In Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, the communist regime controlled the spread of the printed word. When Astrid Lindgren's Czechoslovakian publisher declined to publish "Bröderna Lejonhjärta" citing that it was unsuitable for children, the translator Jarka Vrbová decided to print a dozen secret copies.
Now the book is being published in a new edition – with a picture of Vrbová's typewriter as the first page. Behind the initiative are, among others, Swedish Pen, who want to highlight the issue of freedom of speech.
Book bans are increasing internationally. In the USA, American Pen has noted over 16,000 cases in recent years, says Swedish Pen's CEO Hanna Nordell.
"Banned books week"
She explains that the new edition reflects the struggle for freedom of speech on several levels – both through the translator's acts of resistance and in the story itself.
"Bröderna Lejonhjärta" is about being brave and daring to stand up against authoritarian forces, says Hanna Nordell.
The publication takes place during "Banned books week", 6–12 October, Astrid Lindgren's granddaughter Annika Lindgren believes that her grandmother would have appreciated the initiative.
She was against oppression and abuse of power, from the beginning of her life I think she had a sense of justice, says Annika Lindgren.
Astrid would have mourned
She believes that Astrid Lindgren would have mourned the development of banned books worldwide.
She was very much into the idea that everything big that happens in the world is created initially in a child's imagination. If you limit that by banning books, there will be no opening in the worlds of children or adults.
In connection with "Banned books week Sweden", "Bröderna Lejonhjärta" is being published in a new edition with texts about freedom of speech and banned books.
The edition also contains information about how "Bröderna Lejonhjärta" was spread in secret in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s.
The book concludes with an afterword by Alma laureate Laurie Halse Anderson, whose own books have been banned in several libraries and schools in the USA.
Behind the edition are Swedish Pen and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, in collaboration with Astrid Lindgren AB and Rabén & Sjögren.
Source: Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
