New Swedish Books, Spring 2018 1
47 Spring 2018 Anna Höglund (b. 1958) The Transfo
rmation Publisher Bonnier Carlsen www.bonniercarlsen.se Rights Koja Agency carin.bacho@kojaagency.com Selected Works Mina och Kåge Picture Book 1995 Om detta talar man endast med kaniner Picture Book 2013 Att vara jag Chapter Book 2015 Selected Literary Prizes Deutcher Jugendlitteraturpreis with Ulf Stark 1995 Augustpriset 1996 Astrid Lindgren-priset 2016 The Transformation Anna Höglund is a star in the picture book firmament, always innovative and with an unfailing sense of style. In The Transformation she delves into classic fairy tale territory. In this multi-layered story a girl in a red dress is left alone on an island by her dad the Knight, who’s gone off to defeat the Giant that transforms everyone who looks at her into stone. Höglund narrates the adventure with a superbly moving delicacy. Male identity is in free fall and the mythical motif of Penelope returns in a new guise as the girl interrupts her waiting and outwits the Giant. The text is perfectly sculpted: each word carefully crafted, each image striking. The play between light and darkness is effectively used in this timeless, poetic and humorously loaded story, which encourages multiple interpretations despite its compact format. Photo: Stefan Tell