Maria Gripe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Gripe
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| Born | Maja Stina Walter 25 July 1923 Vaxholm, Sweden |
| Died | 5 April 2007 (aged 83) Rönninge, Sweden |
| Occupation | Journalist, writer |
| Language | Swedish |
| Nationality | Swedish |
| Period | 1954–1997 |
| Genre | children's literature |
Maria Gripe, whose real name was Maja Stina Walter (born July 25, 1923 – died April 5, 2007), was a famous Swedish writer. She wrote many books for children and young adults. Her stories often had a magical or mysterious feel. Maria Gripe wrote almost 40 books! Many of her characters appeared in short series, like the "Hugo and Josephine" books or the "Shadow" series. Because of her amazing work in children's literature, she won the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Writing in 1974. This is a very important award for children's authors.
Contents
Maria Gripe's Life Story
Maja Stina Walter was born in Vaxholm, Sweden. When she was six years old, her family moved to Örebro. Later, they moved to Stockholm where she went to high school and studied at Stockholm University.
In 1946, she married an artist named Harald Gripe. Harald drew the cover pictures for most of Maria's books. His art career actually started when Maria published her first book, I vår lilla stad (which means "In our little town"). Maria Gripe's first big hit was Josephine in 1961. This book was the start of a series that also included Hugo and Josephine and Hugo.
For most of her life, Maria Gripe lived in Nyköping. A movie based on her book Agnes Cecilia was filmed there. Maria Gripe passed away at age 83 in 2007. She lived in a nursing home in Rönninge, near Stockholm. Her husband, Harald, had passed away 15 years before her. Their daughter, Camilla Gripe, also became a children's author.
Maria Gripe's Writing Style
Maria Gripe's books, especially her later ones, often had a supernatural or mystical touch. She loved to use fairy tales in her stories. These fairy tales were often mixed with real-life feelings and situations, written in a beautiful, poetic way.
Her writing style changed over time. She was inspired by writers like Edgar Allan Poe and the Brontë sisters (Charlotte and Emily). Maria Gripe wanted to create exciting stories without using too much violence. She found other ways to make her plots thrilling.
One important thing about Maria Gripe's writing is that she respected every person and their unique qualities. You can really see this in her Elvis series. She wrote these books with her husband, Harald, in the 1970s.
Another idea that often appeared in Gripe's books was "shadow." This was especially true in her series that started with Skuggan över stenbänken ("The shadow on the stone bench") in 1982.
Books Translated into English
Here are some of Maria Gripe's books that you can read in English:
- Josephine (original title: Josefin, 1961)
- Hugo and Josephine (original title: Hugo och Josefin, 1962)
- Pappa Pellerin's Daughter (original title: Pappa Pellerins dotter, 1963)
- The Glassblower's Children (original title: Glasblåsarns barn, 1964)
- In the Time of the Bells (original title: I klockornas tid, 1965)
- Hugo (original title: Hugo, 1966)
- The Land Beyond (original title: Landet utanför, 1967)
- The Night Daddy (original title: Nattpappan, 1968)
- Julia's House (original title: Julias hus och nattpappan, 1971)
- Elvis and his Secret (original title: Elvis Karlsson, 1972)
- Elvis and his Friends (original title: Elvis! Elvis!, 1973)
- The Green Coat (original title: ...ellen, dellen..., 1974)
- Agnes Cecilia (original title: Agnes Cecilia – en sällsam historia, 1981)
Movies and TV Shows Based on Her Books
Maria Gripe wrote 38 books in total. Her books have been translated into 30 different languages! Her last book was Annas blomma ("Anna's Flower"), published in 1997.
Many of Maria Gripe's books have been made into movies. For example, Glasblåsarns barn ("The Glassblower's Children") and Agnes Cecilia - en sällsam historia ("Agnes Cecilia: a singular history") were both made into films in the 1990s.
The movie Hugo and Josephine, directed by Kjell Grede in 1967, was highly praised. It is even considered the first Swedish children's film that was seen as both artistic and having a great story. In 1976, Kay Pollak also made a movie called Elvis! Elvis! (based on Elvis and his friends). Maria Gripe helped write the script for this movie. There was also a TV series in 1989 called Flickan vid stenbänken ("The girl by the stone bench"), which was based on her "Shadow" series.
Some of her stories, like Tordyveln flyger i skymningen ("The scarab flies at dusk") and Agnes Cecilia, were also made into radio shows. She even wrote the original script for a Swedish television show called Trolltider ("Magic Time") in 1979.
Awards and Recognition for Maria Gripe
Maria Gripe received many awards for her writing. The Hans Christian Andersen Award, given every two years, is the highest honor for a children's book writer or illustrator. Maria Gripe won this award for writing in 1974.
A literature professor named Boel Westin from Stockholm University said that Maria Gripe's "Shadow" books were exciting. She felt that readers could feel like they were part of the story. Professor Westin said, "She has meant a lot. She renewed children's prose." This means Maria Gripe brought new ideas to children's writing.
Another person who studied literature, Ying Toijer-Nilsson, wrote a book about Maria Gripe. She said that Maria Gripe helped children think about big ideas like philosophy, the world, and even death. Toijer-Nilsson also pointed out that Gripe's books often showed strong female characters and supported women's progress in society.
Maria Gripe's books won many awards. In 1979, she won the Dobloug Prize for Swedish and Norwegian fiction. In 1985, she received the Nordic Children's Book Prize. Her publisher, Bonnier Carlsen, even started the Maria Gripe Prize in 2005. This is a literary award given out every year to honor her work.
See also
In Spanish: Maria Gripe para niños
