The life and legacy of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren

Astrid Lindgren was born on November 14, 1907 in Näs, near Vimmerby, Småland, Sweden. She grew up as the daughter of Samuel August Ericsson and Johanna (Hanna) Sofia Jonsson, and had an older brother and two younger sisters. After finishing school, she took a job with the local newspaper in Vimmerby. However, a scandalous relationship with the chief editor led to a move to Stockholm, where she took up work as a secretary. In 1931, she married her boss, Sture Lindgren.

In 1934, she gave birth to her second child, Karin. In the 1940s, she worked as a secretary and won first prize in a competition held by the book publishing company Rabén & Sjögren with the chapter book Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstocking), which has become one of the most beloved children’s books in the world and has been translated into at least 100 languages. While Lindgren almost immediately became a much-appreciated writer, the irreverent attitude towards adult authority that distinguishes many of her characters has occasionally drawn the ire of conservatives.

Astrid Lindgren died in her home in central Stockholm on January 28, 2002 at the age of 94. Her funeral took place in Storkyrkan in Gamla stan, attended by King Carl XVI Gustaf with Queen Silvia and Prime Minister Göran Persson. While a museum and a theme park in her memory exist in Stockholm and Vimmerby respectively, the author is buried in Vimmerby.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons