Born on this date in 1907 was Astrid Lindgren, Swedish children's author, best known for Pippi Longstocking. 10 facts about Pippi:
Pippi Longstocking’s full name is Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraim's Daughter Longstocking. Pippi means "quirky" in old Swedish slang.
Pippi was created by Astrid Lindgren as a bedtime story for her daughter, Karin, who was ill in bed and needed entertaining. It was Karin who named the character Pippi.
Astrid didn’t write the stories down, however, until she was incapacitated herself with a broken ankle. She passed the time by recalling the stories she had told Karin and writing them down.
Lindgren wrote all of her first drafts in stenographer's shorthand.
She sent the manuscript to a publisher but was turned down. Astrid then submitted the stories to writing competitions and in due course won the first prize – a publishing contract.
Pippi lives in a house called Villa Villekulla. The house which appeared in the 1969 T.V. series still stands in the town of Vibble, Sweden.
Pippi is a nine year old girl with superpowers. She can lift her Horse with one hand. However, in the French version of the book, it was decided that was unrealistic, so the horse became a pony.
Pippi lives by herself as her mother died when she was young, and her father, a pirate captain, was lost at sea. He had planned to retire someday and had bought the house to live in with Pippi when he did. Pippi moved in by herself instead. She likes living alone because nobody orders her to go to bed or take cod liver oil.
She has a pet Monkey called Mr. Nilsson (a present from her father) and a horse which she bought with some of the gold coins salvaged from her father’s ship. The horse lives on the porch.
As of 2010, Astrid Lindgren’s books have been translated into 95 languages, from Afrikaans to Zulu, making her the most translated Swedish author.
NEW!!
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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