A WELL-KNOWN EXAMPLE of Astrid Lindgren's "anarchistic" side, and one of her most loved characters, is Karlsson on the Roof, the (anti)hero of three books from 1955-68, translated into 36 languages.

The adventures of seven-year-old Lillebror and his friend Karlsson, an extraordinary little man with a propeller on his back, share many elements with other fairy tale and fantasy tales, but Karlsson can be regarded as a lighter, funnier and more mundane version of characters like Peter Pan, Mary Poppins and Astrid Lindgren's own Mr Liljonkvast from Nils Karlsson Pyssling. In the eyes of this smug, chubby, infantile, self-absorbed and boastful little man, it is "only a worldy matter" as he wreaks havoc on the everyday middle-class life of Lillebror and his family.

© Astrid Lindgren / Anatoly Savchenko / Saltkrakan AB

"The world's best Karlsson" is by far the major Astrid Lindgren character in the former Soviet Union, and also one of the most popular children's characters in Russia in general - according to former Russian ambassador in Stockholm Boris Pankin, the two books that are most likely to be found in a Russian home are the Bible and Karlsson on the Roof. The book was also made into a stage play at the Teatr Satyry in Moscow in 1968, still being performed there. The first edition of the book in 1957 was printed in 115.000 copies, and 60 different Russian editions have since then followed. Part of the great success was due to the illustrations by Anatoliy Savchenko.

During the Soviet era, a Russian animation company produced two animated Karlsson cartoons, Little Boy and Karlsson (1968) and Karlsson Returns (1970), based on Savchenko's character design and since long classics on the Russian market. The films were made without judicial clearance (which was possible before the Soviet Union joined the Universal Copyright Convention in 1973), but through Plus Licens, the rights to the character have now been firmly reconfirmed as belonging to the Astrid Lindgren estate.

Plus Licens represents Saltkråkan AB for Astrid Lindgren's literary works and for Anatoly Savchenko's illustrations to Astrid Lindgren's literary works in the following territories: Albania, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Eire, Estonia, Finland, France, FYR Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vatican City (merchandising rights); Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan (merchandising and publishing rights).