"I have very fond memories of visiting Astrid's apartment. She always sat there dealing with the huge amount of letters she received but she always had time for us when we visited," Astrid Lindgren's great grandson Johan Palmberg told ERR.

Astrid Lindgren was a Swedish fiction and screenplay writer, who was best known for writing several children's book series, featuring the characters Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on-the-Roof, and The Six Bullerby Children (Children of Noisy Village in the U.S), as well as the children's fantasy novels "Mio, My Son," "Ronia the Robber's Daughter" and "The Brothers Lionheart."

"She enjoyed being with children and had a very unusual understanding of what we would find interesting to talk about. Most adults don't have that. They talk to children about topics that interest them," Palmberg recalled.

"Astrid had an innate understanding of what children are interested in, and she was interested in the same things. She talked to children in a way that made them feel noticed and understood," said Palmberg, who was 11 years old when his great grandmother died.

According to Palmberg, Astrid never read books to him and her other great grandchildren.

"My earliest memories are from a time when her eyesight was so poor that she could no longer read. I remember that when I was learning to read, I once read a book aloud in her apartment because I couldn't read quietly yet. It was one of the 'Emil' books, and she laughed because she found her own book so funny. She hadn't read it in such a long time. She listened and said it was actually quite good," Palmberg said.

Palmberg told ERR during his school days, his Swedish teacher was very kind to him as she believed he had magic in his veins. "I was very surprised by how many people came to her apartment after Astrid's death to leave flowers, gifts and letters. Before she passed away, I didn't realize how important she was to so many people," said Palmberg.

Lindgren told her family very little about the most tragic period of her life, which is also the focus of a new docudrama "A World Gone Mad – The War Diaries of Astrid Lindgren," set for release in cinemas this year.

"It felt a little like the filmmakers were invading her personal space, which was something h she herself did not want to reveal," Palmberg said of the film.

Palmberg also recalled the story behind the book "Pippi Longstocking" and said Astrid was definitely aware that it could cause controversy because of the way it depicts children.

"We have to be realistic about the fact that language and the meaning of words both change over time. In my opinion, this was the reason that made me think that we need to think about it again in a new way," Palmberg said, in response to accusations that the books contain colonial racist stereotypes.

In Palmberg's view, Astrid's funniest book is "Karlsson on the Roof."

"For those who want to read more of Astrid's work, I recommend reading Astrid's short stories," Palmberg said.

Palmberg himself has not written any stories of his own, however. "All the talent in the family went to Astrid," he smiled.

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