Nº23 Astrid Lindgren
On the 14th of November 2020 there were 113 years since Astrid Lindgren was born in Vimmerby, Sweden. She was a children’s literature writer and the creator of some of Scandinavia’s most beloved characters like Pippi Longstocking, Emil in Lönneberga, Ronja the Robber’s daughter, and the Brothers Lionheart.
Like many children book authors, Lindgren wrote her stories to entertain her own children at first, working as a journalist and secretary before becoming a full-time author. She wrote more than 30 books from 1945 to 1981 and her unique authorship was dedicated to the rights of children and respect for their individuality.
Lindgren spoke against corporal punishment of children and animal cruelty in factory farming. In the late ’70s, she campaigned for non-violent upbringing of children which resulted in a Swedish law prohibiting violence against children. Until then there was no such law anywhere in the world.
In the 80’s she was very outspoken about animal rights and on Lindgren’s 80th birthday, Sweden introduced a new law concerning animal welfare. It was considered the strictest law about the matter in the world.
Astrid Lindgren died in Stockholm at the age of 94 but her legacy is still very vivid.
