New Swedish Books, Autumn 2017 1
New Swedish Books 76 Of Love and Tall Ships Karin
Gafvelin (b. 1986) Of Love and Tall Ships Publisher/rights Syster förlag www.systerforlag.se sofia@systerforlag.se Works Chula Comic Magazine Fanzine 2005 In this massive debut graphic novel that has taken years to complete, we meet Karin during a turbulent time in her life. Her passion for sailing has led her to take up a position on board the American ship ‘Windrose’, setting sail from the harbour of Cape Ann, destined for St. Croix in the Caribbean. Gafvelin depicts the far from harmonious existence aboard the ship, Karin’s encounter with her soulmate James, the culture and the people she meets on her trips and the difficulty of coping with other people. Even those you love. It’s a project built on opposites. A feeling underlined by the sharp contrasts between black and white in the magnificent scratchboard technique with which Gafvelin has chosen to tell her story. Even though they couldn’t be more thematically different, you can’t help but think of Thomas Ott, the Swiss master of this particular style. The story mainly takes place inside the head of the main character who, through letters and diary entries, scrutinizes her life and the people in it. How can you be so distant to someone you live with and so close to someone far away? It’s a book filled with a longing: for the sea, for intimacy, for clarity and for a calm that many seek and few find. Photo: Johanna Arnström