Astrid Lindgren
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Astrid Lindgren [listen to pronunciation] , born Astrid Anna Emilia Ericsson (November 14, 1907 – January 28, 2002) was a Swedish children's book author, whose many titles were translated into 85 languages and published in more than 100 countries.
Astrid Lindgren grew up in Småland in Sweden. Many of her books are based on her family and her childhood on a little farm. Pippi Longstocking, her most famous book, was originally invented by her bed-ridden daughter, Karin.
Astrid Lindgren was renowned both for her support for children's and animal rights, and for her opposition to corporal punishment. In 1993, she received the Right Livelihood Award (also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize), "...For her commitment to justice, non-violence and understanding of minorities as well as her love and caring for nature." In 1958, she became the second recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, an international award for youth literature.
In 1976 her marginal tax rate rose to 102 %, of which she wrote a story which led to a stormy tax debate. In the parlamentary election later in the same year the social democrat government was overthrown for the first time in 40 years.
1944 she won second price in a competition the newly started publishing house Rabén & Sjögren held. One year after that she won with the children's book Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstocking), today one of the most famous children's book in the world. She had already tried to send Pippi Longstocking to the publishing house Bonniers but they had refused her.
The magazine Damernas Värld sent Lindgren to the USA in 1948 to write causeries. When she came there she was very upset by the oppression of black people. A couple of years later she published the book Kati in America, which is a causerie collection inspired by the trip.
The name of the Swedish microsatellite Astrid, launched on January 24, 1995, was originally selected only as a common Swedish female name, but within a short time it was decided to name the instruments after characters in Astrid Lindgren's books: PIPPI (Prelude in Planetary Particle Imaging), EMIL (Electron Measurements - In-situ and Lightweight), and MIO (Miniature Imaging Optics). Astrid said that maybe people should call her Astreoid Lindgren instead. On her 90th birthday she was pronounced Swede of the Year - which she also joked about.
Astrid Lindgren died 2002, 94 years old. After her death the Government of Sweden instituted the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in her memory. The award is the world's largest monetary award for children's and youth literature, in the sum of five million SEK.
The collection of Astrid Lindgren's original manuscriphts in Kungliga Biblioteket, Stockholm, was placed on UNESCO's World heritage list 2005.
Bibliography
The best known books by Astrid Lindgren:
- the Pippi Longstocking series (Pippi Långstrump)
- Karlsson-on-the-Roof (Karlsson på taket)
- Emil of Maple Hills (Emil i Lönneberga)
- the Bill Bergson series (Mästerdetektiven Blomkvist)
- Madicken
- Ronia the Robber's Daughter (Ronja rövardotter)
- 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 Paris
- Lotta
- Lotta's Bike
- Lotta's Christmas Surprise
- Lotta's Easter Surprise
- Lotta Leaves Home
- Lotta on Troublemaker Street
- Marko Lives in Yugoslavia
- Mardie
- Mardie 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
- Noriko-San,girl of Japan
- Noy Lives in Thailand
- Rasmus and the Vagabond (aka Rasmus and the Tramp)
- Scrap and the Pirates
- Seacrow Island
- Sia lives on Kilimanjaro
- Simon Small Moves in
- That's 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
See also
External links
- [Astrid Lindgren biography] — Official gateway to Sweden
- [Astrid Lindgren's works] — Official site produced by license holders
- [Astrid Lindgren's World] — Amusement Park official site
- [Astrid Lindgren] — Right Livelihood Award (1994)
- [Astrid Lindgren] — A fan site
- [Astrid Lindgren] — Unofficial memorial site
- [Astrid spacecraft description] — NASA's National Space Science Data Center site
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