Stockholm is the fabulous city of Astrid Lindgren. Fairy tale guide to Sweden: places from children's books

World of Astrid Lindgren is a park located five kilometers from Astrid Lindgren's hometown of Vimmerby, Sweden. On its 130,000 m2 you can meet famous characters from her works. All activities are based on the descriptions given in the books and give children the opportunity to immerse themselves in the beloved worlds of Pippi Longstocking, Emil from Lönneberga, Carlson who lives on the roof and many other favorite characters of the Swedish writer.

It was here that the famous Swedish storyteller was born and raised. “I don’t want to write for adults,” said Astrid Lindgren, and until the end of her life she was faithful to this creed. The writer fully shared the great French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery that all people come from childhood. The theme park "The World of Astrid Lindgren" for the little people and for all those who have childhood alive in their souls. The park is huge. It is located on an area of ​​8 hectares. It is divided into several zones. All of them are located around a single center - a large circular street. This can be seen on the map:

World of Astrid Lindgren is open from May until the first weekend in November. During the summer season, performances continue all day long. It all starts with a small scene at the entrance to the park and continues with the main stage shows with music, singing and dancing. But what is most appreciated by visitors is meeting their favorite characters who communicate with children in both Swedish and English.

The gem of the park is a miniature model of some of the main streets of Vimmerbrü from the writer's childhood. All play houses are slightly larger than a child. The windows open, you can go into every house, in almost every house you can see a scene from your favorite fairy tales. Small benches, lanterns, small squares, alleys... Children's world, the world of childhood.

And you can also visit the world of giants and feel very, very small.

Visit the cave where the pirates hid the stolen treasures...

Or in a castle...

Or find a real secret underground passage! If you see this house, there inside, in the closet, there is a secret descent down into the tunnel that runs under the castle wall and goes straight into the forest.

In addition, there are other places in the park for the characters of Astrid Lindgren's works: Carlson's house, Rasmus's shed, the tramp, Villa "Chicken" (Pippi's house) and many others. Indeed, during her creative career, more than eighty works came out from under the pen of the storyteller. Each of them is a masterpiece in its own way.

There are many attractions in the park, but these are not the usual roller coasters, tea pairs. This is a huge slide that you can explore (by the way, it takes children about half an hour to do this), various corridors, different passages, here you can walk with Carlson on the roofs ... In the park you can visit a real ferry across the pond. Children can independently or with the help of a parent pull a rope and swim across a wooden raft from one side of the stream to the other. There is also a mini-zoo where animals living in this area of ​​Sweden live.

This park is a real theatre. And not only on stages (and there are many of them in the park). Performances take place every minute. Actors get used to the role, improvise. For children, it is happiness to touch familiar and beloved characters. And when they start playing and talking with them... The star of the park is Pippi Longstocking. A real little anarchist entertains children, puts on a real show. “The work is very hard. We perform both in rain and heat, 8 hours a day. But it's a real pleasure to work in such a wonderful team,” says Lasso Johnson, who plays the role of the elderly bandit Per the Coot from the fairy tale “Ronya, the robber's daughter”.

The park deliberately tries to avoid commercialization. As in any theme park, there are places to eat here. The food here is all homemade, prepared on the spot, not frozen. The organizers of the park are scrupulous about children's food. There are 12 different cafes on the territory of the park: snack bars, ice cream, and almost restaurants. Mostly they are located near the entrance to the park. “We offer ice cream of the most best brands and Pepsi, but the labels can only be seen in the fridges and freezers, everything is sold in our own containers,” says Nils-Magnus Angantyr, Chief Trade Manager of the park. “A few years ago we decided not to sell hamburgers in the park. We keep selling sausages, but only because Emil, Pippi and all the other kids love them.” In addition, everywhere in the park there are stalls with sweets and other little things - the goodies of life.

A visit to the park is not the whole part of the program. You can walk along the streets of Vimmerby itself and be surprised to learn that the wonderful town has not changed much over the century, and those houses that are presented in the park still stand today. Walking along the streets, you can stop by for a cup of coffee and a portion of homemade meatballs with lingonberry sauce in one of the coziest local cafes. If you wish, you can also visit the Astrid Lingren Museum in the town, which, unlike the park, is open all year round.

I have long wanted to keep in my journal an article by Oleg Fochkin about the life of Astrid Lindgren and excerpts from her childhood memories. Adding photos.
Here I save :)
And I advise you to read to those who have not read it yet - very interesting and with big love written!

One of the minor planets is named after Astrid Lindgren.
"Call Me Now" Asteroid Lindgren"- she joked, having learned about such an unusual act of recognition.
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.
The Swedes called their compatriot "the woman of the century."
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren is Sweden's most famous children's writer.

She has written 87 children's books and most of of which have been translated into Russian. In particular, these are:
- "Pippi Longstocking"
- "Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof"
- "Emil from Lönneberg"
- "Brothers Lionheart"
- "Roni the Robber's Daughter"
- "Famous detective Kalle Blomkvist"
- "We are all from Bullerby"
- "Rasmus the Tramp"
- "Lotta of Horny Street"

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";
- Lewis Carroll Award
- awards from UNESCO and various governments;
- International Golden medal Lev Tolstoy;
- Silver Bear (for the film "Ronnie - the daughter of a robber").

Astrid Lindgren, née Eriksson, was born into a farming family on November 14, 1907 in small town Vimmerby in the province of Småland, in southern Sweden.

As Lindgren herself later writes in the collection of autobiographical essays My Fictions, she grew up in the age of the horse and cabriolet. The family's main means of transportation was a horse-drawn carriage, the pace of life was slower, entertainment was simpler, and the relationship with the natural environment was much closer than today.
And from childhood, the future great storyteller loved nature very much, not imagining how one could live without this amazing world.

Childhood passed under the banner of endless games - exciting, exciting, sometimes risky and in no way inferior to boyish fun. Astrid Lindgren retained her passion for climbing trees right up to her old age. "The law of Moses, thank God, does not forbid old women to climb trees", - she used to say, she used to be in her old age, overcoming the next tree.

She was the second child of Samuel August Eriksson and his wife Hannah. My father rented a farm in Ness, a parsonage on the very outskirts of the town. In addition to her older brother Gunnar, Astrid soon had two sisters - Stina and Ingegerd.

Astrid's parents met when her father was thirteen and her mother twelve, and have loved each other ever since.
They had a deep affection for each other and for the children. And most importantly, they were not embarrassed by these feelings, which by the standards of that time was a rarity, if not even a challenge to society.
about this time and special relationship in the family, the writer tenderly told in her only "adult" book "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 wonderful world fairy tales.
The girl grew up on books that were completely different from her own future works: on the sugary Elsa Beskow, on varnished records folk tales, on moralizing stories for youth.

Her own abilities became evident already in primary school, where Astrid was called "Wimmerbün Selma Lagerlöf"what, by own opinion She didn't deserve.
Astrid, who read a lot early years learned very easily. It was much more difficult to maintain the rules of school discipline. It was the prototype of Pippi Longstocking.

The city that is described in almost every Lindgren novel is Vimmerby, near which Astrid's native farm was located. Vimmerby turned out to be either the city where Pippi went shopping, or the estate of the policeman Björk, or the place where little Mio runs.

After school, at the age of 16, Astrid Lindgren started working as a journalist for the local newspaper Wimmerby Tidningen.
The once obedient Astrid has become a real "queen of swing".

But the height of shocking was her new haircut - she was one of the first in the district to cut her hair short, and this at sixteen!
The shock was so great that her father categorically forbade her to appear before his eyes, and people on the street approached her and asked her to take off her hat and demonstrate her outlandish hairstyle.

At eighteen, Astrid became pregnant.
The scandal was so great that the girl had to leave parental home and go to the capital, leaving the position of junior reporter and beloved family.
In 1926, Astrid's son Lass was born.
Since there was not enough money, Astrid had to give her beloved son to Denmark, to the family of foster parents. She never forgave herself for this.

In Stockholm, Astrid studies to be a secretary, then works in a small office.
In 1931, he changes jobs to the Royal Automobile Club and marries his boss, Sture Lindgren, who turned Astrid Eriksson into Astrid Lindgren. After that, Astrid was able to take Lars home.

After her marriage, Astrid Lindgren decided to become a housewife in order to devote herself completely to her son. The boy was proud of Astrid - she was the most hooligan mother in the world! One day she jumped on a tram at full speed, and the conductor fined her.

Daughter Karin was born to the Lindgrens in 1934, when Lass was seven years old.

In 1941, the Lindgrens moved into an apartment overlooking Stockholm's Vasa Park, where the writer lived until her death. The family lived in harmony until Sture's death in 1952. Astrid was then 44 years old.

History of the tucked leg

Perhaps we would never have read the fairy tales of the Swedish writer, if not for her daughter and "His Majesty the case."
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.

Shortly before her daughter's decade, Astrid twisted her leg extremely unsuccessfully and, lying in bed and thinking about her daughter's birthday present, the future great storyteller wrote down her first short story "Pippi Longstocking" and a composed sequel about a funny red-haired girl.
The handwritten book with illustrations by the author was greeted by her daughter with delight. 10-year-old daughter and friends persuaded Astrid to send the manuscript to one of the major Swedish publishers.
Since this all started...

The writer sent one copy of the manuscript to the largest Stockholm publishing house Bonnier. After some deliberation, the manuscript was rejected. But the writer had already decided everything for herself, and 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 & Sjotgren".
Lindgren received the second prize for the story "Britt-Marie pours out her soul" and the publishing contract for it.

At the same time, the writer closely followed the discussion about education that was unfolding in society, advocating education that would take into account the thoughts and feelings of children and thus show respect for them.
She became an author consistently speaking from a child's point of view.
Worldwide recognition for a long time could not reconcile the author with the Swedish State Commission for Children and educational literature. From the point of view of official educators, Lindgren's tales were wrong and not instructive enough.

And then Lindgren starts working at this publishing house as an editor in the children's literature department.
Five years later, the writer receives the Niels Holgerson Prize, then the German Prize for the Best Children's Book ("Mio, my Mio").
In this publishing house, she worked until her retirement, which she officially left in 1970.
In 1946, she published the first story about the detective Kalle Blomkvist, thanks to which she won the first prize at literary competition(More Astrid Lindgren did not participate in competitions).

Carlson picked up in the USSR

The idea of ​​Carlson, who lives on the roof, was also suggested by his daughter.
Astrid turned her attention to funny story Karin that when a girl is left alone, a little cheerful man flies into her room through the window, who hides behind the picture if adults enter.
His name was Lilyem Kvarsten - a magical uncle in a pointed hat, who takes lonely children into the twilight incredible travel. He came to life in the collection "Little Nils Carlson" .

And in 1955, "The Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof" appeared.
Carlson - the first positive hero complete set of children's books negative traits. He made us believe that all our fears and problems are just "trifles, a matter of life."

In March 1966, a teacher French Lilianna Lungina, the wife of screenwriter Semyon Lungin, the mother of cinematographers Evgeny and Pavel Lungin, brought home a Swedish book by a certain Astrid Lindgren in an old shopping bag.

She had been dreaming of a job as a translator for a year now, and the publishing house "Children's Literature" promised to conclude an agreement with her if there was a good Swedish book...

In 1967, the first Soviet edition of Carlson saw the light of day.
The book became instantly popular. By 1974, more than 10 million (!) copies of the tale had been sold.
Lindgren liked to repeat in her interviews that there is "something Russian" in Carlson. And then Lindgren came to Moscow. Lilianna Lungina recalled: "Astrid turned out to be surprisingly similar to her books - insightful, very smart. Light and really cheerful. When she came to us, she pulled our six-year-old son Zhenya out of the crib and began to play with him on the carpet, and when we escorted her to the hotel, she , getting off the trolleybus, she danced on the street so contagiously and enthusiastically that we had to answer her in the same ... "

The "cult of personality" of Carlson in the USSR began after the release of the animated duology "The Kid and Carlson" and "Carlson returned" filmed at the Soyuzmultfilm studio.
It could have become a trilogy (a series about Uncle Julius), if the cartoon director Boris Stepantsev had not been carried away by new projects.
And the leading role in the cult cartoon was played by the artist Anatoly Savchenko. It was he who created the characters that forced the originals of Elon Wikland out of our minds.
Many catchphrases from m / f in the book are missing. Let's just remember:
- "Karlsonchik dear!"
- "Fu! I served my whole neck"
- "Do I love children? How can I tell you? ... Crazy!"
- "And I've lost my mind! What a shame ..."

The emphasis was shifted towards the loneliness of the Kid. And instead of the mischievous boy that Lindgren had (he throws stones and dares Miss Bok), we see a sad, big-eyed melancholic.
Carlson, in Russian translation, is generally a good-natured person.

How fairy tale changed power

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, CDs of her songs or literary works in own performance.

But all these years, her lifestyle did not change - Lindgren lived in the same modest Stockholm apartment and preferred to distribute money to others.
Only once, in 1976, when the tax collected by the state amounted to 102% (!) of her profits, Lingren protested.

She sent to the Stockholm newspaper "Expressen" open letter, 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 layman and tried to expose the vices of society and its pretense.
In the year of the parliamentary elections, the fairy tale became a bombshell for the bureaucratic apparatus of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, which had been in power for over 40 years in a row.
The Social Democrats lost the elections.
At the same time, the writer herself was a member of this party all her life.

Her letter was so received because of the general respect that the writer enjoyed in Sweden. Swedish children listened to her books on the radio. Her voice, face and sense of humor were also known to adults who constantly saw and heard Lindgren on radio and television, where she hosted various quizzes and talk shows.

"Not violence," she called the speech at the presentation of the German Booksells Peace Prize.
"We all know- reminded Lindgren, - that children who are beaten and subjected abuse, will themselves beat and abuse their children, and therefore this vicious circle must be broken".

In the spring of 1985, she spoke publicly about the oppression of farm animals.
Prime Minister Ingvar Carlson himself listened. When he paid a visit to Astrid Lindgren, she asked what kind of young people he brought with him. "These are my bodyguards" Carlson replied.
"Pretty sensible of you,- said the 78-year-old writer, - you never know what to expect from me when I'm in this mood!"

And in the newspapers there was a fairy tale about a loving cow who protests against the mistreatment of livestock. In June 1988, a law was passed to protect animals, called the Lindgren Law.

She was always afraid of failing...

Astrid Sture's husband died in 1952.
Then - mother, father, and in 1974 her brother and several old friends died.
And son.

Voluntary retreat began.
"Life is a wonderful thing, it takes so long and yet it is so short!" she said.
The only thing Astrid was really afraid of was not to be in time.

In recent years, she rarely left the house and did not communicate with journalists.
She practically lost her sight and hearing, but she always tried to keep abreast of everything that was happening.
When Astrid turned 90, she turned to numerous fans with an appeal not to send her gifts, but to send funds to a bank account for the construction of a children's medical center in Stockholm, where the writer herself sent an impressive amount.
Now this center is the largest in Northern Europe- is rightfully called the Astrid Lindgren Center.

Her books have been translated into more than 80 languages ​​and published in more than 100 countries.
As they say, if the entire circulation of Astrid Lindgren's books is put in a vertical stack, then it will be 175 times higher than the Eiffel Tower.

There is a museum of Astrid Lindgren's fairy tales "Junibacken" in Stockholm.
Nearby is Astrid Lindgren Park, where you can run across the rooftops with Carlson, ride your own horse, Pippi Longstocking, and wander along the Ugly Street.

The children's writer was posthumously nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
For the past ten years, there have been annual calls in the Swedish press to give Astrid Lindgren the Nobel Prize.
But children's writers have never been given this award. Children's literature lives on its own. Perhaps because it faces not only literary tasks but also pedagogical. And society always resists, lags behind.
The Lindgren Prize was never given ...

Oleg FOCHKIN

MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD

Astrid with her older brother Gunnar

"From my childhood, first of all, I remember not people, but that amazing and beautiful environment that surrounded me. With age, the sensations become less and less vivid, but then the whole world around was unimaginably saturated and full of colors. Strawberries among the rocks, blue spring carpets flowers, meadows of primrose, blueberry bushes known only to us, a forest covered with moss, through which graceful pink flowers, walks of Nas, where we knew every path and every pebble like the back of our hands, a stream with water lilies, ditches, springs and trees - I remember all this much more clearly than people.

The wonderful landscapes of Nes not only provided children with a unique playground, but also allowed them to develop a vivid imagination. Little Ericssons tirelessly invented new exciting games with what they saw around. Of no small importance for these games were the songs and prayers learned by the children.
Amazing magic games.

"Oh, how we knew how to play! The four of us could tirelessly play from morning to night. All our games were fun and active, and sometimes even life-threatening, which, of course, we were completely unaware of then. We climbed the most tall trees and jumped between the rows of boards at the sawmill. We climbed high on the roof and balanced on it, and if only one of us stumbled, our games could stop forever.

One of the most favorite games of the little Ericssons and their guests in Näs was the game "Don't step on the floor". At the same time, all the children had to climb on the furniture in the bedroom without touching the floor at all. It is in such a game, but much later, Pippi will offer to play Tommy and Annika at Villa Chicken.

“From the office door, we had to climb onto the sofa, from there we climbed to the kitchen door, and then to the dressing table and the work table. Then we could jump onto my father’s bed, and from there to the upholstered ottoman, which we could move to the living room door, after why climb over the open fireplace to the study door again.

Another favorite game of Astrid and Gunnar was the wind-sail game.
The children had to run through all the rooms of the house, starting from different parts of it, and meet in the kitchen, where each had to poke a finger in the other's stomach and shout "wind-wind!".
This is the game played by Emil and Ida in the books about Emil from Lönnerberg.

There was an old elm in Ness, which Astrid and her brother and sisters called "owl tree".
Inside the tree was completely hollow, and the children loved to play in it.
One day Gunnar climbed a tree, holding egg. He put the egg in an owl's nest, and twenty-one days later he found in it a newly hatched chicken, which his mother later bought from him for seventy-five ore.
Astrid retells this story to us in the book "We are all from Bullerby", where this trick of Gunnar is done by little Bosse.

However, at the beginning of the last century, the children of farmers had to not only rest, but also do hard work. They planted turnips, weeded nettle gardens and harvested.
Everyone was busy working on the farm: both the children of hired workers and the children of the owners.

"As was customary in those days, we, of course, from childhood were brought up with reverent fear and awe of the Lord. However, in free time no one followed us, no one told us what to do. And we played and played and played... If we had the chance, we could play forever!"

According to Astrid herself, she very clearly remembered the moment when her childhood came to an end, and she came to the terrible realization that the games were over forever.

"I remember that moment very well. We then loved to play with the priest's granddaughter when she came to Nas for the holidays. And then one summer, on her next visit, we were going to start our usual games and suddenly found out what to play It was a very strange feeling, and we were very sad, because we didn’t know what else to do, if not to play"........

Well, the book, of course :)
The book written Amazing Storyteller Astrid Lindgren.

It has nine short stories. Unrelated.
I always loved "No Thieves in the Forest" and "Little Nils Carlson".
The translation of fairy tales in the book is familiar from childhood - L. Braude.
And in "Princess ..." and in "Beloved Sister" - E. Solovyova. I really don’t remember if I read these two fairy tales as a child ...

Drawings in the book - Ekaterina Kostina. Vashchinskaya. Kostina-Vashchinskaya ... I got confused with the change of her last names :)
Gently love her drawings "in the style of crackle" :)
So the question of buying this book was not for me - Lindgren + Kostina = I'm happy :)

Well, about the publication.
It is very good! Large format, hard cover, matte chalk, large bold type and excellent print quality.

I highly recommend this book and shamelessly recommend it for purchase :)

Astrid Lindgren
"Little Nils Carlson"

Publishing house - Machaon
Year - 2015
Binding - cardboard with partial varnishing
Paper - coated
Format - encyclopedic
Pages - 128
Circulation - 8,000 copies

Translation - L. Braude, E. Solovyova
Artist - Ekaterina KOSTINA

The writer, who gave children the amazingly charming character Carlson and the pretty nutcase Pippi Longstocking, has become familiar to all the children of the world. It is difficult to find a family where the kind and fascinating books of Astrid Lindgren have not been read. The Swedish writer, like no other, unraveled the child's soul and found a path to it. In simple words she outlined the main problems and fears of little people, reminding adults of what they once knew but had forgotten.

Childhood and youth

Astrid Anna Emilia Eriksson, so it sounds full name writer before marriage, was born in November 1907 in Sweden, on the Nes farm. The childhood years of the future writer passed in the farm estate. Proximity to nature, measured age of "horse and cabriolet" contributed to spiritual openness and development creativity young Swedish.

Love and harmony reigned in the Ericssons' house. Astrid's parents met at the market when her mother was 7 and her father 13. Children's friendship grew into sympathy, and later - into love. Samuel August and Hannah had four children: the first-born son Gunnar and three daughters, the eldest of whom was Astrid Anna Emilia.

Children were surrounded by peasant life and pristine nature. The children helped their parents with the housework, and in their free time they rushed around the farm in search of adventure. In the family, according to Astrid Lindgren, a surprisingly kind atmosphere reigned: adults did not hesitate to show warm feelings for each other and children, which in peasant families was rare.

Little Astrid Lindgren loved to listen to folklore - stories and legends that were often told to children on the farm. Astrid, who had not yet learned to read, first heard a "book" fairy tale in a friend's house. Her mother read to her children in the kitchen. The impressionable girl listened, plunged into Magic world and took a long time to return to reality. Soon Lindgren learned to read and write, and reading became her favorite pastime forever. Already in primary school the future writer demonstrated literary abilities, for which she was jokingly called Selma Lagerlöf (the first Nobel laureate on literature).

After graduation high school A 16-year-old girl got a job as a junior reporter at a local periodical. 2 years later pregnant married man Lindgren left Wimmerblue and went to the capital, wanting to get lost in a city of a million people where no one knows her. In Stockholm, Astrid Lindgren trained as a secretary and worked at the Royal Automobile Club until the birth of her child.

Literature

After 5 years, Astrid Lindgren, now a married lady, became a housewife. In 1941, the family, in which two kids were now growing up, settled in a Stockholm apartment, from the windows of which the picturesque Vasa Park is visible. Here the woman wrote all her works. At first, Astrid Lindgren honed her pen while working as a secretary. Then she became interested in writing short stories and short guides for family and children's magazines.

According to the storyteller, the first character in the children's adventure story was born thanks to little Karin. Daughter with pneumonia, accustomed to mother's tales for the night, asked Astrid to tell the story of Pippi Longstocking. The girl made up the name of the character. Lindgren fulfilled the wish of the baby and composed a fairy tale. She liked her daughter so much that her mother stretched the continuation for dozens of other evenings.

At this time, Astrid Lindgren's thoughts were occupied by heated discussions about the upbringing of the younger generation. One part of society stood up for respect for the personality of the child and the necessary freedom of action, the second - for the classical, puritanical education and restriction of freedom. Astrid was on the side of the "liberals" from pedagogy, which dictated the nature of her Pippi.

Each subsequent short story about a freedom-loving red-haired nutcase in multi-colored stockings required continuation. For five years short stories grew into a story. When Astrid Lindgren's daughter turned 10, her mother gave her an anniversary gift: she illustrated a manuscript of several stories about Pippi and turned it into a book.

Lindgren took the handwritten duplicate with the adventures of the red-haired daredevil to the large Swedish publishing house Bonnierkoncernen. But the publisher was in no hurry to publish a book that went beyond the usual framework of children's literature. On second thought, Bonniere Concern returned the manuscript to Astrid. The writer was depressed, but did not give up: she saw what impression the stories about Pippi made on her daughter, and she knew for sure that she would continue to write for children.

In 1944 Swedish writer I heard about the competition held by the newly appeared publishing house Raben and Sjogren. The authors were given the task of writing a book for girls. Three the best essays publishers promised to print. Astrid Lindgren presented the story "Britt-Marie pours out her soul" to the jury and took second place. Thus began her creative biography.

The following year, Raben and Shegren invited Astrid to work. Lindgren gladly took the chair of the editor of children's literature and worked in this position until 1970, leaving it upon reaching retirement age.

In the same happy year for the writer in 1945, Raben and Sjogren published the first book about Pippi - "Pippi settles in the Chicken Villa." The young Swedes liked the story so much that it was immediately sold out. Soon the work was translated into dozens of languages ​​and sold around the world in millions of copies. In 1946 and 1948, the children's audience waited for the continuation of the story.

In 1946, Astrid Lindgren gave young readers a story about the adventures of the detective Kalle Blomkvist. In 1951, the children read the second part of Kalle's adventures, and 2 years later the final part of the trilogy was published, called "Kalle Blomkvist and Rasmus". Having come up with a good detective, Lindgren offered an alternative to the thrillers that came into fashion, to which the younger generation also reached out.

In the mid-1950s, Astrid Lindgren presented readers with the first part of the Mio, My Mio! trilogy. It's fabulous and sad story about a boy who was left without parental warmth. There were many orphaned children after the war, and maternal heart Astrid worried about their fate. With her writing, she gave such children hope and consolation, helped them cope with difficulties and instill faith in a happy tomorrow.

A year later, in 1955, the first book of the trilogy appeared about the “moderately well-fed” attic tenant Carlson and the sad Kid, a boy from an ordinary family, to whom busy parents cannot reach their hands. An infantile lover of sweets with a propeller on his back arrives to entertain and console the Kid.

The book had resounding success, commensurate with the adventures of Peppy. In 1962, the second part of the trilogy was released, and 6 years later, the third. Translation fairy tale about Malysh and Carlson for Russian readers was made by Lilianna Lungina. The first part appeared 2 years after the publication in Sweden, the third - in 1974.

From 1963 to 1986, Astrid Lindgren composed a cycle of 6 books for children about a little tomboy, stubborn and resourceful Emil Swenson. The 6-year-old prankster regularly gets into trouble, but he is incredibly quick-witted and often prompts his father with unexpected decisions in the household and business.

Another bright and beloved by millions of children, Lindgren's work - the fantasy fairy tale "Roni, the Robber's Daughter" - appeared in the early 1980s. It is instructive and good story about children's wisdom, which should be learned by adults. Roni is the daughter of Ataman Mattis, who is at war and competes with the robber Borki, whose son Birk is growing up. The offspring of sworn enemies are imbued with sympathy and become friends. And when the warring parents forbid them to be friends, they run away from them into the forest.

The works of the Swedish storyteller have been filmed dozens of times and staged on the stage in Europe, America and Asia. For the first time, the story of Blomkvist appeared on the screens: the premiere of the picture took place in 1947 on the Christmas holidays. After 2 years, small viewers saw a film adaptation of Peppy's adventures.

In the Soviet Union, the work of Astrid Lindgren was widely known and loved. In 1976, the children of the USSR saw on the screens the film "The Adventures of Calle the Detective", in 1978 - the film "Rasmus the Tramp", after 6 years - "Pippi Longstocking" and "Tricks of the Tomboy". Carlson cartoons were released in 1968 and 1970.

Astrid Lindgren was showered with all sorts of awards during her lifetime. In 1958, she was awarded a medal, which is equated with the Nobel Prize in children's literature.

Personal life

Astrid Lindgren's first love turned out to be unhappy. Her lover - the editor of the Vimmerby magazine Axel Bloomberg - was married. An 18-year-old journalist became pregnant by a 30-year-old older man when he was getting a divorce. And if at the trial they learned that Bloomberg cheated on his wife Olivia, his bank account would be empty. Therefore, the pregnant Astrid left the city.

In Denmark, the name of the biological father was allowed to be kept secret, so the young woman gave birth to a boy, Lars, in Copenhagen. Until the age of 5, Lars was brought up in a family foster parents Stevenson.

In Stockholm, Astrid met Niels Sture Lindgren. After the wedding in 1931, Lindgren took her son, and 3 years later she gave birth to a daughter, Karin. Niels adopted Lars and gave him his last name. The couple lived in a happy marriage for 21 years.

Death

In 1952, the writer's husband died. In 1961, my mother passed away, and after 8 years, my father. The year 1974 turned out to be tragic for Astrid: her brother and childhood friends left forever. And real grief hit the woman in 1986, when her son died.

Lindgren often thought about the sacrament of passing into another world, but, unlike her Lutheran parents, who believed in eternal life, Astrid was a supporter of agnosticism. Astrid Lindgren died in January 2002 at the respectable age of 94.

Memory

• In the year of Astrid Lindgren's death, the Swedish government established a 5 million kronor award in memory of the famous writer, which is awarded every year to the best children's writer. In 2016, it was presented to Briton Meg Rosoff.
• In the spring of 2015, a Swedish bank issued new series banknotes in denominations of 20 crowns, which depict Astrid Lindgren.

• The Swedes cherish the apartment in Stockholm, where the famous writer lived and died for 60 years. The home became a museum in the winter of 2015, when Sweden celebrated Astrid Lindgren's 108th birthday.
• A souvenir dish is kept in the museum apartment, which was presented to Astrid in 1997.

Bibliography

• 1945 - "Pippi settles in the Villa" Hen "
• 1946 - "Pippi sets off"
• 1948 - "Pippi in the country of Veseliya"
• 1946 - " famous detective Kalle Blomkvist»
• 1951 - "The famous detective Kalle Blomkvist takes risks"
• 1953 - "Kalle Blomkvist and Rasmus"
• 1947 - "We are all from Bullerby"
• 1949 - "Again about the children from Bullerby"
• 1955 - "The Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof"
• 1962 - "Carlson, who lives on the roof, has arrived again"
• 1968 - "Carlson, who lives on the roof, plays pranks again"
• 1963 - "Emil from Lenneberg"
• 1966 - "New tricks of Emil from Lenneberg"
• 1954 - Mio, my Mio
• 1981 - Roni, the Robber's Daughter

The interview was conducted by Yuri Gurman, Radio Sweden.

- What's good about Sweden?

- The best thing is that this is my country. Here I am at home, I am at home in the old peasant culture and in Stockholm.

It is easy for me to love people, it is easy for me to love all my surroundings... Here I feel at home much more than in any other country.

Astrid Lindgren received me in her apartment on Dalagatan Street, now there is something like an apartment-museum, where they already let in for a fee. We sat in the living room, where everything was simple and spacious. An old sofa, few books, Spartan, one might say, furnishings. Astrid Lindgren with a gold pendant on her chest, which actually turned out to be a thick magnifying glass, she could no longer read without it, her assistant was busy with something in the kitchen, everything was very homely...

- What is the worst thing about Sweden?
It is difficult to answer this question, there is also a lot of absurdity here. I can get furious and desperate when I hear fat men flying from Sweden to Thailand and buying little girls for themselves. And then I'm on the verge of not wanting to be Swedish.

She also disliked the power of money.

- Culture has become for many an economic culture, giving way to a real culture.

When I ask about money Astrid Lindgren laughs:

- I could be much more wealthy, but I make sure that I don't have much money left.

At the time of this interview, Astrid Lindgren had seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and she lamented that she would like to meet them much more often than she can. And laughs:

Journalists like this get in the way all the time...

All her money was brought to her by her characters. Most of all, of course, Pippi-Longstocking, or Pippi, as she was first called in Russia, where the main character has always been, of course, Karlsson, who lives on the roof.

Karlsson, he is like a spoiled child who thinks that he is the best, the most beautiful, the most wonderful, many years ago I wrote his song, - Astrid Lindgren sings, - who do you think you are? who do you think you are? Yes, you are nothing against me, la-la-la, la-la-la ... Karlsson is a somewhat distant figure for me, Pippi and, above all, Emil from Lönneberg are closest to my heart. Emil is from my childhood, from Småland, and he lives among people, among peasants, whom I have known well since my youth.

We talked for a long time that time. Astrid Lindgren talked about her children, about her unhealed wound: her son Lasse passed away in 1966, about her daughter, about their children, about great-grandchildren, one of whom, four years old, especially unique, kept repeating:

You're old, you're old, and so on all the way, Astrid Lindgren laughs.

And she asked a lot of questions. It looks like it was an interview within an interview. She was interested in how old I am, whether I am married to a Swede or a Russian, how many children I have, she praised me when she learned that they read her books in both Swedish and Russian. When I said that at a meeting of our editorial staff with listeners in St. Petersburg, they asked her to compose a fairy tale, Astrid Lindgren began:

Once upon a time there was a boy whose name was ... whose name was Yuri. And he came to Sweden and settled here, and one fine day, he ... And then you yourself will continue, - the writer said. To this, I said that I could not compete with Astrid Lindgren, with which she agreed.

Before the interview, when I went to her door, then I heard her humming something. And it was known that Astrid Lindgren always sings something, even when walking down the street. And I plucked up the courage (arrogance?) and asked her to sing something. And she sang:

sorry little child

Wandering through the fields in the cold

Snow in mittens and boots

And eyes full of tears...

It’s hard for children now, they don’t understand, I can’t say that it’s hard for children in Sweden, they are pretty good here, - Astrid Lindgren notes, - but if you look at the whole world, it becomes incredibly sad when you see how children run from their homeland and seek asylum in other countries. All their childhood is destroyed. Very sorry for the children.

Sometimes you think what she would say today ... She also spoke then about her struggle for the rights of animals, which, she believed, were treated inhumanely.

My days fly by so that I don't have time to blink. Don't think I have even a minute of free time. I'm trying to make time for a walk in the park to stretch. There are many people who don't know what to do to spend their time, but I don't know what they want out of life. I never had too much time.

Astrid Lindgren devoted me to the program of one of her days: they came from the film studio, discussed future movie, the following visitors asked about her good friend - photographer Anna Rivkin-Brik, who was born in Gomel and died in 1970 in Israel, her bust stood on a bookshelf, they made nine photo books together, Astrid Lindgren wrote texts for them. The visitors were going to write a book about Anna Rivkin. Then there was the actress "Dramatena", Stockholm drama theater, who got the role of Pippi Longstocking. Then there was a photographer, then the editor of a newspaper, and the day was practically over.

Every year, I said, when autumn approaches, people ask me: who will win the Nobel Prize in Literature this year? And what do you answer, asked Astrid Lindgren? I always answered: Astrid Lindgren.

I don't need to wish it. I have already received "baby nobel prize", the children themselves established it, and I could not refuse it. And with the money they collected, an orphanage for homeless children in St. Petersburg will be arranged.

This "children's Nobel Prize" was collected by subscription at the initiative of a small resident of Hedemura, a town in the province of Dalarna, who decided that it was a flagrant injustice not to award the Nobel Prize to Astrid Lindgren. They collected a lot of money, the writer told me.

The children themselves wanted the money to go to St. Petersburg, 300,000 were there, quite comparable to the Nobel Prize, Astrid Lindgren laughs.

At the time of that conversation, the writer was 85 years old. For almost 50 years, she, according to her, wrote 35 books, not counting photo books. worldwide fame. The status of the conscience of the nation. But what was it anyway? the highest moments her eventful life?

The highest moments in a woman's life are when she has children. So it was with me. Two children were born to me. And the same moments - the birth of grandchildren. And all this mess with prizes, awards, I quickly forget all this, I have them whole list, I'm an honorary doctor there, I'm an honorary doctor here...

At parting, Astrid Lindgren said:

- Say hello to your children and all your country!

I passed it on then, and I pass it on now...

Stockholm always wants to be called a city blue blood. The first thing that attracts to the Swedish capital is real Swedish sophistication and aristocracy. Stockholm is a city where you always want to return. And when you arrive again, you realize that this city is not familiar to you at all.

In the local channels, the waters of the Baltic and Lake Mälaren mixed. And on the streets of this northern city there are almost no cars and people. Many people associate Stockholm with order and organization. It's also extremely clean. Therefore, it seems that Stockholm is still quite young. And only the roofs of churches that have turned green from time to time remind of the age of the Swedish capital. And the history of Stockholm began in the distant thirteenth century. On a small island, the city of Gamla Stan grew up. Now it is also called simply the old city. This is exactly the area that tourists usually like so much.

As in many European capitals, tourists here like to walk along the narrow streets. And you can pass the time in numerous shops and restaurants. In Gamla Stan is the residence of the Swedish king Carl VI Gustov. By the way, everyone can see the monarch, he takes part in the changing of the guard ceremony. And you can even visit the royal apartments on any day. The palace, although it serves as the working residence of the king, is always open to tourists. Stockholm is spread over fourteen islands. Therefore, there are so many bridges, dozens of yachts and boats moored along the coast. And they look no less organic here than parking lots. It is said that there is one watercraft for every seven Swedes. Crossing the next bridge, we find ourselves in another part of the city on the knight's city. Here we see a monument to the real knight Birger Jarl. He keeps the Swedish monarchs calm. The Swedes love their monarchs very much.

Walking around Stockholm you can collect good collection photographs of slightly greenish Swedish kings. Let's say right away - it is simply impossible to visit all the islands of Stockholm in one trip. But the Swedes figured out how to alleviate the fate of confused tourists. For example, on one island they have collected diverse and extraordinary museums. Once Djurgerden was known for its forests, where monarchs especially loved to hunt. And now tourists hunt here, however, not for animals, but for adventure. One hunting trail leads to the museum under open sky Skansen, the other to the Grena Lumb amusement park. And the third to the museum with a single exhibit. But what! Nowhere else in the world can you find such a well-preserved ship of the seventeenth century. Everything has been preserved here: from the sculptures that adorned the ships to the personal belongings of sailors. It is interesting that this ship did not make a single trip. He drowned as soon as he left the port. This galleon was supposed to become the greatness of the Swedish empire, but due to an error in the calculations of the ballast, he went to the bottom in front of hundreds of people. The ship was raised to the surface only after three hundred years. If you come to Stockholm with your children, then believe me, they will not be bored. There are a lot of activities for children here. For example, Junibacken is the magical world of fairy tales by Astrid Lindgren. Carlson, Pepe settled here long stocking and many other heroes of Astrid Lindgren and other Swedish writers. This is what the writer wanted. Astrid Lindgren personally took part in the creation of Junibacken. Therefore, all the characters are here, such as she imagined them. Many children come here especially to watch the performances. Every day new surprises await the kids. Here and the house of Pepe Longstocking. Astrid Lindgren named him Willa Chicken. Here you can run, jump and have fun. Unibakken - the only place in a world where children can do everything they are not allowed to do at home. Astrid Lindgren was the most famous advocate for children. Thanks to her, Sweden became the first country in the world to legally prohibit any kind of violence against children. And in Junibacken, fairy tales really come to life. you just have to get on the train and go on a fantastic journey.

How not to get hungry after such impressions? In a fabulous restaurant, everything is just for children.
The Nobel Prize is awarded every year in Stockholm. The solemn ceremony will be held in a luxurious concert hall. And the banquet takes place in the blue hall of the Stockholm City Hall. The town hall itself was built not so long ago, less than a hundred years ago.