Astrid Lindgren, creator and author of the popular Pippi Longstocking series, died Monday. The Swedish author became an internationally known figure in the 1940’s for her strong-willed and independent character, Pippi Longstocking.
Pippi was a 9-year-old-girl who lived alone with her horse and monkey, while her father was off at sea and her mother had died. With a chest full of gold to support herself, she was independently wealthy and able to finance her battles against various adult authority figures. Lindgren attributed Pippi Lonngstocking’s appeal to the fact that the little girl was “a child with powerÉbut she never misuses that power, which I think is the most splendid thing, and the most difficult.”
Lindgren was the 1958 recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for children’s literature and the 1993 recipient of the UNESCO International Book Award. Her work has been translated into more than 50 languages, 40 television and film series, and has sold more than 130 million copies worldwide.
