One of the greatest gems in the treasury of children's literature is called "Ronja".
"Ronia, the Robber's Daughter." Astrid Lindgren wrote this story at the age of 72, and it is one of her final works. It is an incredibly beautiful and poignant book about the blossoming love between two children who are on the verge of stepping into adolescence.
In the north, amidst the forested mountains, a castle stands on a high cliff, home to a band of robbers. One stormy night, a girl is born there, and her father names her Ronia. On that same night, in the same forest, a boy is born in a bear cave where another band of robbers lives; he is given the name Birk. Neither father knows that a child has been born to his rival chieftain. The chieftains have hated each other for so long that they no longer remember how the feud began, but it flourishes; they cannot stand the sight of one another and would both gladly be rid of their competitor.
The boy and girl grow up without any idea of each other's existence, until one day they happen to meet in the mountains... Love begins, though the children do not realize it yet. The conflict lies in the fact that they are not even allowed to be friends: it would be a betrayal of their family and their band. But they are drawn to meeting each other, even though at first they pretend to despise one another. They meet sometimes by chance, sometimes by design, but always in secret from the adults. Of course, the secret is eventually revealed, and that is when the real drama begins, with mutual curses, renunciation of family, and running away from home. Everything ends quite beautifully, but by the time you reach the happy conclusion, you will have had a lump in your throat and a trembling voice at least a dozen times.
There are not that many events in the book; the focus is not on adventures, but on psychology. There are also many descriptions in the text. The action unfolds against the backdrop of a Scandinavian landscape, but the forest is not so much a setting as one of the main characters of the story. The forest is alive, the forest is a friend; it changes, and it fills the entire space, not only physical but also spiritual. Sometimes it is frightening, but more often it beckons, reveals the mysteries of nature, gives strength, and soothes. The northern forest is mighty and beautiful. That is why the children yearn with all their hearts to be in the forest, spending whole days there from dawn to dusk and from spring to late autumn, swimming in lakes, playing with foxes, riding wild horses, climbing trees, scaling cliffs, and splashing in waterfalls... The forest is inhabited by trolls and gnomes, characters from Scandinavian mythology, and above the forest circle the vicious harpies - predatory bird-women. The forest is an entire world with its own dangers, joys, and adventures. Astrid Lindgren brilliantly conveys the cool and clear atmosphere of the taiga wilderness.
"Ronia" is a true masterpiece; how lucky are those who have yet to discover it. And if you are already among its fans, we recommend listening to the songs by Alexander Gorodnitsky (the one who wrote "The sky above Canada is blue"): the "Wolf Song" and the "Song of Ronia and Birk" (which can be found on YouTube). They are also very poignant.
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