New Swedish Books, spring 2017 1
37 Spring 2017 Siri Ahmed Backström (b. 1980) The
Cat Party Publisher Urax info@uraxforlag.se www.uraxforlag.se Rights Koja agency carin.bacho@kojaagency.com Selected Works Jag ska försöka beskriva dig precis så fin som du är (Urax 2013) Picture book Syskondagen (Urax 2013) Picture book Dom som är kvar written by Karin Saler (Urax 2014) Picture book Literary Prizes Snöbollen 2014 The Cat Party Siri Ahmed Backström’s new picture book poses no easy questions to its reader. Its narrator has wanted a cat forever. Now it is finally time! But, when they’re at the house of the lonely old man selling the cat the walls are covered with photos of his beloved pet. And he doesn’t seem to have anyone else in the whole world. Depicted through a heart-breaking close up he kisses the cat goodbye, with the cat lovingly gazing back up at its owner. It’s rare for a dilemma to go straight to the pit of one’s stomach: Who here is really more in need of the cat? The lonely old man, or the hankering child? In a naïve style and with a perspective that’s clearly the child’s Siri Ahmed Backström tells a story of loneliness, longing and generosity. It’s difficult to go beyond yourself and put someone else first. But maybe sometimes you have to. Photo: Anna Drvnik