Lindgren knows children well, knows how to tell them so that they like it, and knows well what a children's book should be like. Turning to a young author who wants to create for children, the writer advises him to write in such a way that only children would have fun, not adults, write in such a way that children and adults would have fun, but never write in such a way that only adults would have fun. She believes that writing for children is extremely fun, you just need to write freely and with all your heart. " If you ask me what a children's book should be, I will answer after much thought: it should be GOOD. I assure you, I have thought about this for a long time, but I do not find another answer.' and continues ' There is nothing more important in the world than freedom, and in children's literature too. Freedom is necessary for a writer so that he can write the kind of books he wants: non-fiction or nonsense poetry, short instructive stories or exciting adventure novels ... Fairy tales generated by irrepressible imagination, funny books and disturbing books ... - a variety of books where the authors, each in their own way, talk to the reader about the most intimate.
Let children's writers write about anything - at your own risk! Let children's writers feel for themselves what risk is. But just let them be free. We are free to write according to our own understanding, and not according to instructions and not according to ready-made recipes.(Braude, 1969: 108). And at the same time, Lindgren points to the personal responsibility of children's authors: If you want to write an amazing book for children about how difficult and impossible it is to be human in our world, you should have the right to do so; if you want to write about racial oppression and racial struggle, you should have the right to do so; if you want to write about a flowering island in the arms of Skerries, you should actually have the right to e then” (Lindgren, 1997: 4).
Lindgren herself writes about many things. Her books can be read by people of any age, starting from the minute they begin to love fairy tales. Lindgren always wants to write a book that she herself would like as a child, and she, in her own words, would like it if they spoke to her sincerely and seriously, and she does not hide from her little readers that there is poverty, grief in the world. , suffering and disease, people who struggle to make ends meet in contemporary Sweden, and what can upset a child. In 1978, Lindgren received one of the international awards given to the defenders of peace: " We live in a troubled, complex world, and as a mother I often wonder what awaits the millions of those whose parents are now cradles. Children are our future, the embodiment of our hopes. And it is the duty of us adults to protect their future, to provide them with a world free from fear and hatred.(Lindgren, 1997: 5).
Orientation to the little reader, Lindgren dictated the optimal genre form of her works: stories and fairy tales.
Usually in a children's story the natural course of a character's life is reproduced, several episodes stand out. Which give the most complete picture of the personality of the main character. The genre is attentive to details. Descriptions play a big role in it. It is important to show how the views and worldview of the hero change during a particular period (most often this is the period of growing up). The story describes the place and time of action as specifically and in detail as possible. There are a lot of secondary characters here. Quite often, the main theme of the story is the complex relationship between children and adults, the author focuses on the psychology of the child, the peculiarities of his perception of people and the world. In order to recreate the personality of the protagonist, the author often turns to children's folklore, introducing children's teasers, counting rhymes into the story, paying attention to certain features of children's speech. In addition, the story should tell readers not only about themselves, but also about the world in which they live.
In this case, it is important to educate certain values, a story about how to build relationships with adults, peers, how to behave in a given situation, what consequences rash actions can lead to. The story teaches the child to take life seriously and this is the main advantage of the works of this genre.
In the work of A. Lindgren, there are actually fairy tales, singled out by her in a separate collection: “Junker Niels from Eka”, “Knock-knock”, “Does my linden ring, does my nightingale sing”, “Sunny clearing”, “There are no robbers in Forest!”, “Beloved Sister”, “The Princess Who Didn't Want to Play with Dolls”, “One Night in May”, “Mirabelle”, “The Merry Cuckoo”, “Peter and Petra”, “In the Twilight Country”, “Baby Nils Carlson. All of these works are small in volume and fully convey the specifics of the genre. Let's highlight the most characteristic features of the writer's fairy tales:
1. Lindgren's fairy tales are based on the principle of duality, which is manifested by the dichotomies of the world of adults / the world of children, the real world / the ideal world. The principle of duality is observed in fairy tales not only at the content level, but also at the intentional one: the fantasy plot is addressed to the child, and the philosophical subtext is addressed to the adult.
2. Lindgren's fairy tales are a special layer of her work. They are mainly written for the poor, about poor children, whose life is gloomy and bleak, but there is always hope in it, because, as we said above, children do not have a tragic attitude; hope for a happy life with a loving mother and endless games, even if in another world. So in the fairy tale "Sunny Meadow" Matthias and Anna (brother and sister) find shelter on " magical sunny meadow, where there was eternal spring, where tender birch leaves were fragrant, where thousands of tiny birds sang and rejoiced on the trees, where birch bark boats floated in spring streams and ditches, and where mother stood in the meadow and shouted:
“Here, here, my children!”» (Lindgren, 1995:125)
3. A fairy tale performs a kind of healing function: children recover with the help of a fairy tale, the inhabitants of the other world support and amuse them during an illness. Such are the plots of the tales "Merry Cuckoo", in which the cuckoo from the wall clock entertains the sick Gunnar and Gunilla; "In the Twilight Land", in which Mr. Vecherin takes the boy Yoran, who cannot go to the fabulous Twilight Land, thereby making the boy's existence not without meaning; "Junker Niels from Eka", in which a fairy tale helps a seriously ill boy overcome his illness.
4. It is children who discover secrets in fairy tales, it is they who are able to work miracles. Children in fairy tales act as cultural heroes. Recall that the "cultural hero" in mythological systems fights monsters and brings various benefits to people. So, the main character of the fairy tale “Knock-knock”, little Stina-Maria, goes to the underground country, overcoming fear, in order to return the farm sheep, which were killed by a wolf. And she returns them.
5. There are also characters in fairy tales who are the keepers of the secrets of the other world, these are often old people - grandparents. They reveal secrets to those who can believe in them, and for whom another world - the world of a fairy tale - is as real as the usual one. And it's mostly kids. Such a guardian is, for example, the oldest inhabitant of the village of Kapela in the fairy tale "Knock-knock" - Stina-Maria's grandfather.
6. Mandatory characters in fairy tales are the inhabitants of the other world: fairies, trolls, talking cuckoos, animated dolls, dwarfs, little men, etc.
7. In many fairy tales there are so-called guides to the other world: Vecherin, a scarlet bird, an underground inhabitant, an old man, etc.
8. In Lindgren's fairy tales, fairy-tale canons are observed: a characteristic beginning, digital symbolism, overcoming obstacles and the hero's rebirth, an indefinite, distant time.
The beginning of fairy tales is typically fabulous: “once there was a princess ...” (“The princess who did not want to play”), “a long time ago, at a time of trouble and poverty, there once lived ...” (“Sunny meadow”), “a long time ago a long time ago, in times of poverty and famine…” (“Knock-knock”), “a long time ago, in the years of poverty and poverty…” (“Junker Niels from Eki”), “a long time ago, in a time of trouble and poverty…” (“Does my linden ring, does my nightingale sing”), etc.
Time for fairy tales: a long time ago, the birthday of the protagonist, before the New Year, a few years ago.
The rebirth of heroes: the sick boy Nils turns into a cadet Nils, bold and fearless; the sick boy Yoran turns into an absolutely healthy boy in a fairy-tale land, where he can do anything, even dance; poor and unhappy Mattis and Anna into happy and beloved children, and so on.
Here is an example of the fairy tale "Sunny meadow":
The sacred number 3 functions: it is said three times how hard it was for the children to live with the guardian:
« In the spring, Mattias and Anna did not build water wheels on streams and did not let birch bark boats in ditches. They milked cows, cleaned bullock stalls in the barn, ate potatoes dipped in herring brine, and often cried when no one saw it.»;
« And when summer came to the Peat Bog, Matthias and Anna did not pick strawberries and did not build huts on the hillsides. They milked cows, cleaned bullock stalls in the barn, ate potatoes dipped in herring brine, and often cried when no one saw it.»;
« And when autumn came to the Peat Bog, Matthias and Anna did not play hide-and-seek in the yard at dusk, did not sit under the kitchen table in the evenings, did not whisper fairy tales to each other. No, they milked cows, cleaned bullock stalls in the barn, ate potatoes dipped in herring brine, and often cried when no one saw it.(Lindgren, 1995: 110-111).
Children overcome the forest - fall into another world;
The guide to the other world is a bright scarlet bird;
On the way the children meet a cave - a prototype of death - and a clearing - a prototype of paradise.
In the clearing, their mother is waiting for them, who is the mother of all such children - the Mother of God.
Another genre variety of A. Lindgren's works is children's story- is built according to the classical scheme. The following characteristic features of the stories can be distinguished.
1. Most of the stories are focused on preschool and primary school age. An exception are the stories about Kalle Blumqvist, which are aimed at adolescence. Let's make a reservation that the style of presentation in teenage stories is very different from others: it becomes closer to the "adult" storytelling.
2. Everything is taken from Astrid's life. The heroes of the stories live and act in the ordinary real world and their activities reflect their daily activities and events.
3. Heroes are always children. Moreover, the images of children are typical of the society of the 20th century, and the author constantly emphasizes this. Naming her heroes in different stories the same way, she herself comments with slight irony on the generalizing nature of her works: “ This book is about Rasmus Person. Eleven years old." Therefore, there is not one iota of talk about either Rasmus Oscarsson, nine years old, or Rasmus Rasmusson, five years old ... There is absolutely nothing in common between these three Rasmusames. In addition to the name, which we have one of the most common. Is not it?(Lindgren, 2006: 172).
4. The duration of the stories usually fits either in a very short period of time (one day), or in several years.
5. The author is always present in the book and takes the position of the narrator. The author's position is either explicit or implicit, but always updated in the text of the work. This is indicated, for example, by such metalinguistic phrases as: I didn't read it(history) in the book and did not invent it, they told me it», «… I think she is touching and beautiful". Expressing his opinion, the author thereby forms the worldview of the young reader, his moral and aesthetic components, educates him. Lindgren often puts his thoughts about the upbringing of children and attitude towards them into the mouths of the children themselves, for example, the author's position is explicated in the dialogue of two girls who are nine years old - Lisa and Anna from Bullerby: “ Caring for children is not at all difficult. You just need to remember that you need to talk to them kindly. Then they will obey<…>- Of course, they must be treated with care and kindness, but how could it be otherwise! I agreed. “Yeah, you think there aren’t many people who growl at children?” Anna said. - And from this they become angry and stubborn and do not obey anyone at all(Lindgren, 1998: 130).
6. The main goal of the stories, in our opinion, is to reveal the child's psychology and reconstruct his inner world.
And, finally, the third genre in which A. Lindgren creates is a fairy tale story; a syncretic genre that combines elements of both considered genres. A distinctive feature of these works ("Pippi Longstocking", "Baby and Carlson", "Mio, my Mio!", "Brothers Lionheart") is the erasure of the boundaries of the real and fictional world.
Thematically, the works of A. Lindgren are subject to one main topic- theme of childhood, which consists of individual motives and typical situations that reveal the world of childhood.
V.E. Khalizev interprets the motive as an obligatory component of any work: “a component of a work with increased significance” (Khalizev, 2002: 301). The forms in which the motif is represented can be very different: it can be explicated in a work through various linguistic means, or it can be revealed implicitly through subtext.
After analyzing the stories and fairy tales of A. Lindgren, we were able to identify a number of main motives , functioning in her work:
1. Christian motives. The heroes of Lindgren, just like herself, are brought up in the Christian tradition: they listen to biblical stories and songs told by adults, read biblical stories themselves, tell them to their younger brothers and sisters, “play” in biblical stories, study the law of God at school. Christian motifs are especially clearly shown in the stories about Madiken, where the main character often plays out biblical stories with her younger sister in real life: Joseph in the well, baby Moses, baby Jesus, etc.
2. The motive of illness and death(“Something alive for Kalya-Kolchenozhka”, “Junker Niels from Eka”, “In the Twilight Country”, “Merry Cuckoo”, “Merit”, “Sunny Clearing”, “Does my linden ring. Is my nightingale sweating” ), and motif of suffering because of the death of a loved one (“We are on the island of Saltkrokka”).
3. The motive of loneliness. In many of Lindgren's works, this motif acts as a catalyst for children's fantasy, the main result of which is the opening of the door to the other world and the appearance of doubles: Tommy and Annika are alone in their games, they are bored - as a result, Pippi appears in their life ("Pippi Longstocking"); Lonely baby: Here you, mom, have a dad; and Bosse and Bethan are also always together. And I have - I have no one"(Lindgren, 1985: 194) - Carlson appears; little Bertil " sitting at home alone all day”, while the parents were at work - Tiny Nils Carlson appears; little Britta-Kaisa was a girl from a very poor family and her parents did not have money to buy her a doll - an old man appears who gives her a magic seed, from which Britta grows herself a living doll ("Mirabel"); little Barbara dreams of a dog, but for now she has no one, but she has a beloved twin sister Ulva-Lee, who lives in a magical land, plays with Barbara, but disappears as soon as Barbara has a puppy (“Beloved Sister”).
4. The motive of the continuity of generations, as a guarantee of education: « Old and small are always drawn to each other” (“Knock-knock”: Lindgren, 1995: 145); old house as a memory of predecessors ( Stolyarov's estate in "We are on the island of Saltkrokka"); special love and care of the little ones for the old ones (the grandfather loved by all the children in the story “We are all children from Bullerby”), etc.
5. The motive of solidarity and friendship within the family and with neighbors. Focusing on his own childhood, Lindgren displays in his works big family: everyone who lives in the house - both servants and neighbors - all family members: “We are on the island of Saltkrokka”, “Children from Buzoterov Street”, “We are all children from Bullerby”, “The Adventures of Emil from Lönneberga”. And even the semantics of the titles of the works, as we see, indicates the unity of people existing together, which is explicated by the personal pronoun in the plural We.
6. Motif of love. According to Lindgren, love should be the way her parents had it: simple, it grows between everyday affairs, then it is strong; idle love is not sincere and fleeting. " Love that does not rage, but grows and grows stronger calmly and intelligently, is better than the one that burns with fire."("Samuel August of Sevedsthorp and Khan of Hult": Lindgren, 1999: 401). Everything is laid down in childhood, and Astrid understood this well. The boundless love of her parents, warmth, joy, work, absence of reproaches made it possible for her to become grateful and have the opportunity to love and teach others to love. Love takes on different guises in her works: it is love between parents, mutual love of children and their parents, love-care of children for animals, love-friendship of older children for younger ones, love-pity for the poor and vagrants, love-help for grandmothers and grandfathers, love-reverence and at the same time to God.
7. Motive of poverty. Lindgren shows young readers how defenseless poverty is, it is so defenseless that a person in moments of despair can take extreme measures, for example, Aunt Nilsson from the story "Madiken" decides to sell her body for pennies after death, despite the fact that her only aspiration to receive a proper burial. The motive of poverty can be traced in the images of vagabonds and residents of almshouses, orphans of the same age, small children who do not even have the opportunity to buy a doll. But poverty is not only a concept associated with the material world, but also with the spiritual. Lindgren also equates the poor with the poor in spirit, allowing themselves to abuse and humiliate a child, for example, the aunts of little Eva, with whom the girl is forced to live while her mother is in the hospital (“Golden Maiden”), and the guardian of little Matthias and Anna from “Solnechnaya clearings", which actually kept them in order to exploit child labor, etc. Material poverty, according to Lindgren, gives rise to spiritual poverty, which as a result leads to spiritual callousness and inability to love, to self-humiliation, that is, a person loses its human form. So, for example, it happens with the parents of Abbe Nilson from the story "Madiken": material problems lead Abbe's father to alcohol and loss of his own dignity, when Abbe has to risk his life to save the life of a drunken father; parents try to find an outlet in meeting the minimum needs - in food and alcohol. At the same time, they become so stale that they even forget to buy a present for Abbe for Christmas, for them the son becomes not an object of love, but one who should please them.
8. The motive of kindness and compassion for other living beings: « It was Ulle who made it kind(dog). After all, Ulle himself Kind ” (“We are all from Bullerby”: Lindgren, 1998: 10); She's beautiful, Madiken thinks. There are beautiful words and beautiful music, but here - beautiful weather. For some reason, this kind of weather makes you kinder » (Lindgren, 2009: 63); " Kind people know how to get along with people"("Samuel August of Sevedsthorp and Khan of Hult": Lindgren, 1999: 398); "- For this we were born into the world, - continued the teacher. We live to make people good. I live only for this! she called. - And other people, I wonder what they live for? (Lindgren, 2003 145); " Well, I'm used to bulls, - Kalle explained. - Just a little bit kindness- and they can easily be taken"("Småland bullfighter": Lindgren, 1995: 222).
9. The motive of friendship between a child and an adult. Such friendship is based on mutual respect and complete equality between adults and children. Such a rare type of friendship is drawn by A. Lindgren in the stories "We are on the island of Saltkrokka" and "Rasmus the Tramp". It is interesting to note that such friendship is possible only when an “inner child” lives in an adult, when both roles of a child and an adult are balanced in him, and then an adult simply cannot but respect the child, this would contradict his essence: “ Melker and Cherven struck up that rare friendship that sometimes happens between a child and an adult. The friendship of two equal people who are frank with each other in everything and have the same right to speak frankly. There was a lot of childishness in Melker's character, and Cherven had a measure of something else, if not the maturity of an adult, but some kind of tangible inner strength, and this allowed them to stay on an equal or almost equal footing. Cherven, like no one else, treated Melker with bitter truths, from which he sometimes even cringed, and he was ready to give her a bite, but then cooled down, realizing that this would lead to nothing with Cherven. However, for the most part, she was sweet and devoted, as she loved Uncle Melker very much.(Lindgren, 2004: 375). In Rasmus the Tramp, the author goes further and, through the choice of a father by a child, reveals his point of view on the ideal parent: parents can have their shortcomings, like all people, but they must live in harmony with the world and themselves, must be sincere in their actions and judgments, they must sincerely love the child and be on an equal footing with him, that is, see him as a person.
10. The motive of mutual assistance and support. The development of this motif enables the author to reveal the essence of true human relationships. This is best represented in the story “We are on the island of Saltkrokka”: Merta Granquist, a neighbor of the Melkersons, thinking about how to help a family that has just arrived on the island, cooks and brings them dinner, helps them cope with the stove, the whole Granquist family supports the neighbors constantly, without demanding anything in return, and comes to the rescue in a difficult situation: “ Teddy and Freddie wanted to be close to friends in difficult times. What are friends for then? The girls had never seen Juhan and Niklas so gloomy and depressed. And Pelle! He sat at the table pale as a sheet. Malin sat next to him. She was hugging Pelle and was as pale as he was. All this was terrible and unbearable. And then there's this girl-imagined mumbling about some kind of bungalow. No wonder Teddy and Freddy went berserk(Lindgren, 2004: 505).
11. The motive of gratitude. A kind attitude towards children, sincere love for them naturally causes a feeling of gratitude in children, and children are ready to forgive their parents for all failures, even if they themselves upset them, and do everything possible to console their parents: “– But you already did everything you wanted, dad, - Malin said calmly. - We got. All the most beautiful, most cheerful and most marvelous things in this life. And received from you, only from you! And you took care of us, and that's the most important thing. We have always felt your concern.
Then Melker began to cry, oh, this Malin, brought him to tears.
“Yes,” Melker sobbed. - I took care of you! If this means anything to you...
“That's all,” Malin said, “and I don't want to hear anymore that my father is a loser. And with the Stolyarova estate, come what may(ibid.: 512).
Typical situations , through which the psychology of the child is revealed in the works of Lindgren and his world is represented, can be reduced to the following:
1. The situation of temporary absence of parents. Despite the fact that children love their parents, they cannot fully allow them into their world, since parents tend to worry about their children, and therefore limit their freedom, and in addition, parents, due to their adulthood, lose the ability to fantasize and play , and therefore, with them becomes not so fun. So, Tommy and Annika are more happy to go to the fair with Pippi than with their mother; they rejoice in freedom when mom and dad leave for two days, and even send housekeeper Ella from home to visit her mom to enjoy complete freedom in Pippi's company.
2. Two children and a third (fourth) from an incomplete, dysfunctional family- as a contrast of the influence of the environment and the environment. Often Lindgren shows that these children are by nature no worse, only the lack of proper attention and love sometimes awakens bad qualities in them, but more often it brings up strength of mind and incredible responsiveness. An example is the image of Abbe Nilsson from the story "Madiken".
3. Relationship situation senior - junior found in almost all works. Older children are always teachers of life for the younger ones, even though they may tease the younger ones or play quite cruelly with them; they are always protectors of the younger ones; between the elders and the younger, complete mutual understanding does not always reign, but always, without fail, love. The younger ones always follow their example, whether in pious or mischievous deeds. So, almost everything that Malyavka can do, she was taught by her older sister Anna Stina: “ Anna Stina knew everything and knew how to do everything, and everything that Malyavka herself could do, she learned from Anna Stina. Only one thing she learned herself: to whistle through her front teeth. And Anna Stina taught her to count to twenty, recognize all the letters, read a prayer, somersault and climb a cherry.(Lindgren, 1995: 235). In the most touching form, these relations are presented in the story-tale “The Brothers Lionheart”: the elder brother comforts and brightens up the days of the sick younger brother, and then, without hesitation, saves him from certain death, throwing himself out of the burning house with him, instantly at the same time dying.
4. Game situation as an obligatory and permanent component of the children's world.
5. The situation of saving someone, in which all the fortitude and selflessness of the child is manifested, the clearest example of such a childish feat is the rescue of his friend Alfred by Emil (“The Adventures of Emil from Lönneberga”). In addition, similar examples can be given: the brothers save each other, as well as a rebel imprisoned in a dungeon in the story-tale “The Brothers of the Lionheart”; saving Abbe of his father in the story "Madiken"; saving the boy of a classmate of little Merit at the cost of her own life in the story of the same name, saving the sheep by little Stina-Maria, despite the fact that for this she has to visit the kingdom of the dead and remain forever marked (“Knock-knock”).
6. Situation of violence from non-native people: the guardian (the owner of the farm), aunts, foster parents.
7. Invasion situation different, sometimes hostile, sometimes just alien, for the children of the world in their happy world: the arrival of strangers from the city, people for whom the link between generations is broken, most often lonely people: aunt and Monika in "We are all children from Bullerby", uncle with a capricious daughter in “We are on the island of Saltkrokka” (in their opinion, it is beautiful here, but boring, or neglected and everything needs to be redone); the arrival of an important gentleman who wants to demolish the old house, cut down a tree and drive the children to Pippi Longstocking.
As has already been seen from the analysis of typical motives and situations, the world of the child in Lindgren's work is revealed through a system of antinomies. Here are the main ones: life (Christmas) - death (funeral); joy - sadness; healthy - cripples; children are angels; Children Adults; big small; reward - punishment; reality - fiction, dream; children's sacrifice - forgetfulness and misunderstanding of sacrifice by adults; immediacy - thoughtfulness; friendship -/= rivalry; wealth - poverty; well-being, satiety, home - poverty, hunger, snowstorm (homelessness).
The specifics of Lindgren's fairy-tale skill
The specificity of Lindgren's fairy tale skill lies in the fact that she created fairy tales where real modern boys and girls suddenly acquire fabulous properties, like the poor, abandoned girl Pippi, or live a double life in an ordinary city in Sweden of the 20th century. with a phone, going to school like a Kid; with poverty and misfortune, like Brother Lionheart; with orphanhood, like Mio; at the same time they have a second world - fabulous, fantastic.
Here they are either powerful and heroic themselves (Mio, brother Lionheart), or have assistants and friends endowed with supernatural powers, like the Kid, whose friend Carlson becomes. Fairy-tale heroes of the past flew on flying carpets, in flying chests, etc. Children of the XX century, familiar with the aircraft of our time, guess the motors, propellers, control buttons. Lindgren's fantasy itself is a world created by the imagination of a contemporary child. Carlson's undertakings, for example, are pranks that are possible for an ordinary child with a developed imagination. Lindgren never moralizes. She forces her young readers to see the bad in the examples available to them. The soft humor of the writer creates a special kind atmosphere, where there is no possibility for the triumph of the evil inclination.
The inevitability of the final victory of good is also inherent in Lindgren's stories for youth, and their heroes are the same dreamers as the heroes of fairy tales. Kalle Blomkvist imagines himself to be a famous investigator, plays with his friends in the war of the Red and White Roses. Rasmus the Tramp idealizes the life of homeless beggars. Lindgren in stories about real events also educates his readers: the war of the Red and White Roses is fought between friends according to the rules of highly interpreted chivalry, it is full of inexhaustible ingenuity of teenagers, it destroys obstacles; Rasmus understands the true nature of vagrants.
However, Lindgren has not given up on trolls, elves, brownies or spiritualizations of the forces of nature, mountains or objects, but she combines this traditionally fantastic with a change in reality by childish fantasy. In her fairy tales, Lindgren followed G.K. Andersen, who knew how to tell amazing stories about ordinary objects, for S. Lagerlöf, who combined in one work a textbook about the nature of Sweden, the real life of a little boy Niels and the story of a goose flock. However, she does not repeat her predecessors. Lindgren, introducing the reader into the circle of fantasies and emotions of the child, teaches adults to respect his inner world, to see him as a person.
The main characters of fairy tales by Astrid Lindgren
Lindgren's largest works are fairy tales: "Pippi Longstocking" ("Boken om Pippi Langs-trump", 1945-1946), "Mio, my Mio" (1954), "The Kid and Carlson, who lives on daxy" (" Lillebror och Karlsson pa Taket", 1955 - 1968), "Brothers Lionheart" ("Brodema Lejon-hjarta", 1973), as well as stories for children and youth "The Adventures of the famous investigator Kalle Blomqvist" ("Masterdetektiven Blomqvist lever farligt", 1946-1953), "Rasmus the Tramp" ("Rasmus pa Luffen", 1956) and the trilogy about Emil from Lenneberga ("Emil in Lonneberga", 1963-1970). Lindgren did not openly express her program, but she wanted to contribute to the democratization of social relations with her work, she wanted to see a world without war, where children would suffer. She wrote for children, and therefore his ideas take on a form accessible to children's understanding. So, in the fairy tale story “Mio, my Mio!” The hero opposes the evil knight Kato, and the Lionheart brothers fight against the tyrant Tengil. Lindgren’s works, which use medieval props, are not only about the eternal struggle between good and in all fairy tales of all times.In the features of the opponents of the positive heroes of the writer and in the descriptions of the countries they rule, the features of fascism clearly appear, and the characters themselves are similar to modern Swedes.
The specificity of Lindgren's fairy tale skill lies in the fact that she created fairy tale stories, fairy tale stories, where real modern boys and girls suddenly acquire fabulous properties, like the poor, abandoned girl Pippi, or live a double life in an ordinary city in Sweden in the 20th century. with the phone, going to school like the Kid, with poverty and deprivation like the Lionheart brothers; with orphanhood, like Mio; time they have another world - fabulous, fantastic. Here they are either powerful and heroic themselves (Mio, take the Lionheart), or they can have supernatural helpers and friends, like the Kid, whose friend Carlson becomes. Fairy-tale heroes of the past flew on flying carpets, near flying chests, etc. Children of the 20th century, familiar with the aircraft of our time, come up with engines, propellers, control buttons. Lindgren's fantasy itself is a world created by the imagination of a contemporary child. Carlson's tricks, for example, are pranks that an ordinary child with a developed imagination can fail. Lindgren never moralizes. She forces her young readers to see the bad in the examples available to them. The soft humor of the writer creates a special good atmosphere, where there is no possibility for the triumph of the evil beginning.
The inevitability of the final victory of good is also inherent in Lindgren's stories for youth, and their heroes are the same dreamers as the heroes of fairy tales. Kalle Blomkvist imagines himself to be a famous investigator, plays with his friends in the war of the Scarlet and White Roses. Rasmus the tramp idealizes the life of homeless beggars. Lindgren in stories about real events also educates his readers: the war of the Scarlet and White Roses is fought between friends according to the rules of highly interpreted chivalry, it is full of inexhaustible ingenuity of adolescents, destroys the state of the obstacle; Rasmus understands the true nature of vagrants. However, Lindgren has not abandoned trolls, elves, brownies or the spiritualization of the forces of nature, mountains or objects, but this traditionally fantastic is combined in her with a change in reality by children's fantasy. In her fairy tales, Lindgren followed G.K. Andersen, who knew how to tell amazing stories about the most prosaic subjects, for S. Lagerlöf, who combined in one work a textbook about the nature of Sweden, the real life of a little boy Niels and the story of a goose flock. However, she does not repeat her predecessors. Lindgren, introducing the reader into the circle of fantasies and emotions of the child, teaches adults to respect his inner world, to see him as a person.
Pippi Longstocking is the central character in a series of books by Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren.
Peppy is a little red-haired, freckled girl who lives alone in the Hen Villa in a small Swedish town with her pets, the monkey Mr. Nilsson, and a horse. Peppy is the daughter of Captain Ephraim Longstocking, who later became the leader of a black tribe. From her father, Pippi inherited fantastic physical strength, as well as a suitcase with gold, allowing her to live comfortably. Pippi's mother died when she was still a baby. Peppy is sure that she has become an angel and is looking at her from heaven (“My mother is an angel, and my father is a Negro king. Not every child has such noble parents”).
Pippi “adopts”, but rather, invents a variety of customs from different countries and parts of the world: when walking, back up, walk the streets upside down, “because it’s hot on your feet when you walk on a volcano, and you can put your hands in mittens.”
Pippi's best friends are Tommy and Annika Söttergren, children of ordinary Swedish inhabitants. In the company of Pippi, they often get into trouble and funny alterations, and sometimes real adventures. Attempts by friends or adults to influence the careless Pippi lead to nothing: she does not go to school, is illiterate, familiar and composes fables all the time. However, Pippi has a good heart and a good sense of humor.
Pippi Longstocking is one of Astrid Lindgren's most fantastic heroines. She is independent and does whatever she wants. For example, she sleeps with her legs on the pillow and her head under the covers, wears multi-colored stockings, returning home, moves backwards because she does not want to turn around, rolls out the dough right on the floor and keeps the horse on the veranda.
She is incredibly strong and agile, even though she is only nine years old. She carries her own horse in her arms, defeats the famous circus strongman, scatters a whole company of hooligans aside, breaks off the horns of a ferocious bull, deftly kicks out two policemen who came to her house to forcibly take her to an orphanage, and with lightning speed throws two smashed the thieves who decided to rob her. However, there is no cruelty in Peppy's reprisals. She is extremely generous to her defeated enemies. She treats disgraced police officers with freshly baked heart-shaped gingerbread. And the embarrassed thieves who worked out their invasion of someone else's house by dancing all night with Pippi twist, she generously rewards with gold coins, this time honestly earned.
Peppy is not only extremely strong, she is also incredibly rich. It costs her nothing to buy for all the children in the city "a hundred kilos of candies" and a whole toy store, but she herself lives in an old dilapidated house, wears the only dress sewn from multi-colored rags, and the only pair of shoes bought by her father "for growth" .
But the most amazing thing about Pippi is her bright and violent fantasy, which manifests itself in the games that she invents, and in amazing stories about different countries, where she visited with her dad-captain, and in endless pranks, the victims of which are klutzes. -adults. Pippi brings any of her stories to the point of absurdity: a mischievous maid bites guests on the legs, a long-eared Chinese hides under her ears in the rain, and a capricious child refuses to eat from May to October. Peppy gets very upset if someone says that she is lying, because lying is not good, she just sometimes forgets about it.
Peppy is a child's dream of strength and nobility, wealth and generosity, freedom and selflessness. But for some reason, adults don't understand Peppy. And the pharmacist, and the school teacher, and the director of the circus, and even the mother of Tommy and Annika are angry with her, teach, educate. Apparently, therefore, more than anything, Peppy does not want to grow up:
“Adults are never fun. They always have a lot of boring work, stupid dresses and cuminal taxes. And yet they are stuffed with prejudices and all sorts of nonsense. They think that a terrible misfortune will befall if you put a knife in your mouth while eating, and all that kind of stuff.
But “who said that you need to become an adult?” No one can force Peppy to do what she doesn't want!
Books about Pippi Longstocking are filled with optimism and unchanging faith in the very best.
And the last thing that needs to be said: about the influence of Astrid Lindgren on Russian children's literature. It must be admitted that the very existence of the Swedish writer's excellent books raised the quality bar in children's literature, changed the attitude towards children's books as second-rate literature, the creation of which does not require excessive efforts from the writer, as long as it is coherent and funny (and instructive). Of course, Astrid Lindgren was not alone in this struggle for a good children's book, but her authority and personal example largely contributed to the strengthening of high standards for literature for children.
Astrid Lindgren left an amazing legacy - a talented and diverse contemporary children's literature, which - and this is no exaggeration - came out of her books. Thank you for this wonderful magical gift to all of us.
Astrid Lindgren's books are also good because you want to return to them, you want to re-read them not only in childhood, but in adulthood. These are fairy tales and at the same time these are stories about children, such as those who live in a neighboring yard. There is nothing fantastic in them, they just know how to dream, fantasize, see what is inaccessible to adults.
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Astrid Lindgren 1907-2002
Astrid Lindgren was born on November 14, 1907 in southern Sweden, in the small town of Vimmerby, into a farming family. The writer herself always called her childhood happy and pointed out that it was it that served as a source of inspiration for her work. The writer spoke about her family with great sympathy and tenderness in her only book not addressed to children - “Samuel August from Sevedstorp and Khan from Hult”
At the age of 17, Astrid took up journalism, worked in a local newspaper. She then moved to Stockholm, trained as a stenographer and worked as a secretary in various capital firms. In 1931, Astrid Ericsson married and became Astrid Lindgren.
Astrid Lindgren jokingly recalled that one of the reasons that prompted her to write was the cold Stockholm winters, the illness of her daughter Karin, who kept asking her mother to tell her something. It was then that mother and daughter came up with a mischievous girl with red pigtails. "Pippi" was awarded several prizes, and the author was invited to work in a children's book publishing house.
Then came the stories about Malysh and Carlson (1955-1968), Rasmus the Tramp (1956), the trilogy about Emil from Lenneberg (1963-1970), the books "The Lionheart Brothers" (1979), "Ronya, the Robber's Daughter" (1981) Lindgren devoted almost all of her books to children (only a few to youth).
Lindgren's heroes are distinguished by spontaneity, inquisitiveness, ingenuity, mischief combined with kindness and seriousness. Lindgren not only wrote books, but also actively fought for the rights of children. She believed that they should be brought up without corporal punishment and violence. In 1958, Astrid Lindgren was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen International Gold Medal for the humanistic nature of her work.
The town of Vimmerby became the site of the announcement of the laureates of the annual international award in memory of Astrid Lindgren "For works for children and youth." The decision was made by the Swedish government after the death of Astrid Lindgren. Swedish writer.
Astrid Lindgren Museum in Stockholm
On the topic: methodological developments, presentations and notes
Quiz based on the book by Astrid Lindgren "The Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof."
After the students read Astrid Lindgren's book "The Kid and Carlson Who Lives on the Roof", a quiz was held on the content of this book....
To the 105th anniversary of A. Lindgren - Mathematics lesson in grade 3 "Division of a two-digit number by a single one"
It's no secret that learning mathematics in a playful way is much more interesting. Especially if the children learn school tricks along with the heroes of their favorite literary heroes Astrid Lindgren...
presentation" Astrid Lindgren"
The presentation can be used when meeting the famous Swedish writer. It contains photographs of Lindgren and illustrations for her works....
Reading lesson Grade 2 EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM "School 2100" Theme of the lesson: "Carlson - the embodiment of a child's dream (A. Lindgren "The Kid and Carlson ..." Part 4. Legendary voices"
Reading lesson Grade 2 EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM "School 2100" Theme of the lesson: "Carlson - the embodiment of a childhood dream (A. Lindgren "The Kid and Carlson ..." Part 4. Legendary voices "...
In this work, A. Lindgren tells about the friendship of an ordinary boy Svanteson, nicknamed the Kid, and an extraordinary Carlson, who lives on the roof. The Kid felt lonely and unhappy, until the funny and good-natured, fat man Carlson, inexhaustible in inventions, began to fly to him.
Everyone around considers Carlson a fiction, a fantasy of the Kid. However, the Kid himself does not doubt for a minute the existence of his wonderful friend. Moreover, he is sure that, despite Carlson having a propeller that allows him to fly, Carlson is an ordinary boy, his playmate.
And indeed, Carlson is the most ordinary fat boy, sweetheart, prankster, partly selfish. He is constantly looking for fun. But if things suddenly come to trouble, Carlson will always help out, will not let you down. In addition, he is smart, resourceful, kind in his own way, trying to protect the weak. Suffice it to recall how he mocks the crooks who decided to rob the simpleton Oscar, and the parents who left the hungry child unattended.
Children's weaknesses are recognized in Carlson's character, and the author seems to encourage them to laugh at them. The image of the Kid is shown by the writer in development. The hero is constantly thinking and reasoning. He is very kind, generous, accommodating. There is an internal struggle going on all the time. On the one hand, the Kid is fascinated by Carlson's pranks, and on the other hand, he begins to protest when pranks cross the allowed boundaries. The kid loves animals and really wants to have a dog. He respects the elders, helps the weak.
The whole work is permeated with kindness, subtle irony and humor. It contains a lot of jokes, a lot of bright, memorable expressions (“Calm, only calm!”, “Worldly business”, etc.).
So, who is this funny Carlson? His age remains a mystery, the only information that is given to us is a vague definition of " man in his prime". The kid considers Carlson an adult, but this is not an ordinary adult who forbids being naughty, playing pranks and playing pranks, but the very amazing and wonderful one who not only approves pranks, but also becomes their initiator. Carlson's character is very contradictory: sometimes he behaves very selfishly, and sometimes, throwing himself at the embrasure, he hurries to help the Kid, not really thinking about the fact that he is taking a big risk. This funny little man constantly needs confirmation that he is the best, most wonderful, most beloved friend - one example of this is the legendary phrase " Baby, but am I better than a dog?". And he can be understood, because he lives in his small house all alone, while the Kid has parents, a brother, a sister, two friends - Christer and Gunilla, and even a little dachshund Bimbo ...
The kid, in comparison with Carlson, is the most ordinary child, of which there are millions in the world. His name, Svante Svanteson, suggests that the author wanted to emphasize his ordinaryness (if Malysh was Russian, then his name would, no doubt, be Ivan Ivanov). This was done for a specific purpose - each child had to believe that he himself could be in the place of the Kid. But there is a wonderful moment in the book when the Kid's mother tells him that she would not agree to part with her son for any treasures in the world (even for a hundred thousand million crowns!), And this is a kind of reminder to the little reader that any child, no matter how ordinary he may be, for his parents is still the greatest wealth.
It is impossible not to notice that the Kid is a very kind boy. He never takes offense at Carlson, even if his whims become unbearable, and is ready to give his friend anything. So, for example, he gives him his favorite pistol for his birthday, and the thought that he pleased Carlson immediately overshadows the regret of parting with a wonderful toy.
By the way, when reading Carlson, one involuntarily recalls Pippi Longstocking, another heroine of Astrid Lindgren. They really are similar: both Carlson and Pippi, appearing in the lives of the most ordinary children, in the blink of an eye become their best friends. One of their most remarkable traits is their combination of childishness and adulthood, in other words, they can have fun as selflessly and carelessly as little children, and at the same time, when they are around, any problem seems completely trifling. Probably, not a single child would refuse such a friend as Pippi or Carlson, and Lindgren's ability to describe the character of a character that is sympathetic to all children without exception is really surprising. In addition, both books are filled with wonderful sparkling humor, and it is understandable not only for children, but also for adults. The value of Lindgren's books in general is difficult to exaggerate, and "Carlson", without a doubt, is one of her best works, which, although aimed at a children's audience, will still be interesting to readers of any age.
The life and work of Astrid Lindgren
Once, on a wonderful May day, little Astrid was playing with her sister Stina. The air trembled from the heat, the brook murmured, the bird cherry blossomed, and everything around seemed so unusual to the girls. Even an ordinary earthworm. Astrid and Stina thought that he might very well be an enchanted prince and tried to disenchant him. Kiss, of course! But either the prince was too bewitched, or the girls were not real princesses, the experiment failed. But many years later, Astrid Lindgren described this case in the book "Fun in Bullerby". Girlfriends Lisa and Anna are playing in the thickets of bird cherry.
"At that very moment I saw the frog and said:
- Oh, my little enchanted frog!
And quickly grabbed it. After all, everyone knows that most frogs are enchanted princes.<...>
- OK! - I said. - If so, I'll have to kiss him to break the spell.
- Fu, muck, - grimaced Anna.
But I said that if in former times all princesses were as foolish as she, then even now there would be enchanted princes in our ditches.
Astrid Lindgren always remembered her childhood as a very happy time filled with games and fun. She was born in 1907 at the Nes estate in the small Swedish town of Vimmerby. And then her name was Astrid Ericsson. The family lived in a small red house, of which there are many in Sweden, in the middle of a beautiful apple orchard. Her parents did not own the estate, but only rented it, but thanks to hard work, their economy prospered. Although there were workers in the house, Mama Hanna and Papa Samuel August worked from early morning until late at night. Mom wove, spun, milked the cows, cooked cheese and butter, baked bread, managed the maids and farm laborers. Dad cultivated the land. The soil in Småland (the name of the province where Vimmerby is located) is infertile, stony, and before plowing the field, the peasants had to remove a lot of stones from it. Samuel-August even received a diploma "for conscientious work in clearing arable land from stones and boulders." He also bred pedigree cattle and received awards for his stallions and bulls.
Children were also taught to work from childhood. There were four of them in the family: Gunnar, Astrid, who was born a year after him, Stina, who was four years younger than Astrid, and Ingeierd, nine years younger. From the age of six, their duties included picking nettles for chickens and thinning turnips in the field. Then Astrid described these field works in her stories. As they got older, they helped clean up the bread. Astrid recalled how hard it was for her to walk across the field for a mower and knit sheaves. But she didn’t even think about taking a break from work. Eriksson's children obeyed their parents implicitly.
Still, the children had plenty of time to play. And they played excitedly, drunkenly, forgetting about lunch and dinner. "How come we didn't play until we died?" Astrid grew up wondering. They ran, jumped in the hayloft, swam in the lake. Yard buildings became either a haven for pirates or a den of robbers. Astrid's main playmate was brother Gunnar, the closest in age. But they also played with the children of farm laborers who lived in Nes and with the pastor's grandchildren who came for the holidays.
Astrid reminisces about her childhood in detail in the Bullerby Children trilogy. "Oh, how we have fun!" - the girl Lisa repeats every now and then. Living in a peasant estate - what could be better for a child? It's amazing to bottle feed a newborn lamb! Have fun with friends staying up until twelve on New Year's Eve! It's great to walk home from school along the stone fence!
Perhaps you wonder how a girl from an ordinary peasant family could become a great writer? The fact is that Samuel August and Hanna were not ordinary peasants after all. Hanna in her youth was going to become a teacher. Samuel August used to get up before dawn to read, and did not spare money for the education of his children. And when Astrid was asked where her talent came from, she replied that she grew up in the shadow of great love. Samuel Augustus loved Hannah so much that the reflection of his feelings was enough for all their four children. "Every morning began with a father's prayer - he blessed God for sending him this miracle wife, this miracle love, this miracle feeling," the storyteller recalled.
She described her first acquaintance with books as a miracle. It happened in a small kitchen in the house of a cattleman and a maid from Ness. They had a daughter, Edith, who often played with Astrid and Gunnar. And then one day Edith offered to read them a book. It was a fairy tale "The Giant Bam-Bam and the Fairy Viribunda". "I was completely stunned, and an insatiable thirst for reading awakened in me!" - said the writer. The next day, Astrid waited outside for Edith to read to her again. Of course, Edith did not have her own books, she borrowed them from the library. Astrid didn't have them either. When, already a schoolgirl, she received her first book "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" as a gift, she was not herself with happiness! You see, it was a great joy for a little peasant girl to have her own book.
At the age of seven, Astrid was enrolled in the first grade of Vimmerby Primary School. She liked to study, and even more liked to slowly return from school to the farm with her brother and friends. Along the way, they told each other different stories, splashed through the puddles and, of course, played naughty. When Astrid was ten years old, a very happy event happened for her: she got access to the school library. And she began to read, "everything that was there": "Robinson Crusoe" by D. Defoe, "Treasure Island" by R.L. Stevenson, books by A. Dumas, M. Twain, J. Verne, "beautiful books for girls" - "Pollyanna" by E. Porter and "The Little Princess" by F. H. Burnett and many, many others. Their heroes became living girls and boys for her. Together with them, she experienced their sorrows and joys, participated in all their adventures. And, of course, together with her brother and sisters, she played Becky Thatcher, Tom Sawyer, Anna of Green Gables, Jim Hawkins and others.
After graduating from elementary school, Astrid went to a real high school, where her brother Gunnar and best friend Madiken were already studying. Astrid's favorite subject was Swedish. Her teacher read Astrid's school essays more than once in the class. And one of them - "Life on our farm" - just imagine, was published in the local newspaper! After that, the thirteen-year-old Astrid was jokingly called Selma Lagerlöf from Vimmerby. “But I myself decided that I would never be a writer,” Astrid Lindgren recalled. Around the same age, Astrid suddenly realized that her childhood was over. "I remember how painful it was in our hearts when we realized that we no longer know how to play."
At sixteen, Astrid Eriksson graduated from high school with good grades. And after a while she got a place in the newspaper "Vimmerby Tidning", because in the town they had already heard about her literary abilities. She answered calls, corrected texts and wrote short reports about everything that happened in the area: about births, weddings and funerals. She also wrote a series of articles "Let's go for a walk", describing her travels to various parts of Småland. She made these walks in the company of Madiken and other friends.
Astrid Eriksson worked for the newspaper for two years. Then she was forced to leave Nes. Astrid was eighteen years old, she was expecting a child, but did not want to get married. You see, to stay in Vimmerby would mean for her to become the target of daily gossip. Astrid decided to move to Stockholm. There she rented a room in a boarding house and began studying shorthand and typing courses. And then she got a job as a secretary in the radio department of the Swedish Book Trade Center. Her salary of 150 crowns was only enough to pay for an uncomfortable room and food. And Astrid had to save as much as she could to save money for trips to Copenhagen, where she temporarily left her son Lars in foster care. “All those years, Lasse lived well,” the writer said. “On the contrary, it’s bad for me. After all, I had to live in Stockholm, complete my education, get a job, look for an opportunity to take Lasse to me.” Perhaps Astrid Lindgren would never have become a world-famous writer if not for this dramatic event. The need to live away from her son, not seeing how he grows up, was a very strong experience for Astrid. And subsequently, she was especially keenly worried about the troubles of other children, she wanted to help all of them - orphans, sick, lonely and just experiencing some kind of grief, which always seems so big in childhood.
Astrid took in Lasse three years later, when his adoptive mother in Copenhagen became seriously ill. By that time, Astrid got a job as an editor at KAK (Royal Automobile Club) and there she met Sture Lindgren. In the spring of 1931, Sture and Astrid got married. And three years later, the youngest daughter Karin was born, and the future writer plunged headlong into the cares and joys of motherhood.
At that time in Sweden, most mothers did not work, but did housework. But even “if they all said that they wanted to go to work, I still wouldn’t go to work. For me in those years it was natural to stay at home with the children,” Astrid admitted. She wanted to constantly be with the children, to see how they play, what they read, how they grow. Instead of sitting on a bench watching the children play, Astrid played by herself. She found that the joy of the game returned to her. Together with Lasse, she climbed trees in the Karlberg park and rode down the hill. "I suspect she had as much fun as I did!" Lasse recalled.
What do kids love the most? Astrid Lindgren says:Sometimes Astrid would tell Lasse and Karin stories about her childhood, about Småland. Her grandmother Ida and father Samuel August were wonderful storytellers, and Astrid adopted their gift. One day, Karin fell ill with pneumonia, and she had to lie in bed for a long time. In the evenings, Astrid told her stories. And once Karin asked: "Tell me about Pippi Longstocking!" You probably know who this Peppy is. Astrid didn't know. She had to invent it! And because the name was so unusual, the girl turned out to be special too. Mom told Karin about the adventures of the strongest girl in the world until Karin recovered. And then for a long time - to the daughter's friends, who came to visit specifically to listen to these stories.
- Fish.
- Jump into the hay.
- Play pirates, robbers and Indians.
- Arrange secret huts and headquarters.
- Tell each other scary stories.
- Celebrate Christmas.
- Climb trees and rooftops.
And then happened what Astrid Lindgren said with a laugh: "As a writer, I am a product of the whim of nature." Slipping on the ice, she twisted her leg and was forced to spend two weeks in bed. And since it was not in her rules to mess around, she decided to write down stories about Peppy. She wanted to give the manuscript to Karin for a decade. Would you like such a gift? I think Karin was delighted! And Astrid sent her next story to a competition of books for girls, organized by the young publishing house Raben and Sjogren. The jury awarded her story "Britt-Marie pours out her soul" the second place. It was 1944 and Astrid was thirty-seven years old.
The following year, Astrid Lindgren submitted her "Pippi Longstocking" to another publishing competition. The story won first place. And when the book was published, 20,000 copies were sold in the first two weeks alone! Never before has a children's story aroused so much controversy and enthusiasm. Violent discussions about parenting broke out in newspapers and magazines. Some believed that the book was dangerous for them and would entail mass disobedience. Others, on the contrary, assured that freedom and games are necessary for children for normal development. Astrid herself refrained from participating in discussions. But thanks to these disputes, the book became more and more popular. And "Raben and Sjogren" began to publish all her books.
Astrid Lindgren averaged two or three books a year! Maybe you don't think it's too much? But after all, for twenty-five years she, moreover, headed the department of children's books of the Raben and Sjogren publishing house. She also created many plays and scripts! How did she do it?
Usually Astrid Lindgren wrote her books early in the morning - still in bed! She woke up at five in the morning and could devote three hours to creativity, and at eight she was already starting to sort through the mail. In the afternoon, Astrid worked at the publishing house. Sitting up in bed early in the morning, Astrid scribbled her fiction, and then typed it on a typewriter, made changes, and retyped it clean. Interestingly, in shorthand, she used her own cipher, which no one can read to this day!
A lot of time was spent on correspondence. Astrid received letters from children all over the world and tried to answer each of them. But there were still business papers. On average, she received 150 letters a week. Fresh letters lay in huge bags, which gradually became a familiar piece of furniture in the writer's apartment. In the end, she even had to hire a secretary for correspondence. They say that when Astrid met with Tove Jansson, they talked all night long. The most burning topic of conversation was how to "be able to answer all the letters from readers without going crazy?" Both writers believed that children should be taken seriously, it is unacceptable to deceive their expectations.
Imagine, almost all the works of Astrid Lindgren have been filmed. And she always participated in the selection of actors, came to the shooting and, of course, wrote scripts for all films. And she herself came up with songs that sounded from the screens. In Sweden, these songs are very popular, both children and adults know them by heart! For example, this one:
"Carlson, Carlson, the best Carlson in the world! Carlson, Carlson! Carlson has arrived!"By the time Astrid became the grandmother of her own six grandchildren, she was already called the grandmother of all the children on the planet. And she was an amazingly gentle, wise and sympathetic grandmother. Astrid's opinion for the Swedes was so significant that in her seventy years she suddenly found herself in the center of the political life of the country. She criticized Sweden's tax system, opposed the use of nuclear power and raised the issue of animal cruelty in agriculture. Not all of her dreams became a reality, but each of her undertakings raised a storm in public life. So, Sweden was the first in the world to introduce a law abolishing corporal punishment of children thanks to Astrid's speech "No to violence!".
All the work of Astrid Lindgren is imbued with the same idea - to give children a safe world in which they can safely grow up. Perhaps Astrid understood children so well because she remembered her own childhood so well. Astrid knew what the children of all the earth needed - unconditional love, security, the joy of communicating with parents, brothers and sisters. And in her books, she described parents who give children all this. The mothers in her books bake buns and brew cocoa in the morning. And if there are quarrels, they always find the right words. Like the mother of five-year-old Lotta from the book "Lotta from the street of Buzoterov." When Lotta confesses that she cut her jumper with scissors and wants to, but cannot apologize, her mother asks her:
“And if I also ask for forgiveness? If I say this: forgive me, dear Lotta, for all the times when I acted stupidly with you.
- Well, then I can say "I'm sorry"! Lotta responded warmly.
Favorite characters
Pippi Longstocking
Maybe you will be interested to know that there are two Peppies. The one that is known and loved all over the world is the second one. You probably think that this Pippi is the most mischievous and lively girl in the world! But no! First, Astrid Lindgren came up with an even more hooligan image. But in her first story (the one she gave to her daughter Karin) there was so much absurdity, and Pippi behaved so defiantly, that Astrid rewrote the story for the competition, softening or removing some points. By the way, the first version of the book, Great Peppy, was recently published in Sweden.
For the Swedes, the image of Pippi was forever associated with the image of actress Inger Nilsson. She played the lead role in the television series about Pippi directed by Ulle Helbum. Inger Nilsson filled Pippi's character with such kindness, responsiveness and love that without a doubt you forgive the red-haired rebel for all her mischief.
Carlson who lives on the roof
Daughter Astrid Karin came up with not only Pippi Longstocking. Once she asked her mother to come up with a fairy tale about the Lord of the Party, who comes to visit the children when there are no adults around. Astrid made up a fairy tale "In the Twilight Country" about a kind little man who flew to sick children to comfort them. A few years later, Mr. Vecherin returned, but in such a form that he had to find a new name. He became so “unbearable, self-willed that he could hardly be tolerated! He himself considered himself, without a doubt, a handsome, intelligent through and through and moderately plump man in the prime of his life,” wrote Astrid Lindgren. And she called him Carlson-on-the-Roof (almost exactly the same as the shoemaker from Vimmerby was once called Carlson-on-the-Barrel).
Thanks to the translation of Lilianna Lungina, Soviet children fell in love with Carlson more than any other character of Astrid Lindgren. It was the translator who filled the text of the story with phrases that you have heard many times: "Calm, only calm" and "Trifles, a matter of life." Then Soyuzmultfilm released two cartoons about Malysh and Carlson, which your grandparents stared at, and then mom and dad. Since then, Carlson, with all his whims, insults and pranks, seems to us sweet and dear. Perhaps the children adore him because, despite his bad temper, the Kid still loves him.
Madiken from Junibacken
This name was invented by Ann-Marie Ingström, Astrid's best friend. Together they climbed trees and rooftops, Madiken taught Astrid how to fight. And then the writer borrowed some features of her friend and their childhood games for books.
The fictional Madiken lives with her father, mother and sister Lisabet in the Yunibaken estate (literally - June Hill). Madiken "is so quick to invent that the piglet will not have time to blink an eye, she is already ready - invented!" How do you like this, for example? Madiken takes dad's umbrella and jumps off the roof with it. But not just like that, but imagining himself as a soldier leaving the plane! Or, having come from school in one galosh, he shifts the blame on his classmate Ricard, as, indeed, many other pranks. True, it soon turns out that there has never been a tomboy with that name in her class. But in general, Madiken is a kind and sensitive girl. It is she who saves her classmate, "lousy" Mia, from cruel punishment, who stole a teacher's purse and bought sweets for herself and other children.
By the way, the Museum of Fairy Tales in Stockholm is called "Junibacken", and its symbol is a girl with a big black umbrella.
Emil from Lönneberg
"Do you know what Emil from Lönneberg once threw out?" Three-year-old grandson Astrid Lindgren did not stop screaming, but when he heard his grandmother's question, he immediately calmed down. Of course, who wouldn't want to know what Emil did. And Astrid began to tell... Emil was her favorite character. According to the writer, he was more like her than anyone else. And talking about the tricks of a mischievous, Astrid turned to her father's memories of Småland at the beginning of the 20th century. And some of the leprosy she described also happened in reality: Samuel Augustus heard about them in his own childhood.
Oh that Emil! He looks - blue-eyed and in a cap with linen swirls - like an angel, but you will not find another such varmint in all of Småland. Either she will raise her sister Ida to the flagpole instead of a flag, or she will get stuck with her head in a porcelain tureen. But it's not from evil! Emil has a kind heart and gentle nature. To his credit, it must be said that he always thinks of others. I even put a mousetrap under my dad's chair on purpose so that a hungry rat wouldn't bite off my dad's finger.
Brothers Lionheart
In 1973, Astrid Lindgren wrote a book that caused the same storm of emotions and controversy as Pippi Longstocking. It was a fairy tale "Brothers Lionheart", and it spoke about love and death. Astrid believed that it was these topics that most of all excite people around the world, including children. And there is no need to be silent about death just because it is difficult or not customary to talk about it. Imagine, after the publication of the book, Astrid received many letters from terminally ill children. For them, reading the story was a great support.
Almost the entire action of the story takes place in Nangiyala, the country where, after death, the sick little Sukharik and his older brother Jonatan end up. Jonathan would have to live and live, but he died during the fire, saving his little brother. And in Nangiyala, his courage and kind heart come in handy. After all, the Thorn Valley was captured by the evil and cruel Tengil, who, with the help of the dragon Katla, keeps its civilians in obedience. And only Jonathan can defeat Tengil and Katla. And what about Sukharik? The coward, who was afraid to take a step without his brother, becomes a real Lionheart, and without his help, Jonathan would not be able to cope!
Astrid Lindgren said that for the first time she saw the Brothers Lionheart at a screen test, where they chose a boy for the role of Emil from Lönneberg. She noticed how the little Janne Olsson, who was terribly slowed down by the filmmakers, climbed onto his lap to his older brother, and he kissed him on the cheek. And so the heroes of the fairy tale about brotherly love appeared.
Magical World Astrid Lingren
The old estate of Nes, where the writer spent her childhood, now houses a research center and a museum. And nearby, in Astrid Lindgren's World Park, you can meet Pippi Longstocking, Emil from Lönneberga, Madiken, Ronja and many other Astrid characters! In the same setting that you imagined many times when you read her books.
But it all started with a small square created by caring parents for their children. In 1981, the first building appeared - Katthult Farm, where Emil lives, and then entrepreneurs and the commune of Vimmerby picked up the idea, and gradually the small entertainment turned into a huge fairy-tale park, which annually receives more than 400,000 guests from all over the world. Have you been to The World of Astrid Lindgren yet? No problem! Let me tell you what you can see here.
Here is Buzoterov Street, with a yellow house where Lotta's family lives, here is a street with tiny houses, one of which belongs to Boyka Kaisa's grandmother. Here is the Little, Little Town - an exact copy of the center of Vimmerby with a square and a fountain, and with lanes along which the famous detective Kalle Blomkvist sneaked with his gang, and with a small confectionery where Pippi bought 18 kilograms of caramels. I almost forgot, you can go into small houses, they will fit you just the right size. Not the house of little Nils Carlson! In it you will feel like the same kid as this brownie, because the furniture in his house is so huge that not every child can climb a chair!
And who is sitting on the bridge in an old raincoat and with a fishing rod? Yes, it's Sukharik Lionheart! So his brother Jonathan is somewhere nearby, because we are already in the Cherry Valley. Just be careful, the Thorn Valley is teeming with fearsome Tengil soldiers! And here is the robber castle, split in two by lightning on the night that Ronya was born. Here is Mattis, and Borka, and their robber gangs, who have been at war for so many generations. Will Ronye and Birka manage to reconcile their fathers? But now the bright yellow, slightly rickety Villa Villekula with a lemonade tree and Peppy's horse in the yard appeared. On the ceiling are pancakes and footprints of Mr. Nilsson. But Peppy herself is nowhere to be seen. Of course, she's on a ship! Together with Tommy, Annika and her dad, she swims around the lake and sings at the top of her lungs! And here is the neat and tidy Yunibacken estate. Charming girls Madiken and Lisabeth live here. Of course, like all the heroes of Astrid Lindgren, they also sometimes play pranks. And if you're lucky, you'll see Madiken jump off the roof with Dad's black umbrella.
