Astrid Lindgren and the Archives

The author Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002), well-known for the characters Pippi Longstocking, the Brothers Lionheart, Emil and Karlsson-on-the roof, is for many Swedes a genuine national icon. On several occasions, when a list of the most popular and influential Swede has been published, Astrid Lindgren’s name has been prominent. Around the year 2000 many Swedes voted Astrid Lindgren the most important person of the entire 2000 years, something that says much about our often short memory, but more about how popular Astrid Lindgren really is. In the year she turned 90 she was selected as ‘This Year's Swede in the World’ by The Society for Swedes in the World because few Swedes have been so esteemed throughout the world. On receiving the prize she said, ‘You are giving the prize of This Year's Swede in the World to a person who is extremely old, half blind, half deaf and completely mad. We must be careful about spreading this around’ (Törnqvist-Verschuur 2011, p.120).