Who is Astrid Lindgren, writer of childrens books

Astrid Lindgren was born Astrid Ericsson on November 14, 1907 (dead 2002) on a farm called Nas outside the small town of Vimmerby in Sweden. As a child, Astrid loved to read, particularly books which had girls as the heroine. She loved Anne of Green Gables and the Pollyanna books. One of her strongest recollections as a child was meeting two pilots, Captains Sonders & Madicken. One of them tried to land on the roof of her house, or that is the way it looked at the time. After attending public school, she moved to Stockholm and married Sture Lindgren. The Lindgrens had two children. She wrote her first story, Britt-Mari Opens Her Heart in 1944. Her second book,Pippi Longstocking, which she wrote as a present for her daughter's tenth birthday was published in 1945. She received the Raben & Sjogren's Best Children's Book prize for Pippi and became a book editor for that publisher for many years. Her husband Sture died in 1952.
Astrid Lindgrens own store at Amazon
The wholesome fun of Lindgren's books is captured at the Astrid Lindgren's Varld, a theme park. Children from all over the world have enjoyed her books which have been translated into many languages.

Astrid Lindgren was so much more than a best-selling author of children's books. She was also an important opinion former who helped unseat a Swedish government, influenced changes in the law and even inspired anarchists.
Accidental revolutionary
Lindgren, who became an author relatively late in life, became an influential voice on everyday issues even later.
At the age of 68 she submitted an opinion piece to the Swedish daily Expressen on the subject of a loophole in the Swedish tax system which meant that she, as a self-employed writer, had to pay 102 percent tax on her income. She wrote the piece in the style of a fairytale, and it had an immediate impact. "Pomperipossa in Monismania," published in 1976, became front-page news and led not only to a change in the tax law, but eventually to the fall of the social democratic government that had been in power for 44 years.
"I don't think she planned a revolution, but it happened," says Lena Törnqvist, who is in charge of the Astrid Lindgren archive at the National Library of Sweden Lindgren also turned her common sense, sharp mind and clarity of expression to the issue of violence against children. Here she used her acceptance speech for the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, that she was awarded in 1978, as the platform for her views.
"The essence of the speech was that if children are brought up with violence, chances are that they will use violence when they grow up. And if they are people with power, this may be very dangerous," says Törnqvist.
The speech generated a great deal of attention in Sweden, Germany and further afield, and was one factor behind Sweden becoming the first country to ban the smacking of children in 1979. Lindgren's involvement also caught the attention of the victims; after the speech, two boys in foster care in Germany ran away and turned up on her doorstep in Stockholm. Lindgren helped send them back and ensured that they were well treated from then on.
Animal rights
Lindgren's drive to protect the powerless from the powerful also extended to animals, and she became a high-profile advocate of the prevention of cruelty to animals. "She was not a vegetarian, but she knew that if we are to keep our humanity, we have to treat other living beings with respect," says Törnqvist.

Lindgren's campaign, started as a reaction against industrial-scale farming, stirred up public opinion and led to the government announcing the so-called Lex Lindgren animal welfare law as an 80th birthday present for the author.

Lindgren's many book characters gave credibility to her opinions, whether it was the anti-authoritarian Pippi, sticking up for children with her strong sense of justice, or the brothers Lionheart, who tackle heavier issues like emotional growth and death. "Everyone knew what she stood for, although her opinions are under the surface in her books," says Törnqvist.

Toward the end of her long and productive life, Lindgren had become so influential that journalists would call her up, ask her opinion on an issue and then splash her response all over the newspapers. Her input made a topic instantly newsworthy. "They wanted her opinion on everything from dental care to world peace," says Törnqvist. "There were very few times where she chose the subject."
Indeed, she was so influential that on the issue of Sweden's proposed membership of the EU - which she opposed - the pro-EU press made a point of not talking to her. "They knew that if they gave her too much room she would affect the discussion," says Törnqvist.

"We learned from Pippi"
Even into her 80s and 90s, letters from people wanting Lindgren's support for their various causes continued. An anarchist who ran a café for punks near Stockholm that was threatened with closure was one of them. "Join us in this fight - we have learned from Pippi Longstocking," he wrote.

The Research Foundation of Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital

The Foundation supports research in children's diseases, primarily neonatology, child endocrinology, neuropediatrics and pediatrics.

Some 100,000 children are born in Sweden yearly, most of them in good health. Yet, statistically, there is no period in life when a person is in poorer health than at birth.

Roughly one in ten newborn children has to stay in the hospital for some time, and has to start off life as a patient.

If we are able to help a child to get well when newborn, the child will stand a much better chance of leading a healthy, happy life as an adult. In this, research is the key.

We gratefully receive voluntary contributions, large and small, towards our work at the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital.

The Hospital Foundation for the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital

Much of what makes our children's hospital unique comes from gifts, donations or sponsorship, from private individuals, organisations and companies; e.g. the swimming pool, the school, the library, the lecture room, the prayer room, the family floor.

The foundation aims to work towards making sure "that the environment within the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, from a material and a human perspective, makes the children's stay at the hospital more pleasant and speeds their rehabilitation."

If you want to find out more about the foundation and the opportunities to help, you are more than welcome to contact us:

The Foundation for the Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital
c/o Karolinska University Hospital H2:03
SE-171 76 Stockholm
attn: Sanna Murray Salander.

Bank giro 5066-4077
Post Office giro 7520-0

The best known books by Astrid Lindgren:

The Pippi Longstocking series (Pippi Långstrump)
Karlsson-on-the-Roof series (Karlsson på taket)
Emil of Maple Hills (Emil i Lönneberga)
The Bill Bergson series (Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist)
Madicken
Ronia the Robber's Daughter (Ronja rövardotter)
Seacrow Island (Tjorven på Saltkråkan)
The Six Bullerby Children / The Children of Noisy Village (Barnen i Bullerbyn)
Mio, my Mio (also known as Mio, my Son) (Mio, min Mio)
The Brothers Lionheart (Bröderna Lejonhjärta)
An alphabetically sorted list of other books by Astrid Lindgren which have been translated into English:

A Calf for Christmas
Brenda Helps Grandmother
Christmas in Noisy Village
Christmas in the Stable
Circus Child
Dirk Lives in Holland
Gerda Lives in Norway
Emil and the Bad Tooth
Emil and His Clever Pig
Emil Gets into Mischief
Emil in the Soup Tureen
Emil's Little Sister
Emil's Pranks
Emil's Sticky Problem
Happy Times in Noisy Village
I Don't Want to Go to Bed
I Want a Brother or Sister
I Want to Go to School Too
Kati in America
Kati in Italy
Kati in Paris
Lotta
Lotta's Bike
Lotta's Christmas Surprise
Lotta's Easter Surprise
Lotta Leaves Home
Lotta on Troublemaker Street
Markos Lives in Yugoslavia
Marje
Marje to the Rescue
Matti Lives in Finland
Mirabelle
Mischievous Martens
Mischievous Meg
Most Beloved Sister
My Nightingale Is Singing
My Swedish Cousins
My Very Own Sister
Nariko-San,girl of Japan
Noby Lives in Thailand
Rastus and the Vagabond (aka Rastus and the Tramp)
Scrap and the Pirates
Sea crow Island
Siva lives on Kilimanjaro
Simon Small Moves in
That's Not My Baby
The Children of Noisy Village
The Children on Troublemaker Street
The Day Adam Got Mad
The Dragon With Red Eyes
The Ghost of Skinny Jack
The Mischievous Martens
The Runaway Sleigh Ride
The Tomten
The Tomten and the Fox
The World's Best Karlson
Kajsa Kavat