Cilla DalĂŠn & Annelie Drewsen
Astrid Lindgren A Life VILJA
Vilja förlag info@viljaforlag.se www.viljaforlag.se Title: Astrid Lindgren – A Life Original title: Astrid Lindgren – Ett liv Authors: Cilla Dalén & Annelie Drewsen Cover and layout: Eva Andreasson Cover photo: DPA/IBL Bildbyrå © 2017 Cilla Dalén & Annelie Drewsen and Vilja förlag Translation from Swedish: Suzanne Martin Cheadle, 2018 First edition 2018 Number of pages: 62 ISBN 978-91-7723-420-3 Other photos: p. 5: Vimmerby Municipality Photo Archive, p. 7: Astrid Lindgren’s Näs, p. 8: Astrid Lindgren’s Family Album (Gyldendal, 2011), p. 11: Astrid Lindgren’s Life in Pictures (Gyldendal, 2011), p. 13: unknown, p. 15: Nordic Encyclopedia (1917), p. 17: unknown/TT, p. 21: Astrid Lindgren’s Life in Pictures (Gyldendal, 2011), p. 23: Saltkråkan AB, p. 27: Jacob Forsell/TT, p. 31: IBL Collections/IBL Photo Agency, p. 33: RT/IBL Photo Agency, p. 35: Stock image, p. 37: unknown, p. 39: DPA/IBL Photo Agency, p. 41: Jens Assur/XP/Scanpix, p. 45: Charles Hammarsten/IBL Photo Agency, p. 47: Jacob Forsell/TT, p. 49 Hermann/ Pixabay, p. 53: Stefan Tell, p. 55: Paolo Bona/Shutterstock
Astrid Lindgren A Life Cilla DalĂŠn & Annelie Drewsen
Translated by Suzanne Martin Cheadle
VILJA
Contents The Best Astrid in the World.................................... 4 Life on a Farm............................................................. 6 Astrid Goes to School................................................ 9 A Job at the Wimmerby Newspaper......................12 Astrid Gets Pregnant................................................14 Alone and Poor in Stockholm................................16 Astrid and Sture Get Married.................................19 Mother of Two with a Secret Job............................20 War Diaries................................................................23 Pippi Longstocking..................................................26 A Real Author...........................................................29 Bill Bergson, Master Detective...........................30 Mio, my Son.........................................................31 Karlson on the Roof............................................32 Rasmus and the Vagabond.................................32 Emil in LÜnneberga.............................................33 The Brothers Lionheart......................................34 Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter............................34
Editor at Rabén & Sjögren.......................................36 Famous and Beloved................................................38 Involved in Important Issues..................................40 Life With and Without Sture...................................43 Astrid Grows Old.....................................................46 Death and Burial......................................................48 The Whole World Reads Astrid’s Books................50 The ALMA Prize......................................................52 Do You Want to Learn More?.................................54 Important Years in Astrid’s Life..............................57 Sources.......................................................................60 Index..........................................................................61
The Best Astrid in the World Astrid Lindgren is one of Sweden’s most well-known authors. Almost all Swedes know who she is. They have read her books, seen movies and TV programs based on her stories, and used words and expressions that Astrid made up. During her lifetime, Astrid Lindgren wrote many books. They have been translated into over 100 languages. Many of the books have become famous in other countries. The most well-known are her books about Pippi Longstocking, which have been published in 70 different languages. Over 60 million books about Pippi have been sold. Other famous books are Karlson on the Roof, Emil in Lönneberga, and Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter. In addition to the books, there are also songs, movies, museums, and even a theme park with Astrid Lindgren’s characters. Her whole life, Astrid Lindgren was a playful person. But she always stood up for the rights of children and wasn’t afraid of speaking her mind. Many people listened to her and thought that she was smart and kind. 4
Astrid Lindgren on the steps of her childhood home, Näs, in Småland.
The world’s largest prize for authors of children’s books is named after Astrid Lindgren. It is called the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award but people usually just say “the ALMA prize”.
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Life on a Farm Astrid was born on November 14, 1907, in a red house with white corners and apple trees in the yard. It was on a farm called Näs, near the little town of Vimmerby in Småland province. As a child, Astrid’s last name was Ericsson. Her dad’s name was Samuel August Ericsson, and her mom’s name was Hanna Ericsson. They had four children. Astrid had an older brother named Gunnar and two younger sisters named Stina and Ingegerd. Her parents were farmers and worked on the farm. They had maids and farmhands who lived and worked on the farm. Astrid’s father’s parents also lived at Näs. Sometimes vagabonds slept in the hayloft. Astrid liked listening to their stories.
Vagabonds were people who traveled around and either begged or took whatever jobs they could find. They usually didn’t have homes and slept outside. Sometimes they slept in a barn’s hayloft, an attic area where hay was stored.
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Astrid’s childhood home at Näs.
Astrid and her siblings had fun together. Astrid liked climbing trees and playing soccer. Inside they played “the floor is lava”. They jumped from one piece of furniture to another without touching the floor. Astrid also liked listening to stories. Astrid and her siblings enjoyed a lot of freedom. But they also had to help with the farm. Horses, cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens had to be tended. The animals gave them milk, butter, meat, and eggs. Samuel August loved his wife Hanna very much and often showed his affection for her. Showing affection was unusual for farmers in Småland at the time. Hanna only had six years of schooling, but she was good at telling stories and wrote many letters and poems. 7
Family portrait from the late 1910s. From the left: Father Samuel August, little sister Ingegerd, Astrid, little sister Stina, big brother Gunnar, and mother Hanna.
When the family’s four children grew up, all of them worked with language and words. Gunnar became a member of Parliament and wrote books, and Astrid was an author. Stina became a translator, and Ingegerd became a journalist. “I’ve got such strange kids. They all work with words,” said Samuel August. Astrid Lindgren was a happy child. She used her memories from Vimmerby when she wrote her books. They include people, games, and places from her life on the farm. 8
Astrid Goes to School When Astrid was seven years old, she started going to school. She went to school the first day with her mom. It took fifteen minutes to walk to the school in Vimmerby. There was a girl in her class named Anne Marie, but everyone called her Mardie (Madicken). Astrid and Mardie became friends. They played, wrestled, and climbed trees together. The children weren’t served lunch at school. They brought their own lunch from home. Astrid usually had bread with pork and a bottle of milk. Some of the children were poor and only had potatoes and water. The teacher was nicer to children from wealthier families. Astrid’s family was well-off and the teacher was kind to her. But Astrid thought the teacher was unfair. In third grade, they got a new teacher. The children liked her a lot. Sometimes, Astrid and Mardie went to the teacher’s house in Vimmerby. There, they could climb up onto the rooftop and see the whole town. 9
Astrid was good at writing and got good grades. The teacher often read Astrid’s stories to the whole class. When Astrid was 13 years old, she wrote an essay that was printed by the Wimmerby Newspaper. It was called “On our farm”. Many people said they thought Astrid was good enough to become an author. Hearing this scared her a little bit, and she decided not to become an author. “I didn’t dare trying, though I thought it might be fun to write,” Astrid wrote later.
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Astrid (right) with little sister Stina and big brother Gunnar. 11