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Astrid LindgrenSwedish children's writer
Date of Birth: 14.11.1907
Country:  Sweden |
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Biography of Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Lindgren, a Swedish children's writer, was born in 1907. She spent her childhood on a farm in a peasant family. After finishing school, she worked for a local newspaper and then moved to Stockholm and enrolled in a secretarial school. On December 4, 1926, she gave birth to her son Lars. Astrid Erickson got married five years later, taking her husband's surname, Lindgren. She returned to work in 1937 when Lars was 11 years old and his sister Karin was three.
In 1941, the Lindgren family moved to a new apartment in Dalagatan, a district of Stockholm, where Astrid lived until her death on January 28, 2002. Astrid Lindgren gained popularity with her fairy tale "Pippi Longstocking," which she wrote as a gift to her daughter in 1944. The book quickly became popular, winning several awards, and publishers quickly explained to the author that she could earn a living through literature.
Challenging Traditional Children's Literature
Her first books, "Britt-Marie Lightens Her Heart" (1944) and the first part of the story "Pippi Longstocking" (1945-1952), broke the didactic and sentimental traditions of Swedish children's literature. Interestingly, global recognition could not reconcile the author with the Swedish State Committee for Children's and Educational Literature for a long time. According to official educators, Lindgren's tales were considered incorrect and not instructional enough.
In 1951, Astrid's husband, Sture Lindgren, passed away. Astrid was left with her children and her stories. Since the early 1970s, Astrid Lindgren's books have consistently topped the list of the most popular works for children. Her works have been translated into 58 languages. It is even said that if all the copies of Astrid Lindgren's books were stacked vertically, they would be 175 times taller than the Eiffel Tower.
Recognition and Legacy
In 1957, Lindgren became the first children's writer to receive the Swedish State Prize for Literature. Astrid received so many awards and honors that it is impossible to list them all. Some of the most notable ones include the Hans Christian Andersen Award, often referred to as the "Little Nobel Prize," the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, UNESCO awards, various government awards, and the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for the movie "Ronia, the Robber's Daughter." One of the minor planets is named after Astrid Lindgren, and she has received awards and honors from many countries around the world.
Astrid Lindgren was the first woman to have a monument erected in her honor during her lifetime. The monument is located in the center of Stockholm, and Astrid attended the opening ceremony. Recently, Swedes named her the "Woman of the Century," and last year, the first Astrid Lindgren Museum was opened in Sweden.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the writer played an important role in the country's political life. She became a voluntary advocate for children's and animal rights. Some of Astrid Lindgren's most well-known works include "Pippi Longstocking" (1945), "Mio, My Son!" (1954), "The Children of Noisy Village" (1955), "The Brothers Lionheart" (1973), and "Emil of Lönneberga" series (1963-1970).
