Obituary: Astrid Lindgren
In 1945, the Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren invented Pippi Longstocking - and broke the mould of children's literature. Lindgren, who has died 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 who read about her throughout the world.
Children's literature translated from other languages is rare in Britain, and only a handful of characters who were born abroad have been loved by generations of children here. Striding out triumphantly, Pippi belongs to these sparse ranks, which include Heidi (from Switzerland), Erich Kästner's Emil (from Germany), the Norwegian Mrs Pepperpot, and Babar (France), Asterix (France) and Tintin (Belgium) - because drawings translate.
Though Lindgren won prizes for inventing Pippi, moralists raised objections, arguing that her behaviour made her an unsuitable role model. Lindgren's philosophy was: "Love children, and their behaviour will take care of itself."
The tut-tutters appeared in the stories themselves - disapproving Mrs Finkvist, for instance, a stern village matron - but often Pippi won them round. 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. Her adventures were translated into 76 languages.
Lindgren herself was born Astrid Ericsson, a farmer's daughter, outside the small town of Vimmerby in southern Sweden. Unmarried and pregnant at the of age 19, she left her shocked community for Stockholm, where she had a son, went to secretarial school and got an office job. Five years later, she married Sture Lindgren, and, in 1934, had a daughter, Karin, who was the real inventor of Pippi Longstocking. "Karin was ill and asked me to tell her a fairytale," Lindgren wrote later. I asked her what about, and she said 'about Pippi Longstocking'. So I did."
In the 1930s, Astrid wrote tales for a magazine called Countryside Christmas. Her first book was published in 1944, and, from 1946 to 1970, she was editor-in-chief of the publishing house Raben and Sjöogren, where she ensured that important works were translated into Swedish, and still wrote at least one book a year.
Pippi Longstocking was not Lindgren's first children's story, nor her only heroine. Her other inventions included The Six Bullerby Children, a sort of Swedish Secret Seven; Ronja, The Robber's Daughter, a more modern version of Pippi, which appeared in the 1980s; Mischievous Meg (also "Mardie" in translation); the fantastical Lionheart Brothers, which broke a taboo by talking about death, and brought up the idea of reincarnation; Karlsson-On-The-Roof (Who Could Fly); The Children Of Troublemaker Street, and of Noisy Village; Master Detective Bill Bergson; a boy hero, Emil, created in 1963; and Mio, whose story, Mio, My Son, was a tale of good and evil influenced by Bible stories, folk tales and lyric poetry. Altogether, Lindgren's books have sold some 80m copies.
Lindgren lived in Stockholm for more than 60 years, and became a figure of national importance in Sweden, campaigning for environmental causes, and for children and animal rights; the Lex Lindgren animal protection law was named after her. In 1976, she successfully took on a tax system that legally charged some taxpayers more than 100% of their income, writing an adult fairytale called Pomperipossa In The World Of Money, and thus contributing to the downfall of the Social Democrat government later that year.
By her own account, Lindgren did not seek to be educational or improving for children, though her books make perfect first readers. Rather, she hoped, "perhaps to make some small contribution towards a more caring, humane and democratic attitude." She wrote "to amuse the child within me," drawing on her experience of growing up in the country, and setting out only to be "truthful in the artistic sense of the word".
Schools are named after Lindgren in Sweden, and 2m copies of her books are borrowed from the country's libraries every year. There is a statue of her in Stockholm. She was showered with honours and literary prizes, including honorary doctorates from two universities, and a campaign sprang up to nominate her for a Nobel prize.
None of this ever seemed to go to her head. She aroused enormous affection, and those who knew her said she never lost her sense of justice or sense of fun, and that she had a complete lack of pomposity. "I don't think anything impresses me," she said, "least of all myself."
Lindgren was widowed in 1952, and lost her only son, Lars, in 1986. She is survived by her daughter Karin, and several grandchildren.
Astrid Lindgren, children's writer, born November 14 1907; died January 28 2002