for it.

In 1945, Astrid Lindgren was offered the position of editor of children's literature at the publishing house Raben and Sjögren. She accepted this offer and worked in one place until 1970, when she officially retired. All of her books were published by the same publishing house.

In 1946, she published the first story about the detective Kalle Blomkvist (“Kalle Blomkvist plays”), thanks to which she won first prize in a literary competition (Astrid Lindgren did not participate in competitions anymore). A sequel followed in 1951, Kalle Blomkvist takes risks, and in 1953 the final part of the trilogy, Kalle Blomkvist and Rasmus. With Calle Blumqvist, the writer wanted to replace cheap thrillers that glorified violence.

In 1954, Astrid Lindgren wrote the first of her three fairy tales - "Mio, my Mio!". This emotional, dramatic book combines the techniques of heroic tale and fairy tale, and tells the story of Boo Vilhelm Olsson, the unloved and neglected son of foster parents. Astrid Lindgren has repeatedly resorted to fairy tales and fairy tales, touching on the fate of lonely and abandoned children. To bring comfort to children, to help them overcome difficult situations - this task was not the last thing that moved the work of the writer.

In the next trilogy - "The Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof", "Carlson, who lives on the roof, flew in again" and "Carlson, who lives on the roof, is playing pranks again" - the fantasy hero of the evil sense is again acting. This “moderately well-fed”, infantile, greedy, boastful, puffed up, self-pitying, self-centered, though not without charm little man lives on the roof of the apartment building where the Kid lives. As Baby's imaginary friend, he is a much less wonderful image of childhood than the unpredictable and carefree Pippi. The kid is the youngest of three children in the most ordinary family of the Stockholm bourgeoisie, and Carlson enters his life in a very specific way - through the window, and he does this every time the kid feels superfluous, bypassed or humiliated, in other words, when the boy feels sorry for himself . In such cases, his compensatory alter ego appears - in all respects, "the best in the world" Carlson, who makes the Kid forget about troubles.

In 1969, the illustrious Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm staged Carlson, who lives on the roof, which was unusual for that time. Since then, dramatizations based on books by Astrid Lindgren have been constantly staged in both large and small theaters in Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe and the United States of America. A year before the performance in Stockholm, the performance about Carslon was shown on the stage of the Moscow Satire Theater, where it is still performed. If on a global scale, the work of Astrid Lindgren attracted attention primarily due to theatrical performances, then in Sweden, films and television series based on her works contributed a lot to the writer's fame. The stories about Kalle Blumkvist were the first to be filmed - the premiere of the film took place on Christmas Day 1947. Two years later, the first of four films about Pippi Longstocking appeared. From the 1950s to the 1980s, renowned Swedish director Ulle Hellbum created a total of 17 films based on Astrid Lindgren's books. Hellbum's visual interpretations, with their inexpressible beauty and receptivity to the writer's word, have become classics in Swedish cinema for children.

The works of Astrid Lindgren were also filmed in the USSR: these are children's films The Adventures of Kalle the Detective (1976), Rasmus the Tramp (1978), Pippi Longstocking (1984), Tricks of the Tomboy (based on the story The Adventures of Emil from Lönneberg ”, 1985), “Mio, my Mio!” (1987) and two cartoons about Carlson: "Kid and Carlson" (1968), "Carlson returned" (1970). In Russia, computer games have been created based on books about Pippi, Carlson and the story "Roni, the Robber's Daughter".

In 1958, Astrid Lindgren was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen medal, which is called the Nobel Prize in children's literature. In addition to awards for purely children's writers, Lindgren received a number of awards for "adult" authors, in particular, the Karen Blixen Medal established by the Danish Academy, the Russian Leo Tolstoy Medal, the Chilean Gabriela Mistral Prize and the Swedish Selma Lagerlöf Prize. In 1969, the writer received the Swedish State Prize for Literature. Her philanthropic achievements have been recognized with the 1978 German Booksell Peace Prize and the 1989 Albert Schweitzer Medal (awarded by the American Animal Improvement Institute).

The writer died on January 28, 2002 in Stockholm. Astrid Lindgren is one of the most famous children's writers in the world. Her works are imbued with fantasy and love for children. Many of them have been translated into over 70 languages ​​and published in more than 100 countries. In Sweden, she became a living legend, as she entertained, inspired and comforted generations of readers, participated in political life, changed laws and, not least, significantly influenced the development of children's literature.

Astrid Lindgren (full name Astrid Anna Emilia) was born in 1907. She spent her childhood on a farm in a peasant family.

After graduating from school, she worked in a local newspaper, then moved to Stockholm and entered the school of secretaries. On December 4, 1926, her son Lars was born. Astrid Erickson married five years later, Lindgren is the name of her husband. She returned to work only in 1937, when Lars was 11, and his sister Karin was three years old. In 1941, the Lindgren family moved to a new apartment in Dalagatan (a district of Stockholm), where Astrid lived until her death (January 28, 2002).

It was the fairy tale that made her popular - "Pippi Longstocking" (in the original Pippi, but for some reason she became Pippi in most Russian translations), Astrid Lindgren wrote her as a gift to her daughter in 1944. The book instantly became popular, it was awarded several prizes, and the publishers quickly explained to the author that you can make a living from literature.

Her first books, Britt-Marie Eases the Heart (1944) and Pippi Longstocking Part 1 (1945-1952), broke the didactic and sentimentalist traditions of Swedish children's literature, as literary critics like to say.

It is noteworthy that worldwide recognition for a long time could not reconcile the author with the Swedish State Commission on Children's and Educational Literature. From the point of view of official educators, Lindgren's tales were wrong: not instructive enough.

In 1951, Sturr Lindgren, the writer's husband, died. Astrid left children and fairy tales:

Since the early 1970s, books written by Astrid Lindgren have consistently topped the list of most popular books for children. Her works have been published in 58 languages. And they even say that if the entire circulation of books by Astrid Lindgren is put in a vertical pile, then it will be 175 times higher than the Eiffel Tower.

In 1957, Lindgren became the first children's writer to receive the Swedish State Prize for Literary Achievement. Astrid was hit with so many awards and prizes that it is simply impossible to list them all. Among the most important: the Hans Christian Andersen Prize, which is called the "small Nobel Prize", the Lewis Carroll Prize, UNESCO and various government awards, the Silver Bear (for the film "Ronnie the Robber's Daughter").

One of the minor planets was named after Astrid Lindgren, she was awarded awards and prizes from many countries of the world. The children's writer became the first woman to whom a monument was erected during her lifetime - it is located in the center of Stockholm, and Astrid was present at the opening ceremony. Not so long ago, the Swedes called their compatriot "the woman of the century", and last year the first museum of Astrid Lindgren was opened in Sweden.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the writer played an important role in the political life of the country, becoming a voluntary defender of the rights of children and animals.

The most famous works of Astrid Lindgren.

Pippi Longstocking - 1945

Mio, my Mio! - 1954

Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof - 1955

Carlson, who lives on the roof, flew in again - 1962

Carlson reappears, who lives on the roof - 1968

The famous detective Kalle Blumkvist - 1946

Rasmus the Tramp - 1956

Emil from Lenneberga - 1963

New tricks of Emil from Lenneberga - 1966

Emil from Lenneberg is still alive - 1970

We are on Saltkroka Island - 1964

Astrid Lindgren's books are so loved by Russian-speaking readers, not only because of the author's literary talent, but also thanks to the excellent translations of Lilia Lungina. Of course, many translators translated Lindgren's books into Russian, but not all editions were accepted by our readers. This review presents 10 famous heroes of Astrid Lindgren in the best (according to readers) translations.

"Little Nils Carlson" translated by L. Braude, E. Solovyov(5-7 years old)

It’s sad if you don’t have a sister or a brother and you’re at home alone all day long, when there’s no one to talk to, let alone play. That's when the most unusual friends appear in your life: a little brownie no bigger than a finger, a little elf from an apple orchard, a wooden cuckoo from a wall clock that can sing and have fun, and even a talking doll that grew on a bed of seeds...

"Emil from Lenneberg" Translated by L. LUNGINA(5-10 years)

A cheerful story about Emil from Lönneberga, written by the wonderful Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren, and brilliantly retold into Russian by Lilianna Lungina, fell in love with adults and children all over the planet. This swirling little boy is a terrible mischief-maker, he will not live a day without playing pranks. Well, who would think of chasing a cat to check if it jumps well?! Or put on a tureen? Or set fire to the feather on the pastor's hat? Or catch your own father in a rat trap, and feed the piglet with drunken cherries?
Recommended for all children from 5 years old to develop a great sense of humor!

"Baby and Carlson" Translated by L. LUNGINA!(6-12 years old)

Who is the most charming, the most beautiful, the most intelligent and moderately well-fed man in the prime of life? Of course, Carlson, a plump funny little man with a motor on his back!
He is known and loved by children all over the world. For a restless disposition, indefatigable imagination and a desire to play pranks. But most of all, perhaps, Carlson loves the Kid, because together they are never bored, because the main thing for Carlson is: "It must be fun and funny, otherwise I don't play." The famous trilogy includes the stories: "Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof", "Carlson, who lives on the roof, flew in again", "Carlson, who lives on the roof, plays pranks again"

"Pippi Longstocking" Translated by L. LUNGINA(6-12 years old)

Lindgren wrote about Pippi 3 stories: "Pippi settles in the Chicken Villa", "Pippi is going to go", "Pippi in the country of Joy" (you need to read them in that order) And also short fairy tales: "Pippi Longstocking in the park-where -growing-hops "and" Looting the Christmas Tree, or Grab What You Want from Pippi Longstocking ". We recommend reading funny stories about Pippi in the translation of L. Lungina (short stories are only in the lane of L. Braude), and if illustrations are important for a child - pay attention to the mischievous red-haired girl performed by N. Bugoslavskaya N. or L. Tokmakov

"Roni is the daughter of a robber" Translated by L. LUNGINA(6-12 years old)

Astrid Lindgren's fairy tale story about the girl Roni, the daughter of the most powerful robber chieftain of all forests and mountains, and about an unknown world in which everything is unusual, mysterious and strange. It is also about adventure, friendship and love. Brave little Roni and her friend Birk put an end to the age-old feud between the two clans of robbers, moreover, they are not going to be robbers at all.

"Children from Bullerby" trans. L. GORLINA(6-12 years old)

The book that Astrid Lindgren considered her main book. This is actually a book about her childhood. Bullerby is the best place on Earth, according to the children who live there, and Astrid Lindgren herself, whose childhood was spent in the same small village in southern Sweden.
And although there are only six children in Bullerby, they are never bored, just as the great writer was not bored, because it was there that her worldview was formed. With her usual brilliance and humor, she describes their carefree childhood, in which there is a place for wonderful family holidays, and pranks, and joys, and fleeting sorrows.

"Madiken" Per. I.STREBLOVA(6-10 years old)

Labyrinth (click on the picture!)

MY-SHOP
OZONE

Madiken lives in a big red house near the river. There is no better place than this in the whole world, she believes. Mom and dad, assistant Alva and baby Pims also live there, who follows her older sister everywhere and everywhere. Where one is, there is another. Together they always have fun. And how could it be otherwise! After all, there are so many interesting things here: you can swim, swing on a swing, play croquet, water the garden and give hedgehog milk to drink!

"Mio, my Mio!" Translation by I. Tokmakova or L. Braude(7-10 years old)

Once upon a time there lived in Stockholm a nine-year-old orphan boy Bu Vilhelm Ulsson (or simply Bosse). His foster parents did not have a very fun life, because they could not stand the boys. If only Bosse had a father like his friend Benki! But one day a golden apple falls into the boy's hands, and his life changes as if by magic. It turns out that Bosse is not Bosse at all, but Prince Mio! And his real home is not in Stockholm, but in the wonderful Far Country, which is ruled by his father, the king. Mio seems to find himself in a fairy tale, where his faithful friend Yum Yum, the snow-white horse Miramis, the magic well and his father's garden full of roses are waiting for him. Only this tale is sometimes sad, and sometimes terrible - too much grief was caused to the Far Country by the cruel knight Kato, who lives beyond the Dense Forest. And the young Prince Mio is destined to fight him...

"Kalle Blomkvist" trans. N. Gorodinskoy-Wallenius.(8-13 years old)

The detective trilogy about the young detective Kalle contains the stories: "The famous detective Kalle Blomkvist plays", "The famous detective Kalle Blomkvist takes risks" "Kalle Blomkvist and Rasmus". Issued only in the translation of N. Gorodinskaya-Wallenius.

Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (1907-2002) was a Swedish writer who wrote mainly stories for children. She is known and loved all over the world thanks to the works "Pippi Longstocking" and "Carlson, who lives on the roof." Readers from the countries of the former USSR were able to enjoy reading these books thanks to the translation by Lilianna Lungina. Astrid Eriksson (surname at birth) was born on November 14, 1907 in the Swedish province of Småland.

Happy childhood

The future writer was born into a family of poor farmers. Her father's name was Samuel August Eriksson, and her mother was Hanna Jonsson. The girl repeatedly heard the romantic story of her parents: they had been friends since childhood and only after many years they realized their feelings for each other. After 17 years of dating, they got married, after the wedding, the newlyweds settled in a pastoral estate on the outskirts of Vimmerby.

Anna Emilia grew up in a large family, she had an older brother Gunnar and two little sisters. Their names were Stina and Ingegerd. The writer recalled her childhood with a smile, calling it “the age of the horse and cabriolet”. Parents constantly told their children fascinating tales, taught them a love of nature. Astrid started reading at a young age thanks to her friend Kristin.

Many of Lindgren's stories and characters originate from her childhood. The delightful nature of the Nes farm forever left its mark on the girl's worldview. Green hills, lakes with violets, ancient ruins and forest landscapes awakened the worldview, made her believe in a fairy tale even at a relatively adult age. Astrid loved to play with her children, she climbed trees with them, ran around the park, getting incredible pleasure from this.

First works

As soon as she learned to read and write, the girl began to write stories. Her writings were a success, already in the elementary grade the first story "Life in our estate" was published. Readers called her the Wimmerbyn Selma Lagerlöf, but Anna did not take such a serious comparison seriously, considered it undeserved.

At the age of 16, after graduating from school, Eriksson got a job as a reporter for a local newspaper. At the same time, she was trained as a stenographer. A year later, the girl cut her hair, then became pregnant, not being married. The inhabitants of the small town negatively perceived Astrid's impudent behavior, because of this, she moved to Stockholm already in 1926. The born son had to be given to a foster family, because the writer was too poor and could not bring him up.

After moving to the capital, the girl graduated from secretary courses. She changed several different jobs, eventually getting a job with the Royal Society of Motorists. It was there that the writer met Sture Lindgren, her future husband. In April 1931 they got married, three years later their daughter Karin was born. After her birth, Astrid left her job, devoting herself to the household. She was also able to pick up her son Lars from a foster family.

daughter's gift

Despite her married status, the writer did not want to give up her favorite work. Periodically, she wrote fairy tales for family magazines, published in newspapers and Christmas calendars. Lindgren also edits books at home, acts as a secretary. Because of her lively and restless nature, the woman never thought that she could become a full-fledged writer.

In 1944, Karin fell ill with pneumonia. During the long, cold Stockholm nights, her mother sat beside her bed, telling stories. Once a girl asked me to write a story about Pippi Longstocking. Astrid began to invent it on the go, starting from the unusual name of the heroine. For several months, the woman told her daughter about the exciting adventures of Pippi and her friends.

In March 1944, the writer broke her leg. She lay in bed for weeks, scribbling stories about a red-haired girl with pigtails. She later gave Karin a book containing these stories for her birthday. The writer also sent a manuscript with illustrations to the Bonniere publishing house, but she was refused printing.

In the same year, Astrid participates in the competition for the best book for girls, held by the Raben and Sjogren publishing house. Thanks to this, she receives an award for the story "Britt-Marie pours out her soul" and a contract for publication. In 1945, it was this publishing house that published a book about Pippi Longstocking. The writer gets a job there as an editor of children's literature, where she remained until her retirement. In 1952 Sture, the writer's husband, dies. Until the end of her days, she did not marry, being content with the company of her children and grandchildren.

creative activity

In 1940-1950. Lindgren writes several books at once, each of which becomes incredibly popular among readers. In 1946, a story about the detective Kalle Blumkvist appeared, with her help the writer tried to replace thrillers with an abundance of violence. In 1954, the writer addresses the problem of lonely children in the fairy tale "Mio, my Mio."

Karin gave her mother an idea for another piece. She once shared with a writer a story about a little chubby man flying into a room when the girl is left alone. He was cheerful, but hid behind the picture, barely seeing the adults. So there was a book about Carlson, who lives on the roof. In the original version of the story, the man's name was Lil'em Kvarsten.

In 1968, a production about Carlson premiered at the Moscow Theater of Satire. At the same time, cartoons about a funny character appear on television screens. In 1969, the Royal Dramatic Theater of Stockholm launched its own adaptation of Lindgren's immortal work, although this was not typical for that time. After the huge success of the Swedish performance, theaters around the world began to create their own versions of Carlson.

All over the world, the writer was known thanks to productions based on her books, but in her native Sweden, films and television series were popular. Back in 1947, at Christmas, the premiere of the film adaptation of the story about Kalle Blomkvist took place. Two years later, the first film about Pippi Longstocking could be seen on the screens, subsequently three more films were released. Director Ulle Helbum created 17 films based on Lindgren's books in 30 years.

Social activity

In 1976, Astrid wrote an open letter to the tax authorities. This tale was called "Pomperipossa from Monismania", where the writer revealed the barbaric policy of the ruling party. She always paid taxes regularly, but was not going to put up with injustice when she was required to give 102% of her income. After being published on the front page of the Expressen newspaper, the tale caused a resonance, as a result, the law was changed in favor of payers.

It was thanks to Lindgren that Sweden became the first country to ban violence against children at the legislative level. The woman has always fought for the rights of the weak and defenseless, in the 70s she launched a huge campaign against cruelty to animals. As a result, in 1988, the “Lindgren law” was adopted. The writer was not completely satisfied, because the law contained vague wording, and the penalties were too lenient.

The writer also adhered to her own point of view about education. She sought to perceive each child as a separate person with their own emotions and problems. The woman was fond of psychology, tried to describe all situations from the point of view of children.

It is noteworthy that the writer never planned to make money on her work. First of all, she wrote for herself, "entertaining the inner child." The woman basically refused to compose anything for adults, she wanted to preserve her spontaneity and simplicity of narration. With her work, Astrid dreamed of comforting children, helping them cope with unpleasant and painful situations.

Other achievements of the writer

In 1957, Lindgren received the Literary Achievement Award, becoming the first children's writer to receive this award. After that, she was repeatedly singled out, but most of all the woman valued two medals of G.K. Andersen awarded to her in 1958 and 1986. Astrid was recognized as the most widely read author, and there is still a monument in her honor in the center of Stockholm. In the 1950s and 1960s, the woman appeared regularly on talk shows on radio and television.

In 1997, the writer became the man of the year in Sweden, although she was extremely ironic about this award. All her friends died, and in 1986 her son Lars also died. Astrid was left alone, she could not see and hear well, but she tried to lead an active lifestyle. Every year, Lindgren traveled abroad with her daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, continued to give interviews, and answered letters from fans. She helped people not only morally, but also financially.

The woman never wanted the usual dull life of pensioners, preferring to enjoy the last days allotted to her. On January 28, 2002, the writer died. She was nominated for the World Nobel Prize posthumously.

In total, during her life, Astrid wrote more than 80 works of various genres, her books were translated into 91 languages. She devoted one story to the story of the acquaintance and love of her parents, and autobiographical essays were also released. But most of the stories were addressed to young readers, since the writer considered all people to some extent children.