astrid lindgren the woman behind pippi longstocking

Pippi Longstocking was not Astrid Lindgren's first children's story, nor her only heroine. Her first book was published in 1944, and, from 1946 to 1970, she was editor-in-chief of the publishing house Raben and Sjorgen, where she ensured that important works were translated into Swedish, and still wrote at least one book a year. In the 1930s, Astrid Lindgren wrote tales for a magazine called Countryside Christmas. Her adventures were translated into 76 languages. With her dishevelled leggings, freckles, wayward red pigtails and pet monkey Mr Nilsson, the girl, who claimed her father was a South Sea cannibal king, was independent and imaginative, threw great parties, ate whole chocolate cakes, sang nutty songs and was kind to all children, if cheeky to adults, proved irresistible.

The tut-tutters appeared in the stories themselves - disapproving Mrs Finkvist, for instance, a stern village matron - but often Pippi won them round. Astrid Lindgren's philosophy was: 'Love children, and their behaviour will take care of itself.' Though Astrid Lindgren won prizes for inventing Pippi, moralists raised objections, arguing that her behaviour made her an unsuitable role model. ASTRID LINDGREN: In 1945, the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren invented Pippi Longstocking - and broke the mould of children's literature.Īstrid Lindgren, who died on January 28th aged 94, conjured up a heroine who was morally and physically strong, lived without the encumbrance of parents in a Swedish village and enjoyed a degree of freedom envied and shared by Tommy and Annika next door, and by children throughout the world.

Astrid lindgren the woman behind pippi longstocking