1 Sweden will be the guest of honour at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2013. This is the largest book fair for literature for children and young adults and our participation as guest of honour is a unique opportunity for Swedish authors and illustrators to reach readers far beyond Sweden’s borders, and to promote children’s and young people’s right to culture internationally. Our participation starts in 2012 and marks the 10th anniversary of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This will be celebrated with various events including an exhibition featuring previous award recipients. Last year over 1.600 books for children and young adults were published in Sweden. Mats Kempe, author and librarian has been given the almost impossible task of choosing and presenting a selection of last year’s rich offering. For more information about the books and their authors please contact the relevant publisher. Kennet Johansson Director General Swedish Arts Council 2 ILLUSTRATIONS COVER: FROm ”MEMMO OCH MYSEN SÖKER EFTER FÄRGEr” BY EMMA VIRKE. 3 INSIDE COVER AND NEXT SPREAD: FROm ”vITA STRECk” bY SARA LUNDBERG. PICTURE FRONT COVER: FROm ”sUMMEr” bY SARA LUNDBERG. 4THIS PAGE: FROm ”my lIFE AS A DETECTIve” bY MALIN AXELSSON (TEXT) AND MAGDALENA CAVALLIN (ILLUSTRATIONS) 5 sitting down to write about Swedish any other way. With her expressive and call ‘scenes from a marriage’, in which ambitions and written stories that are finally returns home. Her distinctive picture books I find it hard not to be- to some extent naive imagery and her women try to adapt their lives to suit more open to interpretation and in humour is here, as are the expressive gin with the author and illustrator Eva multi-layered stories, Eva Lindström is men – or in this case male birds, for which the humour is subtle and more illustrations where everyday reality Lindström, born in 1952. She has been a shining example of an author who is example Min vän Lage (My Friend Lage) ambivalent. I skogen (In the Forest) and collides with absurd interludes, along nominated seven times for the August able to write for all ages, and in a voice and Vid bergets långa breda fot (At the Jag tycker inte om vatten (I Don’t Like with the complex relationships between Prize, one of the Swedish literary prizes all her own. In recent years she has Long Wide Foot of the Mountain), to Water) can be included in this category. humans and animals. given the most media coverage, but moved between depictions of child- her masterpiece Sonja, Boris och tjuven Her latest book, Apan och jag (Monkey If there is a recent trend in Swedish curiously enough she has never won it. hood in the books Jag gillar Stig (I Like (Sonja, Boris and the Thief), about life and Me) is a little book about a friend- picture books I would have to say Picture She is frequently in demand as an il- Stig) and Stig och jag gräver en grop (Stig on a typical Swedish campsite and the ship between a monkey and a woman, that books concentrating on artistic lustrator of books by other authors but and I Dig a Hole), in which the narra- police investigation that follows when in which the monkey suddenly finds presentation have become even more most of all it is her own books I have tive voice belongs to a headstrong and things start to go missing. In recent another friend (this time a mouse), but prominent with the visual and narrative books come to… well, love. I can’t express it dominant girl, to the books I jokingly years she has broadened her artistic is missed so much by the woman that it emphasis receiving greater attention. 6 FROm ”apAN OCH JAg” bY EVA LINDSTRÖM. 7 Two well-established children’s authors, to make his way back to their old fruit itself and its anxieties on a children’s a handbook of creative writing that was remote control – street lighting, neon for Öjvind Vita White Stripe finds the Ulf Stark (text) and Anna Höglund groves to pick oranges while his sister existence, not least via news stands awarded the August Prize in 2009. In signs and lamp posts. Sara Lundberg is answer to her question – she is painting (illustrations) have created the engag- Sulafa, who is disabled, goes with him and the TV screen. Children know that the same year the first book in her own current in two new books, one of them lines so that Öjvind can find his way ing book Pojken, flickan och muren (The in her thoughts. Adham has company painful reality exists and sometimes it name was published, the picture book the follow-up, Vita Streck och Öjvind back to her. Lundberg also provides the Boy, the Girl and the Wall). They have on his walk in the form of Shoo, one is more manageable if we can read and about Vita Streck (Vita White Stripe), (Vita White Stripe and Öjvind) where illustrations for Majken Pollack’s text in already collaborated on numerous titles. of the many village strays. This is a tale talk about it together. the girl who paints all the road mark- the character of Öjvind comes blowing Emblas Universum (Embla’s Universe), This story came about after a trip Stark of longing, poetry and crass everyday A new star in the Swedish picture ings and crossings. In her hair ribbon in with the wind plunging straight into about a big sister who wants to immerse and Höglund made to Palestine. We life, and how children find strategies for book universe is undoubtedly Sara live old Mr Red and Mr Green, and Vita Vita’s paint pot. He asks Vita the exist- herself fully in her games without let- are introduced to Adham and his sister dealing with difficult situations. I wish Lundberg, born in 1971. She had her White Stripe herself sleeps in the breast ential question: why do you paint lines? ting her little sister join in. Lundberg’s Sulafa whose family have been driven more children’s authors would take sim- breakthrough as an illustrator and pocket of the gentle giant Alvaro. And just as Vita is about to attempt pictures, like her stories, are whimsical from their previous home to an exist- ilar strides out into the world we adults designer with the book Skriv om och Alvaro is responsible for the lights, an answer the wind sweeps Öjvind up and full of vivid imagination meta- ence behind a high wall. Adham decides have created. A world which imposes om igen, (Write Over and Over Again), switching them on and off with his again and blows him away. In her search levels, a mix of technique and style, 8 ABOVE: FROm ”mEMMO OCH MYSEN SÖKER EFTER FÄRGEr” bY EMMA VIRKE. 9 LEFT SIDE: FROm ”poJKEN, FLICKAN OCH MUREn” bY ULF STARK (TEXT) AND ANNA HÖGLUND (ILLUSTRATIONS). and references to art and film history, to me. Edward Gorey’s Gashlycrumb sioned and highly acclaimed illustra- and so much visual information they Tinies must have been the source of tors of recent years is Maria Nilsson can be read over and over again. Sara inspiration for this book, but Magntorn Thore. Her pictures turn up everywhere Lundberg’s illustrations sparkle and her reins in the morbid tendencies of his in Swedish life, not least in the world stories are as unpredictable as the dizzi- rhymes rather more than Gorey: ‘Her of picture books. Last year she was est roller coaster ride. brother gave a kite to Li/ She said “It’s nominated for the August Prize with One of the latest Swedish picture far too big for me!”. If we fail to find the no fewer than two titles, which I believe books to make people sit up and take child hidden in each picture we can see is so far unique. The first was her very notice is the seemingly modest Hitta them all at the end of the book. This own picture book Petras prick (Petra’s barnen! (Find the Children!) by Erik makes Hitta barnen! suitable for young- Spot). Petra, looking rather like a tired, Magntorn and Lisa Sjöblom. It is a er children as well, without losing any of middle-aged leopard, unwillingly wakes rhyming ABC book in which we have its captivating and slightly creepy con- up one morning to discover that one to look for children hidden in the black tent. Lisa Sjöblom’s pictures with their of her spots has removed itself from and white illustrations. Erik Magntorn’s stylised designs rich in detail entice the her fur and is trying to escape into the body of work includes several picture reader into a world that is both strange- world. First Petra tries to stick the spot books in collaboration with other illus- ly alien and frighteningly familiar. back on with tape and then replace it trators, but Lisa Sjöblom is a new name One of the most frequently commis- with a medal. The second book is more 10 ABOVE: FROm ”pETRAS PRICk” bY MARIA NILSSON THORE. 11 LEFT SIDE: FROm ”hITTA BARNEn!” bY ERIK MAGNTORN AND LiSA SJÖBLOM. a chapter book for younger children, for embellishing the story with her own eccentric but detailed facial expressions written by Lotta Olsson called Konstiga particular gift for hilarious animal illus- of the beautifully ugly characters that djur (Odd animals) it is in dialogue form, trations. etched themselves in the memory. Her with just a hint of Winnie-the-Pooh be- Maria Nilsson Thore has also started second and latest book Memmo och tween a giant anteater and a dormouse.