I've hesitated to read Pippi Longstocking to my children, thinking they might be slightly too young to enjoy the delightfully absurd humor.

These comics first appeared in a children's magazine in the late 1950s and hadn't been translated into English until recently - by no less venerable a translator of Scandinavian literature than Tiina Nunnally! I was excited to discover that Astrid Lindgren had created comic versions of Pippi Longstocking, and even more that they were a collaboration with Ingrid Vang Nyman, who furnished the original illustrations for many of her books (although the English translations usually feature different illustrations by Ilon Wikland).

Sadly Vang Nyman never achieved international success, and tragically committed suicide in 1959 due to mental health issues, while Lindgren went on to become one of the world’s best-loved writers with more than 145 million books sold worldwide.Similar to D+Q’s 2005 unearthing of the Tove Jansson’s Moomin comic strip, which has more than 100,000 units in print, these mid-century classics are waiting to be discovered and enjoyed by the world’s legions of Pippi fans, both young and old. The original illustrator for the chapter books, Vang Nyman was an avant-garde champion of the importance of children’s literature who insisted that art in children’s books needed to meet the same esthetic standards as art in any other medium. The comics spotlight both Lindgren’s brilliant writing and Vang Nyman’s bold bright colors that seem presciently and eerily modern. Pippi is Sweden’s best-known children’s export, making it all the more remarkable that D+Q has discovered what will be a three-volume series.The comics are re-imaginings of the classic chapter book stories and were originally published in the Swedish magazine Humpty Dumpty in 1957–1959, a decade after the original books. Countless translations of the chapter books are available in more than sixty languages. The outspoken strong-girl with the carrot-colored pigtails and the mismatched socks has enthralled generations of children the world over with her fabulous exploits at Villa Villekulla, where she lives with her horse and monkey. Pippi Moves In marks the first time that the legendary Pippi Longstocking comics by the famed children’s author and creator Astrid Lindgren and Danish illustrator Ingrid Vang Nyman will be published outside of Scandinavia in thirty years, as well as their first ever publication in English. THE LOST MASTERPIECE FROM ASTRID LINDGREN’S CHILDREN’S CLASSIC

Pippi lindgren