The legacy of Astrid Lindgren and the world’s strongest girl
This year marks the 75th anniversary of Pippi Longstocking, the most popular character of Swedish author and activist Astrid Lindgren. Harriet Marsden speaks to Lindgren’s family, fans – and Bjorn from ABBA – about her cultural legacy and why Pippi is still so appealing
She’s the strongest girl in the world. With her carrot-coloured pigtails, her striped mismatched socks and her freckles, she’s instantly recognisable. She’s a financially independent child, a reckless but compassionate anarchist with an intolerance for bullies. She’s a feminist role model who has inspired everyone from Michelle Obama to Lady Gaga, Madonna, Amy Poehler, Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She is regularly compared to Greta Thunberg. Bjorn from ABBA is making a musical about her.
Her name? Pippilotta Viktualia Rullgardina Krusmynta Efraimsdotter Långstrump. You probably know her better as Pippi Longstocking. And this year, on 21 May 2020, the most famous creation of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren will celebrate her 75th birthday. First published in 1945, the series is now among the most translated children’s books in the world, with more than 70 million copies sold in 77 languages.
But when The Independent travelled to Stockholm to talk to Bjorn Ulvaeus about the musical, Pippi at the Circus, which debuts this June, it wasn’t Pippi who first came up. “It’s one of my proudest moments, all this time later,” he says, “when I had lunch with Astrid and she said to me, ‘You’re a little Emil, aren’t you?’”
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