Cheerful and independent Astrid Lindgrencan be safely called the prototype of her famous literary character Pippi Longstocking. Despite her love of reading and good grades, the naughty girl always had problems with discipline: Astrid preferred boyish fun to needlework lessons.
“Oh, how we knew how to play! - the author of "Carlson" recalled her childhood years. - We climbed the tallest 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. " Astrid retained an unusual passion for games and pampering until old age. "The Law of Moses, thank God, does not forbid old women to climb trees," said the famous storyteller in old age, overcoming another tree. And the Soviet translator Lilianna Lungina she recalled her meeting with the eminent author: “When she came to us, she pulled our six-year-old son Zhenya out of his crib and began to play with him on the carpet. we had to answer her in kind ... "
Astrid (third from left) with her parents, brother and sisters. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
In her youth, Astrid's shocking behavior caused even more bewilderment among others. At the age of 17, the unauthorized young lady cut her hair short, which shocked the inhabitants of her native town. This is how the storyteller herself recalled it: “People came up to me on the street and asked me to take off my hat to look at my haircut. Some admired my hairstyle, but they were clearly in the minority ... "
Despite numerous requests from her father not to disgrace the family, Astrid did not even think of pretending to be a "good girl." The girl understood that with the appearance that nature endowed her with, the chances of a successful marriage were low for her, and she undertook to forge her own happiness.
The first step on this path was working for a local newspaper as a reporter. However, by the age of 18, Astrid found out that she was pregnant ...
Astrid Lindgren, 1924 Photo: Public Domain
"Lonely and Poor"
The Swedish storyteller never revealed the name of her son's father, and for many years the rebel felt guilty for sending the little one Larsa to be raised by foster parents, and then - by grandparents.
To hide her dark past, Astrid moved from little Vimmerby to Stockholm, where there were more job opportunities. “I am lonely and poor,” the storyteller wrote to her brother at that time. Gunnaru... - Lonely, because it is so, and poor, because all my property consists of one Danish era. I am afraid of the coming winter. "
In 1928, luck smiled on the rebel again: the director of the Royal Automobile Club took her to the place of secretary. And two years later, he also proposed to Astrid: “He admitted that he loved me at first sight and all these two years did not take his eyes off me. I told him everything about myself and, of course, about my son. He did not hesitate for a second: “I love you, which means that I also love everything that is part of your life. Lars will be our son, take him to Stockholm "". The benefactor was called Sture Lindgren.
Of course, for Astrid it was not love at first sight, but she accepted the offer and remained grateful and faithful to Stura for the rest of her life. Next to him, the rebel turned into a respectable mistress and gave her husband a daughter Karin. But even that didn't make her look like well-bred Swedish mothers.
"Not instructive enough"
Children have always been proud of their bully mom, who gladly took part in all the games. And once in front of them, she jumped into the tram at full speed (for which she was fined by the conductor).
Astrid's tales were just as “wrong” and “not instructive enough” from the point of view of teachers. At first, the writer composed them for her children, and then decided to send the manuscript to a literary competition. Soon after the victory, the books of the Swedish housewives gained popularity all over the world, but if the stories about the adventures of Carlson and Pippi aroused delight among children, then among adults - fear. Still, because the author took a new position for that time in children's literature: instead of tongue-tied teachings - a heart-to-heart talk. “A children's book should just be good. And that's all. I don’t know any other recipes ”, - Astrid defended her work.
Due to the fact that Carlson "provokes children to be naughty and causes fear and disgust in relation to nannies and housekeepers", in many states of the United States, this tale was banned. But not in the USSR: up to 80% of all Karlson's publications were published here. The author herself was always amazed at the popularity of her books in Pushkin's homeland and in her letter to Soviet children she wrote: "Probably, Karlson's popularity in your country is explained by the fact that there is something Russian, Slavic in him."
Asteroid Lindgren
In the eighties of the twentieth century, Astrid stopped writing new fairy tales, but did not turn into a typical pensioner. She answered hundreds of emails every day.
Astrid did not live to see her century at only 6 years old, but she preferred to return to childhood again and again. Even despite the fact that by the end of her life the writer's hearing and eyesight were greatly weakened, her sense of humor never failed. When the storyteller found out that a small planet was named in her honor, she joked that now it can be called "Asteroid Lindgren". When Astrid was informed that she had received the title of “Person of the Year”, the writer said: “I, deaf, half-blind and almost out of my mind old woman, -“ Person of the Year ”? For the future, I advise you to be more careful - lest the general public find out about it ... "
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Biography, life story of Astrid Lindgren
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren is a Swedish writer.
Childhood
Astrid was born on November 14, 1907 in the small town of Vimmerby (southern Sweden) into a friendly farming family. A year earlier, the boy, Gunnar, was born to Samuel August Ericsson and Hannah Jonsson, who are madly in love with each other. A little later, two more girls appeared in the family - Stina Puka and Ingegerd in 1911 and 1916, respectively.
As a child, Astrid adored nature - she was delighted with every new dawn, she was surprised at every flower, every leaf of every tree touched her to the core. Astrid's father, wishing to entertain his children, often told them various interesting stories, many of which, by the way, later became the basis for the works of the adult Astrid.
In elementary school, Astrid was already actively showing her writing skills. Teachers and classmates sometimes even called her Vemmirbün Selma Lagerlef (Selma Lagerlef is a famous Swedish writer, the first woman in world history to win the Nobel Prize in literature). Astrid herself, it should be noted, was very flattering to hear something like that addressed to her, but she was firmly convinced that she did not deserve comparison with such a great writer.
Young years
Astrid graduated from high school at sixteen. Immediately thereafter, she began working as a journalist for a local newspaper called Wimmerby Tidningen. She worked there for two years, rising to the position of junior reporter. True, at the age of eighteen, Astrid had to leave her career as a journalist - the girl became pregnant and was forced to look for a quieter job.
Personal life
Already in position, Astrid left for Stockholm. There she successfully completed the secretarial courses. In December 1926 Astrid gave birth to a boy. She named her son Lars. Alas, Astrid did not have any money to support the child and she had to give the boy to a foster family in Denmark. In 1928, Astrid got a job as a secretary at the Royal Auto Club. At work, she met Sture Lindgren. The young people started dating, gradually their sympathy grew into true love. In April 1931 Astrid and Sture were married. Astrid quickly changed her maiden name Ericsson to the last name of her husband and finally was able to take Lars to her place and give her son a real family.
CONTINUED BELOW
After Astrid got married, she decided to devote herself entirely to her family. In 1934, she gave birth to a daughter, Karin. Astrid devoted all her free time to her husband and children. True, sometimes she still took up the pen, composing little fairy tales for family magazines and making descriptions of other people's travels.
Astrid and Sture have lived together for many happy years. In 1952, at the age of fifty-four, the head of the family passed away.
Writing career
In 1945, the first book by Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking, was published. A tale with a deep meaning has become a real explosion in the world of literature. And she appeared quite by accident. In 1941, little Karin fell ill with pneumonia. Astrid sat by her daughter's bed every evening, telling her different stories, which she composed on the go. One evening she had the idea to tell her daughter about a funny girl who does not obey anyone's rules and lives as she pleases. After this incident, Astrid began to write on the sly about Pippi.
Astrid's daughters really liked the stories about Pippi, she regularly asked her mother to tell her about the new adventures of a funny girl. And Astrid told, inventing stories that made Karin breathless. On her tenth birthday, Karin Astrid gave her a homemade book about Pippi Longstocking. But the clever Astrid made two manuscripts - one of them she sent to the large Stockholm publishing house Bonnier. However, at that time the publishers rejected Astrid, believing that her book is still very raw.
In 1944, Astrid Lindgren entered the competition for the best book for girls, which was held by a small publishing house. Lindgren finished second and signed an agreement with the publisher to publish Britt-Marie Pours Out Her Soul. A year later, she was offered to become an editor of children's literature at the same publishing house. Astrid happily agreed. She worked in this position until 1970, after which she retired on a well-deserved retirement. All of Astrid's books have been published by her own publishing house.
Throughout her life, Astrid Lindgren managed to write more than twenty works, among which there is a trilogy loved by children around the world about the adventures of Carlson - a cheerful and insanely sweet man in his prime, who lives on the roof.
Based on the books of Astrid Lindgren, performances have been staged more than once, her novels were often filmed. Many critics claim that Astrid Lindgren's works will be relevant at all times.
Social activity
Astrid Lindgren has always been famous for her kindness. So, despite the fact that she earned more than one million crowns for her literary creations, she spent little on herself. She did not know how to save money, but she was always ready to help others. She has spoken in public more than once, calling people to humanism, to mutual respect, to love for all that exists.
In the spring of 1985, Astrid Lindgren turned her close attention to the abuse of farm animals on many farms. Astrid, who at that time was already seventy-eight years old, immediately wrote a fairy-tale letter to all major newspapers in Stockholm. In a fairy tale, the writer told how one very cute cow protested against the bad and inhuman treatment of livestock. Thus began a major campaign against cruelty to animals that lasted for three years. In 1988, the authorities finally passed the "Lindgren Act" - the law on the protection of animals.
Astrid Lindgren always stood for pacifism, for kindness towards everything - towards children, towards adults, towards animals, towards plants ... She firmly believed that universal love can save this world from destruction. The writer insisted that parents should not beat their offspring in order to educate, so that animals should not be treated like pieces of furniture, soulless and insensitive, so that people should treat both the poor and the rich with equal respect. The ideal world in the understanding of Astrid Lindgren is a world in which all living organisms live in harmony and harmony.
Death
Astrid Lindgren passed away on January 28, 2002 at her apartment in Stockholm. She lived a very long (at the time of her death she was already ninety-four years old) and an amazing life, giving the world immortal literary masterpieces.
The body of the great writer is buried in the cemetery in her hometown of Vimmerby.
Awards and prizes
In 1958, Astril won a medal
Astrid Lindgren (née Astrid Anna Emilia Ericsson) is a Swedish children's writer.
She was born on November 14, 1907 in southern Sweden, in the small town of Vimmerby in the Småland province (Kalmar County), into a farming family. She became the second child of Samuel August Eriksson and his wife Hannah. My father was engaged in farming on a rented farm in Nes, a pastor's estate on the very outskirts of the town. Together with her older brother, Gunnar, three sisters grew up in the family - Astrid, Stina and Ingegerd. The writer herself always called her childhood happy (there were many games and adventures in it, interspersed with work on the farm and in its vicinity) and pointed out that it was this that served as a source of inspiration for her work. Astrid's parents not only felt deep affection for each other and for their children, but also did not hesitate to show it, which was a rarity at that time. The writer spoke about the special relationship in the family with great sympathy and tenderness in her only book not addressed to children - "Samuel August from Sevedstorp and Hannah 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. The love of 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 an amazing, exciting world, which one could get into by reading fairy tales. The impressionable Astrid was shocked by this discovery, and later she herself mastered the magic of the word.
The gift of writing and a passion for writing manifested itself in her, as soon as she learned to read and write. Her abilities became evident already in elementary school, where Astrid was called "Wimmerbühn's Selma Lagerlöf", which, in her own opinion, she did not deserve.
After school, at the age of 16, Astrid Lindgren began working as a journalist for the local newspaper Wimmerby Tidningen. But two years later, she became pregnant without being married, and, leaving the position of junior reporter, left for Stockholm. There she graduated from the secretary courses and in 1931 found a job in this specialty. In December 1926, her son Lars was born. Since there was not enough money, Astrid had to give her beloved son to Denmark, to the family of foster parents. In 1928, she got a job as secretary at the Royal Auto Club, where she met Sture Lindgren. They got married in April 1931, and after that Astrid was able to take Lars home.
After marriage, Astrid Lindgren decided to become a housewife in order to fully devote herself to caring for Lars, and then of her daughter Karin, who was born in 1934. In 1941, the Lindgrens moved into an apartment overlooking Stockholm's Vasa Park, where the writer lived until her death. Occasionally undertaking secretarial work, she wrote travel descriptions and rather banal fairy tales for family magazines and Christmas calendars, which gradually honed her literary skills.
According to Astrid Lindgren, "Pippi Longstocking" was born primarily thanks to her daughter Karin. In 1941, Karin fell ill with pneumonia, and every night Astrid told her all sorts of stories before bed. Once a girl ordered a story about Pippi Longstocking - she invented this name right there, on the go. So Astrid Lindgren began to write a story about a girl who does not submit to any conditions. Since Astrid then defended a new and controversial idea of \u200b\u200beducation with a child psychology in mind, the challenge to convention seemed to her an amusing thought experiment. If we consider the image of Pippi in a generalized sense, then it is based on the innovative ideas that appeared in the 1930s-1940s in the field of child education and child psychology. Lindgren followed and participated in the controversy unfolding in society, advocating an education that would take into account the thoughts and feelings of children and thus show respect for them. A new approach to children has affected her creative manner, as a result of which she became an author consistently speaking from a child's point of view.
After the first story about Pippi, which Karin fell in love with, Astrid Lindgren over the next years told more and more evening tales about this red-haired girl. On Karin's tenth birthday, Astrid Lindgren made a shorthand record of several stories, from which she then compiled a self-made book for her daughter (with illustrations by the author). This original Pippi manuscript was less elaborate stylistically and more radical in its ideas. The writer sent one copy of the manuscript to the largest Stockholm publishing house Bonnier. After some deliberation, the manuscript was rejected. Astrid Lindgren was not discouraged by the refusal, she already understood that composing for children is her vocation. In 1944 she took part in the competition for the best book for girls, announced by the relatively new and little-known publishing house Raben and Sjögren. Lindgren won second prize for Britt-Marie pours out her soul and her publishing deal.
In 1945 Astrid Lindgren was offered the position of children's literature editor at Raben & Sjögren. She accepted the offer and worked in one position until 1970, when she officially retired. All her books were published in the same publishing house.
In 1946, she published the first story about the detective Kalle Blumkvist ("Kalle Blumkvist plays"), thanks to which she won the first prize in a literary competition (Astrid Lindgren did not participate in the competitions anymore). In 1951, a sequel followed, "Kalle Blumkvist at Risk", and in 1953 - the final part of the trilogy, "Kalle Blumkvist and Rasmus". Kalle Blumkvistom, the writer wanted to replace the readers of the cheap thrillers glorifying violence.
In 1954, Astrid Lindgren wrote the first of her three fairy tales - "Mio, my Mio!" This emotional, dramatic book combines the techniques of a heroic legend and a fairy tale, and tells the story of Boo Wilhelm Ohlsson, the unloved and neglected son of adoptive parents. Astrid Lindgren has repeatedly resorted to a fairy tale and a fairy tale, touching upon the fate of lonely and abandoned children. To bring comfort to children, to help them overcome difficult situations - this task was not the least of the writer's work.
In the next trilogy - "Kid and Carlson, who lives on the roof", "Carlson, who lives on the roof, has flown again" and "Carlson, who lives on the roof, is playing pranks again" - again a kind of fantasy hero is acting. This "moderately well-fed", infantile, greedy, boastful, pouty, self-pitying, egocentric, though not devoid of charm, lives on the roof of the apartment building where the Kid lives. As an imaginary friend of the Kid, he is a much less wonderful image of childhood than the unpredictable and carefree Pippi. The Kid is the youngest of three children in the most ordinary family of Stockholm bourgeois, and Karlson enters his life in a very specific way - through the window, and he does this every time the Kid feels superfluous, left out or humiliated, in other words, when the boy feels sorry for himself ... In such cases, his compensatory alter-ego appears - in all respects "the best in the world" Carlson, who makes the Kid forget about troubles.
In 1969, the renowned Royal Drama Theater in Stockholm staged Carlson Who Lives on the Roof, which was unusual at the time. Since then, dramatizations based on Astrid Lindgren's books have been constantly performed in both large and small theaters in Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe and the United States of America. A year before the staging in Stockholm, the play about Carslon was shown on the stage of the Moscow Satire Theater, where it is still played. If on a global scale, the work of Astrid Lindgren attracted attention primarily due to theatrical performances, then in Sweden the writer's fame was a lot due to films and television series based on her works. The first to be filmed were the story of Kalle Blumkvist - the premiere of the film took place on Christmas Day 1947. Two years later, the first of four films about Pippi Longstocking appeared. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the renowned Swedish director Olle Hellbum created a total of 17 films based on Astrid Lindgren's books. Hellboom's visual interpretations, with their ineffable beauty and sensitivity to the writer's word, have become classics of Swedish children's cinema.
The works of Astrid Lindgren were also filmed in the USSR: these are children's films "The Adventures of Kalle the Detective" (1976), "Rasmus the Tramp" (1978), "Pippi Longstocking" (1984), "Tricks of the Tomboy" (based on the story "The Adventures of Emil from Lonneberg ", 1985)," Mio, my Mio! " (1987) and two cartoons about Carlson: "Kid and Carlson" (1968), "Carlson is back" (1970). In Russia, computer games have been created based on the books about Pippi, Carlson and the story "Roni, the robber's daughter".
In 1958, Astrid Lindgren was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, which is called the Nobel Prize in Children's Literature. In addition to awards for purely children's writers, Lindgren received a number of prizes for "adult" authors, in particular, the Karen Blixen medal established by the Danish Academy, the Russian Leo Tolstoy medal, the Chilean Gabriela Mistral Prize and the Swedish Selma Lagerlöf Prize. In 1969, the writer received the Swedish State Prize for Literature. Her achievements in the field of philanthropy were recognized by the German Bookselling Peace Prize for 1978 and the Albert Schweitzer Medal for 1989 (awarded by the American Institute for the Improvement of Animal Lives).
The writer died on January 28, 2002 in Stockholm. Astrid Lindgren is one of the world's most famous children's writers. Her works are imbued with fantasy and love for children. Many of them have been translated into over 70 languages \u200b\u200band published in over 100 countries. In Sweden, she became a living legend, as she entertained, inspired and consoled more than one generation of readers, participated in political life, changed laws and, importantly, significantly influenced the development of children's literature.
Swedish children's writer Astrid Lindgren (née Anna Emilia Eriksson) was born on November 14, 1907 in southern Sweden, in the small town of Vimmerby in the province of Småland, into a farmer's family.
After graduating from high school, Astrid took up journalism and worked for the local newspaper Wimmerby Tidningen. Then she moved to Stockholm, trained as a stenographer.
In December 1926, Astrid had a son, Lars. Due to the lack of livelihood and lack of work, the young mother had to give her son to the family of foster parents in Denmark.
In 1927 she got a job as a secretary at the Torsten Lindfors office.
In 1928, Astrid got a job as a secretary at the Royal Automobile Club.
In April 1931, she married her boss, Sture Lindgren, and took her husband's surname.
After marriage, Astrid Lindgren was able to take her son, whom her husband adopted. She devoted herself entirely to taking care of Lars, and then of her daughter Karin, born in 1934. In fits and starts she took up secretarial work, composing fairy tales for family magazines and Christmas calendars.
In 1944, Lindgren entered the Raben & Sjögren competition for the best book for girls and won second prize for Britt-Marie Pours Out Her Soul and a publishing contract for its publication.
Astrid Lindgren jokingly recalled that one of the reasons that prompted her to write were the cold Stockholm winters and the illness of her little daughter Karin, who kept asking her mother to tell her about something. It was then that mother and daughter came up with a mischievous girl with red pigtails, Pippi Long Stocking. The stories about Pippi were later included in the book that Lindgren gave her daughter on her birthday, and in 1945 the first book about Pippi was published by Raben & Shegren.
1940-1950s - the heyday of Lindgren's creative activity. She wrote the Pippi Longstocking trilogy (1945-1952) and the story of the detective Kalle Blumkvist (1946-1953).
Astrid Lindgren's books have been translated into 91 languages \u200b\u200bof the world. The most popular plots related to the girl Pippi Longstocking and Carlson formed the basis of many theatrical performances and film adaptations.
All over the world, created by a writer.
Soon after the death of the writer in 2002, the Swedish government in order to promote the development of children's and youth literature was - one of the largest in the field of literature for children and adolescents. The amount of the reward is 5 million SEK (500 thousand euros).
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia (Swedish Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren, née Ericsson, Swedish Ericsson; November 14, 1907, Vimmerby, Sweden - January 28, 2002, Stockholm, Sweden) - Swedish writer, author of a number of world famous books for children, including “Carlson Who Lives on the Roof” and “Pippi Longstocking”. In Russian, her books became known and very popular thanks to the translation of Lilianna Lungina.
Astrid Ericsson was born on November 14, 1907 in southern Sweden, in the small town of Vimmerby, in the province of Småland (Kalmar County), into a farming family. Her parents - father Samuel August Eriksson and mother Hanna Jonsson - met when they were 13 and 9 years old. Seventeen years later, in 1905, they married and settled in a rented farm in Näs, a pastor's estate on the very outskirts of Vimmerby, where Samuel began farming. Astrid became their second child. She had an older brother Gunnar (July 27, 1906 - May 27, 1974) and two younger sisters - Stina (1911-2002) and Ingegerd (1916-1997).
I'm a little ghost with a motor! he shouted. - Wild, but cute!
Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia
As Lindgren herself pointed out in the collection of autobiographical sketches “My Fictions” (1971), she grew up in the age of “horse and convertible”. The main means of transportation for the family was a horse-drawn carriage, the pace of life was slower, entertainment was simpler, and the relationship with the surrounding nature was much closer than today. Such an environment contributed to the development of a love for nature in the writer - this feeling is imbued with all Lindgren's work, from eccentric stories about the daughter of Captain Pippi Longstocking, to the story of Ronnie, the daughter of a robber.
The writer herself always called her childhood happy (there were many games and adventures in it, interspersed with work on the farm and in its vicinity) and pointed out that it was this that served as a source of inspiration for her work. Astrid's parents not only felt deep affection for each other and for their children, but also did not hesitate to show it, which was a rarity at that time. The writer spoke about the special relationship in the family with great sympathy and tenderness in her only book not addressed to children - Samuel August from Sevedstorp and Hannah from Hult (1973).
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. The love of books and reading, as she later confessed, arose in the kitchen of Christine, with whom she was friends. It was Christine who introduced Astrid to an amazing, exciting world, which one could get into by reading fairy tales. The impressionable Astrid was shocked by this discovery, and later she herself mastered the magic of the word.
No, in my opinion, you are not sick.
- Wow, how ugly you are! - Carlson shouted and stamped his foot. - What, I really can't get sick, like all people?
- Do you want to get sick ?! - the Kid was amazed.
- Of course. All people want it! I want to be in bed with a high-high temperature. You will come to find out how I feel, and I will tell you that I am the most severe patient in the world. And you ask me if I want something, and I will answer you that I don't need anything. Nothing but a huge cake, a few boxes of cookies, a pile of chocolate, and a big, big cooch of candy!
Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia
Her abilities became evident already in elementary school, where Astrid was called "Wimmerbühn's Selma Lagerlöf", which, in her own opinion, she did not deserve.
After school, at the age of 16, Astrid Lindgren began working as a journalist for the local newspaper Wimmerby Tidningen. But two years later, she became pregnant without being married, and, leaving the position of junior reporter, left for Stockholm. There she graduated from the secretary courses and in 1931 found a job in this specialty. In December 1926, her son Lars was born. Since there was not enough money, Astrid had to give her beloved son to Denmark, to the family of adoptive parents. In 1928, she got a job as secretary at the Royal Auto Club, where she met Sture Lindgren (1898-1952). They were married in April 1931, and after that Astrid was able to take Lars home.
After marriage, Astrid Lindgren decided to become a housewife in order to fully devote herself to caring for Lars, and then of her daughter Karin, who was born in 1934. In 1941, the Lindgrens moved into an apartment overlooking Stockholm's Vasa Park, where the writer lived until her death. Occasionally undertaking secretarial work, she wrote travel descriptions and rather banal fairy tales for family magazines and Christmas calendars, which gradually honed her literary skills.
How old am I? - asked Carlson. - I am a man in the prime of life, more I can tell you nothing.
- And at what age is the prime of life?
- In any! - answered Carlson with a satisfied smile. - In any case, at least when it comes to me. I am a handsome, intelligent and moderately well-fed man in his prime!
Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia
According to Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Longstocking (1945) was born primarily thanks to her daughter Karin. In 1941, Karin fell ill with pneumonia, and every night Astrid told her all sorts of stories before bed. Once the girl ordered a story about Pippi Longstocking - she invented this name right there, on the go. So Astrid Lindgren began to write a story about a girl who does not obey any conditions. Since Astrid then defended a new and controversial idea of \u200b\u200bparenting with a child's psychology in mind at the time, the challenge to convention seemed to her an amusing thought experiment. If we consider the image of Pippi in a generalized sense, then it is based on the innovative ideas that appeared in the 1930s-1940s in the field of child education and child psychology. Lindgren followed and participated in the controversy unfolding in society, advocating an education that would take into account the thoughts and feelings of children and thus show respect for them. The new approach to children also affected her creative manner, as a result of which she became an author consistently speaking from a child's point of view.
After the first story about Pippi, which Karin fell in love with, Astrid Lindgren over the next years told more and more evening tales about this red-haired girl. On Karin's tenth birthday, Astrid Lindgren made a shorthand record of several stories, from which she then made a self-made book for her daughter (with illustrations by the author). This original Pippi manuscript was less elaborate stylistically and more radical in its ideas. The writer sent one copy of the manuscript to the largest Stockholm publishing house Bonnier. After some deliberation, the manuscript was rejected. Astrid Lindgren was not discouraged by the refusal, she already understood that composing for children is her vocation. In 1944, she took part in the competition for the best book for girls, announced by the relatively new and little-known publishing house Raben and Sjögren. Lindgren won second prize for Britt-Marie Pours Out Her Soul (1944) and her publishing deal.
In 1945 Astrid Lindgren was offered the position of children's literature editor at Raben & Sjögren. She accepted the offer and worked in one position until 1970, when she officially retired. All her books were published in the same publishing house. Despite being extremely busy and combining editorial work with household duties and writing, Astrid turned out to be a prolific writer: if you count picture books, she produced a total of about eighty works from her pen. Work was especially productive in the 40s and 50s. In 1944-1950 alone, Astrid Lindgren composed a trilogy about Pippi Longstocking, two stories about children from Bullerby, three books for girls, a detective story, two collections of fairy tales, a collection of songs, four plays and two picture books. As you can see from this list, Astrid Lindgren was an unusually versatile writer, willing to experiment in a wide variety of genres.
It’s sad if there’s no one to shout “Hello, Carlson!” When you fly by.
Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia
In 1946, she published the first story about the detective Kalle Blumkvist ("Kalle Blumkvist plays"), thanks to which she won the first prize in a literary competition (Astrid Lindgren did not participate in the competitions anymore). In 1951, a sequel followed, "Kalle Blumkvist at Risk" (in Russian, both stories were published in 1959 under the title "The Adventures of Kalle Blumkvist"), and in 1953 - the final part of the trilogy, "Kalle Blumkvist and Rasmus" (was translated into Russian in 1986). "Kalle Blumkvistom" the writer wanted to replace the readers of the cheap thrillers glorifying violence.
In 1954, Astrid Lindgren wrote the first of her three fairy tales - "Mio, my Mio!" (trans. 1965). This emotional, dramatic book combines the techniques of a heroic legend and a fairy tale, and tells the story of Boo Wilhelm Ohlsson, the unloved and neglected son of adoptive parents. Astrid Lindgren has repeatedly resorted to a fairy tale and a fairy tale, touching upon the fate of lonely and abandoned children (this was the case before "Mio, my Mio!"). To bring comfort to children, to help them overcome difficult situations - this task was not the least of the writer's work.
In the next trilogy - "The Kid and Carlson Who Lives on the Roof" (1955; trans. 1957), "Carlson, who lives on the roof, has flown again" (1962; translated. 1965) and "Karlson, who lives on the roof, is playing pranks again ”(1968; trans. 1973) - again the fantasy hero of a kind spirit is acting. This "moderately well-fed", infantile, greedy, boastful, pouty, self-pitying, egocentric, although not devoid of charm, lives on the roof of the apartment building where the Kid lives. As an imaginary friend of the Kid, he is a much less wonderful image of childhood than the unpredictable and carefree Pippi. The Kid is the youngest of three children in the most ordinary family of Stockholm bourgeoisie, and Carlson enters his life in a very specific way - through the window, and he does this every time the Kid feels superfluous, left out or humiliated, in other words, when the boy feels sorry for himself ... In such cases, his compensatory alter-ego appears - in all respects "the best in the world" Carlson, who makes the Kid forget about troubles.
Calm, only calm! Now I will overtake you, and then you will have fun!
Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia
In 1969, the renowned Royal Drama Theater in Stockholm staged Carlson Who Lives on the Roof, which was unusual at the time. Since then, dramatizations based on Astrid Lindgren's books have been constantly performed in both large and small theaters in Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe and the United States of America. A year before the staging in Stockholm, the play about Carlson was shown on the stage of the Moscow Satire Theater, where he is still played (this hero is very popular in Russia). If on a global scale, the work of Astrid Lindgren attracted attention primarily due to theatrical performances, then in Sweden the fame of the writer was greatly facilitated by films and television series based on her works. The first to be filmed were the story of Kalle Blumkvist - the premiere of the film took place on Christmas Day 1947. Two years later, the first of four films about Pippi Longstocking appeared. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the renowned Swedish director Olle Hellbum created a total of 17 films based on Astrid Lindgren's books. Hellboom's visual interpretations, with their ineffable beauty and sensitivity to the writer's word, have become classics of Swedish children's cinema.
Over the years of her literary career, Astrid Lindgren has earned more than one million crowns, selling the rights to publish her books and their film adaptation, to release audio and video cassettes, and later also CDs with recordings of her songs or literary works in her own performance, but not at all did not change her lifestyle. Since the 1940s, she lived in the same - rather modest - Stockholm apartment and preferred not to accumulate wealth, but to distribute money to others. Unlike many Swedish celebrities, she was not even averse to transferring a significant portion of her income to the Swedish tax authorities.
Only once, in 1976, when the tax they collected amounted to 102% of her profits, did Astrid Lingren protested. On March 10 of the same year, she went on the offensive, sending an open letter to the Stockholm newspaper Expresssen, in which she told a story about a certain Pomperipossa from Monismania. In this fairy tale for adults, Astrid Lindgren took the position of a layman or a naive child (as Hans Christian Andersen did before her in The King's New Dress) and, using it, tried to expose the evils of society and general pretense. In the year when parliamentary elections were coming, this tale became an almost undisguised, crushing attack on the bureaucratic, smug and self-interested apparatus of the Swedish Social Democratic Party, which had been in power for over 40 years in a row. Finance Minister Gunnar Strang in the parliamentary debate contemptuously spoke out: “She knows how to tell fairy tales, but does not know how to count”, but later was forced to admit that he was wrong. Astrid Lindgren, who turned out to be right from the start, said that she and Strang should have swapped jobs with each other: "It is Strang who knows how to tell stories, but does not know how to count." This event led to a major protest, during which the Social Democrats were heavily criticized for both the tax system and their disrespectful attitude towards Lindgren. Contrary to popular misconception, this story did not become the reason for the political defeat of the Social Democrats. In the fall of 1976, they received 42.75% of the vote and 152 of 349 parliamentary seats, only 2.5% worse than the result of the previous 1973 elections.
Listen, Dad, - said Kid suddenly - if I'm really worth one hundred thousand million, then can't I get fifty crowns in cash now to buy myself a little puppy?
Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia
The writer herself was a member of the Social Democratic Party throughout her adult life - and remained in its ranks after 1976. And she objected primarily to the distance from the ideals that Lindgren remembered from her youth. When she was once asked what path she would choose for herself if she had not become a famous writer, she answered without hesitation that she would like to take part in the social democratic movement of the initial period. The values \u200b\u200band ideals of this movement have played - along with humanism - a fundamental role in Astrid Lindgren's character. Her inherent desire for equality and a caring attitude towards people helped the writer to overcome the barriers erected by her high position in society. She treated everyone with the same cordiality and respect, be it the Swedish prime minister, the head of a foreign state or one of her child readers. In other words, Astrid Lindgren lived according to her convictions, which is why she became an object of admiration and respect, both in Sweden and abroad.
Lindgren's open letter with the tale of Pomperipossa was so influential because by 1976 she was not just a famous writer: she enjoyed not only fame, but also great respect in Sweden. An important person, a person known throughout the country, she became thanks to numerous performances on radio and television. Thousands of Swedish children have grown up listening to Astrid Lindgren's original books on the radio. Her voice, her face, her opinions, her sense of humor have been familiar to most Swedes since the 50s and 60s, when she hosted various quizzes and talk shows on radio and television. In addition, Astrid Lindgren won over the people with her performances in defense of such a typically Swedish phenomenon as universal love for nature and reverence for its beauty.
In the spring of 1985, when the daughter of a Smoland farmer spoke publicly about harassment of farm animals, the Prime Minister himself listened to her. Lindgren heard about the mistreatment of animals on large farms in Sweden and other industrialized countries from Christina Forslund, a veterinarian and professor at Uppsala University. Seventy-eight-year-old Astrid Lindgren sent an open letter to the largest Stockholm newspapers. The letter contained another tale - about a loving cow protesting against mistreatment of livestock. With this tale, the writer began a campaign that lasted three years. In June 1988, the Animal Welfare Act was passed, which was given the Latin name Lex Lindgren (Lindgren Act); however, his inspirer did not like him for his vagueness and deliberately low efficiency.
And in general, will adults pay attention to a tiny house there, even if they stumble over it?
Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia
As in other cases where Lindgren stood up for the well-being of children, adults or the environment, the writer started from her own experience and her protest was caused by deep emotional excitement. She understood that at the end of the 20th century it was impossible to return to small-scale cattle breeding, which she witnessed in childhood and adolescence on her father's farm and in neighboring farms. She demanded something more fundamental: respect for animals, since they are also living beings and endowed with feelings.
Astrid Lindgren's deep belief in nonviolent methods of conversion extended to animals and children alike. “Not Violence,” she called her speech when she was presented with the 1978 Peace Prize for the German Book Trade (she received for the story “Brothers the Lionheart” (1973; translated. 1981) and for the writer's struggle for peaceful coexistence and a dignified life for all) Living creatures). In this speech, Astrid Lindgren defended her pacifist convictions and advocated raising children without violence and corporal punishment. "We all know," Lindgren reminded, "that children who are beaten and abused will themselves beat and abuse their children, and therefore this vicious circle must be broken."
Astrid Sture's husband died in 1952. In 1961 her mother died, eight years later her father, and in 1974 her brother and several close friends died. Astrid Lindgren faced the mystery of death more than once and pondered over it a lot. If Astrid's parents were sincere adherents of Lutheranism and believed in life after death, then the writer herself called herself an agnostic.
The kid did not exactly understand what it meant to be a man in his prime. Maybe he is also a man in his prime, but he just doesn't know about it yet?
Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia
In 1958, Astrid Lindgren was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, which is called the Nobel Prize in Children's Literature. In addition to awards for purely children's writers, Lindgren received a number of prizes for "adult" authors, in particular, the Karen Blixen medal established by the Danish Academy, the Russian Leo Tolstoy medal, the Chilean Gabriela Mistral Prize and the Swedish Selma Lagerlöf Prize. In 1969, the writer received the Swedish State Prize for Literature. Her achievements in the field of philanthropy were recognized by the German Bookselling Peace Prize for 1978 and the Albert Schweitzer Medal for 1989 (awarded by the American Institute for the Improvement of Animal Lives).
The writer died on January 28, 2002 in Stockholm. Astrid Lindgren is one of the world's most famous children's writers. Her works are imbued with fantasy and love for children. Many of them have been translated into over 70 languages \u200b\u200band published in over 100 countries. In Sweden, she became a living legend because she entertained, inspired and consoled more than one generation of readers, participated in political life, changed laws and significantly influenced the development of children's literature.
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren - photo
Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren - quotes
It’s sad if there’s no one to shout “Hello, Carlson!” When you fly by. 
And in general, will adults pay attention to a tiny house there, even if they stumble over it?
The kid did not exactly understand what it meant to be a man in his prime. Maybe he is also a man in his prime, but he just doesn't know about it yet?
Listen, Dad, - said Kid suddenly - if I'm really worth one hundred thousand million, then can't I get fifty crowns in cash now to buy myself a little puppy?
Calm, only calm! Now I will overtake you, and then you will have fun!