On December 22, 1962, Björn Berg, a 39-year-old Swedish artist, received a phone call that would make him famous worldwide. However, he did not answer the phone.
Die große Kinderbuchautorin Astrid LindgrenI tried to reach the illustrator. At that time, she was working on her first Michel aus Lönneberga book and saw a picture of a mountain with a blond boy on it. Usually, Lindgren had all her books illustrated by Ilon Wikland. However, when she saw this picture, she allegedly exclaimed, „Yes, that’s my Michel!“ and tried to contact the artist just two days before Christmas Eve. Lindgren later told the anecdote about how she and Berg and their families liked it. (Three of the Bergs‘ children, among other sources, helped to share many of the memories about Björn Berg in this text – more about the children later.)