AKA Astrid Anna Emilia Ericsson Lindgren

Born: 14-Nov-1907
Birthplace: Vimmerby, Sweden
Died: 28-Jan-2002
Location of death: Stockholm, Sweden
Cause of death: Illness
Remains: Buried, Vimmerby Kyrkogård, Vimmerby, Sweden

Gender: Female
Religion: Christian
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Author

Nationality: Sweden
Executive summary: Pippi Longstocking

Astrid Ericsson grew up on her parents' farm, and loved reading, especially books with female protagonists, like Anne of Green Gables and the Pollyanna stories. She began writing for her local newspaper at 14, but at 18 she became pregnant and fled to Stockholm, where she bore her son and worked in the offices of the Royal Automobile Club. At 24 she married a co-worker, Sture Lindgren, and they adopted her 4-year-old son. She later worked for Swedish intelligence for several years.

She is best known for her second book, Pippi Longstocking, about a cheeky pigtailed nine-year-old with no parents to tell her what to do, whose antics shock adults and have delighted millions of children. Pippi's adventures, the author said, evolved out of bedtime stories told to her daughter Karin (who made up the character's whimsical name). Lindgren wrote dozens of books for children, filled with bright, strong-willed children who think for themselves, including Emil of Maple Hill, detective Bill Bergson, and Ronia the Robber's Daughter. While her books slowly earned recognition and were translated into dozens of languages, she worked until the early 1970s in the offices of her publisher, Rabén & Sjögren, as an editor.

In the 1960s she was an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam war. In the 1970s she spoke out against high taxes levied on upper incomes by Sweden, after receiving a tax bill larger than her income, and her protests (and writing) on the topic were credited by some with toppling the Social Democrats after forty years in power. In the 1980s she called for laws forbidding animal overcrowding in agriculture, which led to the passage of legislation (named for her) establishing rules for livestock care. Her books have been translated in 89 languages, and she is the namesake of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, presented annually for outstanding contributions to children's literature.

Father: Samuel August Ericsson (tenant farmer)
Mother: Hanna Jonsson Ericsson (tenant farmer)
Sister: Stina Hergin
Son: Lars Lindgren (b. 1926, adopted 1931, d. 1986)
Husband: Sture Lindgren (m. 1931, d. 1952)
Daughter: Karin Lindgren Nyman (translator, b. 1934)

    Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels 1978
    Asteroid Namesake 3204 Lindgren

Author of books:
Britt-Mari Lättar Sitt Hjärta (Britt-Mari Opens Her Hearti) (1944)
Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstocking) (1945)
Mästardetektiven Kalle Blomqvist (Bill Bergson, Master Detective) (1946)
Alla Vi Barn i Bullerby (The Six Bullerby Children) (1946)
Pippi Långstrump Går Ombord (Pippi Longstocking Goes Abroad) (1947)
Pippi Långstrump i Söderhavet (Pippi in the South Seas) (1948)
Mera om oss Barn i Bullerbyn (Happy Times in Noisy Village) (1949)
Kati i Amerika (Kati in America) (1950)
Kajsa Kavat Hjälpr Mormor (Brenda Brave Helps Grandmother) (1950)
Jag Vill Också Gå i Skolan (I Want to Go to School Too) (1951)
Mästerdetektiven Blomqvist Lever Farligt (Bill Bergson Lives Dangerously) (1951)
Kati På Kaptensgatan (Kati in Italy) (1952)
Kalle Blomqvist Och Rasmus (Bill Bergson and the White Rose Rescue) (1952)
Kati i Paris (Kati in Paris) (1953)
Jag Vill Också Ha Ett Syskon (That's My Baby / I Want a Brother or Sister) (1954)
Eric and Karlsson-on-the-Roof (Lillebror Och Karlsson På Taket) (1955)
Mio, Min Mio (Mio, My Son) (1955)
Rasmus På Luffen (Rasmus and the Vagabond) (1956)
Nils Karlsson-Pyssling Flyttar In (Simon Small Moves In) (1956)
Barnen På Bråkmakargatan (The Children on Troublemaker Street) (1956)
Rasmus, Pontus Och Toker (Rasmus, Pontus ja Höpö) (1957)
Noriko-San, Girl of Japan (1958)
Sia Bor På Kilimanjaro (Sia Lives on Kilimanjaro) (1958)
Mina Svenska Kusiner (My Swedish Cousins) (1959)
Lilibet, Cirkusbarn (Lilibet, Circus Child) (1960)
Madicken (Mischievous Meg) (1960)
Bullerby Boken (The Children of Noisy Village) (1961)
Lotta På Bråkmakargatan (Lotta on Troublemaker Street) (1961)
Karlsson På Taket Flyger Igen (Karlsson Flies Again) (1962)
Christmas in The Stable (1962)
Marko Bor i Jugoslavien (Marko Lives in Yugoslavia) (1962)
Emil Iin Lönneberga (Emil in the Soup Tureen) (1963)
Jul i Bullerbyn (Christmas in Noisy Village) (1963)
Jackie Bor in Holland (Dirk Lives in Holland) (1963)
Vi På Saltkråkan (Seacrow Island) (1964)
Vår i Bullerbyn (Springtime in Noisy Village) (1965)
Randi Bor i Lofoten (Randi Lives in Norway) (1965)
Barnens Dag i Bullerby (A Day at Bullerby) (1966)
Nya Nyss av Emil I Lönneberga (Emil's Pranks) (1966)
Skrållan och Sjörövarna (Skrållan and the Pirates) (1967)
Karlsson På Taket Smyger Igen (The World's Best Karlsson) (1968)
Matti Bor i Finland (Matti Lives in Finland) (1968)
Än Lever Emil i Lönneberga (Emil and Piggy Beast) (1970)
All About the Bullerby Children (1970)
Visst Kan Lotta Cykla (Of Course Polly Can Ride a Bike) (1971)
Bröderna Lejonhjärta (The Brothers Lionheart) (1973)
När Emil Skalla Dra Ut Linas Tand (Emil and the Bad Tooth) (1976)
Visst Kan Lotta Nästan Allting (Of Course Polly Can Do Almost Anything) (1977)
Madicken och Junibackens Pims (Margie to the Rescue) (1977)
Ronja Rövardotter (Ronia, the Robber's Daughter) (1981)
Spelar Min Lind, Sjunger Min Näktergal (My Nightingale is Singing) (1984)
När lilla Ida Skulle Göra Hyss (When Little Ida Wants to Do Mischief) (1984)
Emils Hyss Nr 325 (Emil's Sticky Problem) (1985)
Skinn Skerping: Hemskast av Alla Spöken i Småland (The Ghost of Skinny Jack) (1986)
Min Ko Vill Ha Roligt (My Cow Wants To Have Fun) (1990)

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