War Diaries, 1939–1945 facts for kids

War Diaries, 1939–1945 (Swedish Krigsdagböcker) is a special book by Astrid Lindgren. She was the famous author who wrote Pippi Longstocking. This book shares her personal diary entries from when World War II was happening, between 1939 and 1945. It shows how she saw the war unfold from her home in Sweden. The book has been translated into many languages, like German and English.

What's Inside the Diaries?

Astrid Lindgren started her diary on September 1, 1939. Her first words were: "Oh! War broke out today. Nobody could believe it." She wrote about the war events. She also added newspaper articles and letters to her diary.

She wrote about the dangers from leaders like Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. For example, she mentioned Stalin when his country attacked Finland in the Winter War. At first, Lindgren worried more about Stalin and a Russian invasion. But over time, her view of Germany changed. She became angry with the Germans. She felt they caused two world wars every twenty years. Yet, she also felt sad for the German people. This was especially true when bombs fell on Berlin.

How the Diaries Came to Be

Astrid Lindgren kept her diary from September 1, 1939, to December 31, 1945. She wrote down her thoughts about the war. She also collected newspaper articles and letters. When she started, Lindgren was 32 years old. She lived in Stockholm, Sweden, with her husband and two children.

At that time, she worked as a secretary. She worked for the Royal Automobile Club. She had only published a few short stories before this. In 1940, she got a new job. She had to read German letters for the Swedish intelligence agency. This job gave her a deeper look into the war. She added these insights to her diary. She even copied some letters, even though it was not allowed.

Lindgren's main focus in the diary was the war. She wrote about how it affected her and her family. Her family knew about the diaries. Her husband and children, Lasse and Karin, sometimes helped. They gave her information or listened as she read her entries.

Astrid Lindgren wrote her diaries in 17 notebooks. She never planned to publish them during her lifetime. But in 2015, her family decided to publish them. Her grandson, Nils Nyman, felt she wanted them published. He said she often wrote as if she was talking to readers.

Lindgren's granddaughter, Annika Lindgren, said the diaries were published almost exactly as written. Some newspaper clippings were not printed. But all clippings that Astrid Lindgren wrote comments about are in the book. Only small, unimportant things were left out.

In Sweden, these war diaries led to discussions. People talked about what was known in the country about the crimes of the Nazis during the war.

While writing her war diaries, Astrid Lindgren was also creating Pippi Longstocking. She even mentioned this famous character in her war diaries.

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