Astrid Lindgren – Werk und wirkung. Internationale und interkulturelle aspekte (review)

Germany

One would assume that everything has been said about one of the world's most famous children's book authors. But the editors of this volume of sixteen collected essays eloquently prove this assumption wrong. Following a brief review of Lindgren scholarship, the essays, grouped into four sections, open up new perspectives and offer striking insights into Lindgren's work. The first section, "Astrid Lindgren in Scandinavia – between Romanticism and Modernism," squarely situates Lindgren's writings within Scandinavian literary traditions while highlighting her own innovative contribution. Section two, "Astrid Lindgren abroad: Translation and international reception," explores the often gentrified translations of Pippi Longstocking and their reception in countries such as Croatia, the USA, or Estonia. This interest in cultural history is also prevalent in the third section, "Gazing beyond: Interrelations and social perception." These contributions offer comparative analyses of Lindgren's texts and their reception with the work and impact of other authors, such as the Dutch writer Annie M.G. Schmidt. The fourth section, "Astrid Lindgren and pedagogy," retraces some of the pedagogical debates partly sparked by Lindgren's work in 1950s and 1960s Germany and presents new didactic concepts developed for several of her texts. With this rich kaleidoscope of different thematic and methodological approaches, this volume not only documents the many interpretations of Lindgren's texts; it also invites scholars and fans alike to rediscover "our good old Astrid" time and again.