New Swedish Books, Autumn 2017 1
77 Autumn 2017 New Norrland Mats Jonsson (b. 1973
) New Norrland Publisher/rights Galago www.galago.se Rights Am-Book alessandra@am-book.com Selected Works Pojken i skogen 2005 I detta satans rum 2008 Mats kamp 2012 Literary Prizes Urhunden 2006 Angermannapriset 2012 Birger Normanpriset 2017 The comics creator and publisher Mats Jonsson is one of the strongest voices to emerge from the wave of autobiographies that swept across literary Sweden in the 90s. With his earlier graphic novels Pojken i Skogen (2005), Hey Princess (2002), and Mats kamp (2011) he depicted growing up and becoming an adult. In his latest work he widens his viewpoint considerably and paints a picture of his provincial hometown Bollstabruk, spanning from the time when people first settled there to its depopulation and dismantling during his lifetime. The perspectives are mind blowing, as personal experiences mix with family histories recounted over the years, going further back, to written records that give us an insight into a community that has experienced wealth as well as destitution. Those worried about being overloaded with dull facts can breathe a sigh of relief. Here the past is brought to life through images full of information, reproducing conversations between Jonsson and his daughter. There is a clear class perspective, forming a damning critique of Sweden’s development that tries to answer the question “where did the wealth come from, and where did it go?”. Jonsson allows economic history to take centre stage and reveals its effects on both an individual and a societal level. Photo: Johannes Klenell