The story of Bo Vilhelm Olsson (Karl Anders Nilsson in the English translation), who becomes Mio and ends up in the Land of Faraway where he is given a mission to fight the evil knight Kato, is one of Astrid Lindgren’s most beloved stories. A magnificent, beautiful, and poetic tale that prompts the reader to contemplate life and death, good and evil, and the power of love.Astrid Lindgren recounted how she got the idea for the book when she walked through the Tegnérlunden park in Stockholm and saw a boy sitting alone on a bench. It was a dark autumn evening and he looked so lonely and sad. She made her character live in number 13 Upplandsgatan since that’s the door she noticed the boy disappearing through.The novel was the first of Astrid’s stories illustrated by Ilon Wikland, and became the start of a long collaboration."A tale of exquisite and rare beauty."Saturday Review“A charming fairy story that should complement young feelings of love and adventure.”Kirkus Reviews“Beautifully written... Mio, My Son is a splendid contribution to the fairy-tale shelf.”Chicago Sunday Tribune”Astrid Lindgren's lyrical fairy tale language captivates and makes Mio, My Son a wonderful book to read or read aloud.”Swedish Library Service, BTJTranslator: Jill Morgan
Fact
In 1949, the young German publisher Friedrich Oetinger was in Stockholm to meet the author Gunnar Myrdal. In a bookstore, he happened to hear about Pippi Langstrumpf. The rest is history – he requested a meeting with Astrid Lindgren and obtained a German option for the Pippi trilogy. Verlag Friedrich Oetinger in Hamburg still publishes all of Astrid Lindgren's children's books, and her great popularity in Germany remains intact. The film adaptations of her books were, in several cases, German co-productions, and they are still shown on German TV, especially around Christmas. Several of Astrid Lindgren's songs are very well known in their German translations, such as "Hey Pippi Langstrumpf!".