New Swedish Books, autumn 2019 1
New Swedish Books 30 A Summer of Diving In her no
vel for adults Beckomberga (2014) Sara Stridsberg depicted life in proximity to a big psychiatric hospital and the relationship with a father committed there. Here she returns to the same location and theme, but the focus is instead on the child trying to understand why her father finds it so difficult to live. “Why does he want to die when dogs and butterflies exist and when I do?” When the child feels that she’s not enough to make her daddy want to live she becomes increasingly vulnerable. In A Summer of Diving the father disappears, first to the big hospital and from the child’s everyday life, then later to an unreachable place. Instead of being able to contact her father the child ends up meeting Sabina. Together they practise swimming in the hospital park – even though there’s no water there – until the day that her father finally copes with letting his family in again. The story doesn’t end well, but does so with the knowledge that it is possible to live in proximity to depression. Furthermore Sara Lundberg’s illustrations succeed in extending the story’s scope beyond children’s literature by elevating and opening up the relatively simple text. The relationships are intensified by how the characters are placed, their facial expressions and the bird’seye view of the scenes. The different world that the hospital represents is only depicted in images of its grand façade, the many staircases and the father’s closed door. An older reader will appreciate the book’s many layers. Sara Stridsberg (text) b. 1972 Sara Lundberg (ill.) b. 1971 A Summer of Diving picture book, 4 years and up, 40 p. Publisher Mirando Bok www.mirandobok.se Rights Koja Agency Carin Bacho carin.bacho@kojaagency.com Sara Stridsberg Selected works Beckomberga. Ode till min familj, novel, 2014 Kärlekens Antarktis, novel, 2018 Literary prizes Nordiska rådets litteraturpris 2007 De Nios Stora Pris 2015 Sveriges Radios romanpris 2019 Sara Lundberg Selected works Vita streck, picture book, 2009 Emblas universum, picture book, 2011 Fågeln i mig flyger vart den vill, picture book, 2017 Awards Augustpriset 2009 and 2017 Snöbollen – picture book of the year 2018 Photo: Ola Kjelbye Photo: Ola Kjelbye