New Swedish Books, spring 2017 1
New Swedish Books 74 Frances Part I-III Joanna He
llgren (b. 1981) Frances Part I-III Publisher/rights Galago Johannes Klenell johannes@galago.se www.galago.se Works Min nattbror (Galago 2014) Literary Prizes (selection) Urhunden – prize awarded for the best original comic book in Swedish, 2010 In dreamy graphite grey drawings, on the borderline between realism and chaos, Johanna Hellgren tells a story that spans several generations and fortunes. At the centre is the eponymous little girl. A wide-ranging family and friends surround her, all differently affected by the fact that her father Albert drowned in mysterious circumstances. We get to know the cast of characters very well at the same time as getting a fascinating and completely nostalgia-free view on a part of Swedish twentieth century that’s now gone. The comic book is narrated with an absolute grasp of those everyday little things we do and how people communicate, yet also manages to convey the silences that sometimes can be so telling. It’s an impressive body of work about the lapse of time, what brings people together and what tears them apart, and the struggle to be who you want to be despite the demands of those around you. Frances has previously been published in three separate volumes 2009-2012. Photo: Anna Lundell