New Swedish Books, Spring 2020 1
New Swedish Books 30 Translator’s choice What boo
ks from contemporary literature deserve to be re-discovered? Maria Ludkovskaja knows books for young readers, and recommends one particularly close to her heart. Maria Ludkovskaja Translates from Swedish to Russian, lives in Moscow One day when Ajax the dog was seven he got a boy… The author turns the usual word order upside down, surprises, and then begins telling a story where simple everyday things that the reader recognises from their own lives exist alongside things only possible to understand in the abstract or through thinking philosophically. And just like in a real storybook tale the narrative is filled with humour and playfulness, riddles, death and rebirth, sorrow and dramatic depths. The book is almost like a little movie with memorable freeze frames – a child learns to walk, says his first words, play in the snow, and grows older. But the trick with the word order at the start is a sign that the story (or the movie) will be about two characters throughout, about friendship and about doing anything for that friend. The boy grows up and the dog becomes older and older. One day Ajax doesn’t wake up again. Ajax has been by the boy’s side all through his life, comforted and shared everything with him. Now it’s the boy’s turn to become a grown up and act, take back his dog who has become a star in the night-time sky. Because we’ve come to understand that this is what it’s like having a friend. Each word is perfectly in place and made for reading aloud. Yet it is a picture book. I can’t imagine any other illustrator who would be able to paint this story in an equally harmonious, sensitive, fragile, sometimes clear and sometimes only evocative way. A bit of ink and watercolour. So much is said using such modest means. Only the greats are able to do that. Thank you Ulf and Stina, this has been a gift that a translator could only have dreamt of receiving. Ulf Stark has also adapted the book for the stage and written a play with the same name, which I would strongly recommend to those who translate for the theatre. A Star Called Ajax Ulf Stark (1944-2017) Stina Wirsén (ill.) b. 1968 picture book, 2007 Publisher Bonnier Carlsen Bokförlag www.bonniercarlsen.se Rights Bonnier Rights Photo: Private