But even those who are utterly unfamiliar with Lindgren’s writing will find much to intrigue and enjoy in this affectionate and thorough portrait of an extraordinary woman. If, like me, you grew up reading about Pippi and Karlsson-on-the-Roof and Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter, you won’t be disappointed by Andersen’s exploration of Lindgren’s life and work. Jens Andersen’s lively and insightful biography, translated beautifully from Danish into English by Caroline Waight, traces Lindgren’s life from her idyllic childhood in rural Småland through her experiences as a young single mother and on to her life as a major literary and public figure in Sweden. Pippi Longstocking became one of the most popular children's books of the last century, and its author's life would never be the same again. The rest is children's literature history. A year after that, Astrid, who had already published two well-received children's books, asked her editor if she'd like to have a look at the stories Astrid had written for her daughter. In 1944, Astrid Lindgren presented Karin with a special 10th birthday gift: a typed and bound version of the adventures of Pippi Longstocking. Soon her friends and cousins were demanding more tales about the girl who would later be described by a Swedish literary critic as “a mixture of Huckleberry Finn and Superman”. The stories were a hit, and not just with Karin. As she lay in bed, her mother Astrid alleviated her boredom by telling her stories about a funny and fearless little girl with amazing strength. In the winter of 1941, in an apartment in Stockholm, a little girl called Karin Lindgren came down with pneumonia.

Pippi Langstrumpf by Astrid Lindgren