Visitors including many school students seen at the exhibition.

HÀ NỘI An exhibition dedicating to Pippi Longstocking – a mischievous fictional character of an eponymous series of children's books opened its door to public in Hà Nội on Monday.

The exhibition marks the 75th anniversary of the book which was composed by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.

Speaking at the event’s opening ceremony, Swedish Ambassador Ann Mawe said the playful character of Pippi Longstocking became a great influencer, inspiring many generations of children and even adults with her self-reliance, independence, and going beyond her limits.

Swedish Ambassador Ann Mawe (4th left) joins Head of the International Cooperation Department of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyễn Phương Hòa (4th right) to cut ribbon to open the exhibition on Monday.

Since she was first introduced to readers in 1945, Pippi Longstocking has travelled around the world and translated into 77 languages. About 165 million books have been sold worldwide. In January 2017, the book’s author Astrid Lindgren was calculated to be the world's 18th most translated author, and the fourth most translated children's writer.

Swedish Ambassador Ann Mawe (left) reads from the book Pippi Longstocking for a group of school students at the National Library of Việt Nam on Tuesday.

When discussing Pippi, Lindgren said: "Pippi represents my own childish longing for a person who has power but does not abuse it." 

Pippi has been variously described by literary critics as warm-hearted, compassionate, kind, clever, generous, playful, and witty.

Attending the event, Head of the International Cooperation Department of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyễn Phương Hòa said: “Pippi Longstocking’s the greatest strength which is out of her expectance and the author’s is ‘inspiration’. She steps out of books to get into the life today. We see the image of Pippi in Greta Thunberg, a self-determined young girl tirelessly fighting for global environment protection, who becomes a role model for millions of children in the world today.”

She said she hopes any exhibition visitor will bring home the friendly image of Pippi Longstocking, not a girl living in a long-distance country, Sweden, “but a dear friend beside us, in our hearts, helping us to live optimistically, independently and dare to fight for the right. This is Pippi’s strength and the strength created by literature.”

Visitors to the exhibition can learn more about the book and its author through several extracts and illustrations. Photos courtesy of the Swedish Embassy

Visitors to the exhibition can learn more about the book and its author through several extracts and illustrations. The event also includes a book reading by Swedish Ambassador, painting competition on the theme of Pippi, and mini games.

The exhibition, co-organised by the Swedish Embassy in Hà Nội and the National Library of Việt Nam (NLV), takes place at the NLV, 31 Tràng Thi Street until December 27. VNS