DANISH ARTS FOUNDATION
DANISH LITER ARY MAGA ZINE
CHILDRE N & YOU NG ADU LTS 2018
DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY Danish Arts Foundation’s Committee for Literary Project Funding www.danisharts.dk
TEXT Nana Baaner Klitgaard
PRINT Rosendahls
TRANSLATION Paul Larkin
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Annette Bach aba@slks.dk
DESIGN NR2154
CONTACT US The Agency for Culture and Palaces H.C. Andersens Boulevard 2 / 1553 Copenhagen V / Denmark Tel. +45 3373 3373 litt@slks.dk
EDITOR Lars Sidenius lsi@slks.dk
COVER ILLUSTRATION Otto Dickmeiss (Read about the illustrator on page 18, Lillefingeren)
ISSN 2445-5113
(ONCE MORE!)
WELCOME For the fourth year in a row, the
Nor are picture books solely
- learning about yourself, the world
Danish Arts Foundation is very
for the youngest of readers
and the universe, has never been
pleased to publish our Danish
anymore. That said, all these
more exciting and appealing.
Literary Magazine – Children and
new and experimental trends
Young Adults (C & YA).
haven’t eclipsed more traditional
And this can only be a taster
approaches. There are still books
of Danish children and youth
This is a really exciting time in
that deal with all that’s familiar,
literature anno 2017-18, but we
Danish children’s literature. In
exciting and grim in our lives; teen-
have, of course, chosen the cream
particular, works that challenge the
books on the search for passion
of the crop.
conventional text/image dynamic
and the authentic, also. Something
are dominant at the moment and
for every taste and age group, in
they’re not always easy to define.
other words.
An illustrated novel is no longer
That includes the nonfiction
‘just’ that, but perhaps not exactly a
category, which has also begun to
Lars Sidenius
graphic novel or comic book either.
push at its traditional boundaries
EDITOR
AWARDS METTE VEDSØ RASMUS BREGNHØI HANNE KVIST BOOKS IN BRIEF SARAH ENGELL CAMILLA HÜBBE RECENTLY SOLD SUPPORT SCHEMES
Enjoy!
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The Danish Ministry of Culture’s illustrator prize for children’s and youth literature
It’s no exaggeration whatsoever to say that the illustrator, with his exceptionally beautiful and detailed illustrations, has achieved a level of artistic expression that is at once timeless and yet ultramodern. Animal fables have a thousand year tradition. They’re usually reassuring and carry a civilizing moral. But not here. With this collection of 12 morbid stories, the author and illustrator have
worked together to create a bleak and amoral universe that springs a particularly cruel surprise on us at the end. Weekendavisen’s reviewer wrote: “Kristian Eskild Jensen has illustrated these amoral stories with truly forceful, realistic and stark tones.”
Illustrator KRISTIAN ESKILD JENSEN (b. 1972) has a BA in visual communications from the Kent Institute of Art & Design and has worked on everything from graphic identity, film and TV for educational books, children’s books and magazines. Author ELLEN HOLMBOE (b. 1965) debuted in 2007 and has become highly productive since. Today she is a full time writer, with a particular penchant for comedy and horror.
Og de onde lo – amoralske fabler (And the bad guys laughed – amoral fables) Alvilda 2017, 32 pages FOREIGN RIGHTS: Alvilda, Amalie Karnøe: ak@alvilda.dk
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The Danish Ministry of Culture’s author prize for children’s and youth literature & nominated for the Nordic Council’s C & YA Literature Prize
”It’s really great, when an author dares to give a familiar genre a good kick up the arse, so that there’s lots more to the story than you could ever have expected” Weekendavisen on Mette Vedsø’s Hest Horse Pferd Cheval Love (Horse Pferd Cheval Love). The book doesn’t follow the usual equestrian book genre. Two very different girls, Naja and Taxa (who’s really called Vanessa) find friendship via their mutual love of horses. They can have a laugh, share things and chat about everything. Well, not quite. Taxa lives on the tenth floor of a tower block and her mum is never there. Naja is good with words and can say horse in three different
ARDS AWARDS
Also nominated for the Nordic Council’s C & YA Literature Prize
languages. But when Naja gets home from holidays she finds that everything has suddenly changed. (Read more about Mette Vedsø on pages 4-5)
Hest Horse Pferd Cheval Love (Horse Pferd Cheval Love) Jensen & Dalgaard 2017, 130 pages. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Forlaget Jensen & Dalgaard, forlaget@jensenogdalgaard.dk
An illustrated, autofictional novel about the author Jesper Wung Sung’s childhood in Denmark and the USA. Wung Sung’s Chinese great-grandfather was brought to Denmark in 1902 as an exhibit at Tivoli Fair. Then, his grandfather married a Danish country girl. Her parents were not exactly thrilled, but she persisted and was soon pregnant. Thus the origins of Jesper Wung Sung. In 2017, he published a critically acclaimed adult novel En anden gren (Show Me) about his great-grandfather. Lynkinser (The Chinese Firecracker) is about not always fitting in but staying true to your true self. An unsentimental, yet warm-hearted coming-of-age tale.
he won the Ministry of Culture’s children’s books award for Kopierne (The Copies), and in 2015 was nominated for the Nordic Council’s C & YA literature award for Ud med Knud (Boot Canute).
RASMUS MEISLER (b.1973) graduated from the Danish School of Design in 1998 and has since worked in illustration and animation. Lynkineser (The Chinese Firecracker) Illustrated by Rasmus Meisler Danish Teachers Association Press 2017, 112 pages FOREIGN RIGHTS: Mette Kuhlmann, mku@dansklf.dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (author): Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy, France and USA.
JESPER WUNG SUNG (b. 1971) debuted in 1998 with the short story collection To ryk og en aflevering (Kick ‘n Rush) for which he won a debutant award. He has since written a range of critically acclaimed C & YA books. In 2010
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
UNSUNG HEROES ”My books often deal with a turning point in life. It might be death, that first love, or something completely different,” says Mette Vedsø. You need to be constantly on your toes to keep up with Mette Vedsø’s literary output. She debuted eight years ago, but has already written more than 20 books for children and teenagers. But this tempo has by no means reduced the quality of her works. The stories are full of passion, understated comedy and pain. The Fates didn’t seem to have a career as an author in mind for Mette Vedsø. She studied chemistry and biotechnology and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for a long time, but she always kept personal time aside to write and one day decided the world might like to see her work. She saw an advertisement for the Danish Academy Of Creative Writing for children’s literature, applied, was accepted, and the rest was history.
PHOTO: CHRISTIANE JUUL
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Mette Vedsø writes social realist stories, but is never didactic. She often uses a dramatic approach, with dialogue carrying the narrative
and the reader having to fill in the gaps. She makes demands on her young readers and book illustrators, using very simple techniques and authentic, sometimes heartbreaking, portraits of her characters. We are now at volume two of the Tove tænker (Tove works things out) series and Tove is ten years old and travelling to see her uncle in London. Tove’s uncle lives alone, and Tove would like to help him find a partner, but for some reason he’s not interested. In her latest novel Langt fra Det hvide Hus (A Long way From the White House) we meet 15 year old George who has the nickname ‘Bush’. His Dad is USA nuts – hence the nickname. George’s mother is utterly childish. His dad works nights in a cheese factory but is on the verge of a breakdown. His parents are dysfunctional and Bush is caught between them and
t de hup flere krige og andet mmet andre fjolser Hvide Hus, og han lidt i glemmebogen, h er fint nok, eg.
METTE VEDSØ 9
150+2 mm
110 mm
Selvom Bush prøver at se tingene fra den humoristiske side, så er der i virkeligheden ikke så meget at grine af ved livet i Palmeparken. Hans mor magter ikke rigtigt at være mor, og hans far er slidt ned efter at have prøvet at holde sammen på familien i 15 år. Da Bush en dag møder en dame og lidt tilfældigt kommer til at fortælle en løgn, tager livet en helt ny og glædesfyldt drejning. Spørgsmålet er bare, hvor lang tid der vil gå, før løgnen indhenter ham og alting ramler?
er en både sorgfuld og humoristisk historie om ikke at være den, der stod først i køen, da forældre og tilværelse blev uddelt; om nødløgne og om overlevelse på trods.
”It’s really great, when an author dares to give a familiar genre a good kick up the arse, so that there’s lots more to the story than you could ever have expected.” - WEEKENDAVISEN
– ON HEST HORSE PFERD CHEVAL LOVE (HORSE PFERD CHEVAL LOVE)
school social services. All the while trying to joke his way through the minefield. The absolute worst would be if he was put in a children’s home, mainly because he’d worry about the effect on his dad. One day he meets a really nice lady and her two small boys. They get talking and before long he gets a childminding job! Here he encounters home comforts, friendliness and the beginnings of affection, but his fears that the whole thing will collapse keep George on permanent tenterhooks. Across a few short pages and chapters, the author unveils an enthralling everyday drama about a likeable boy who, despite huge problems, manages to get on in life. METTE VEDSØ (b. 1968) first studied chemistry and biotechnology and then at the School for Authors of Children’s Literature. From 2010 onwards, she has published a wide
”IT’S HARD TO SAY OUT LOUD. WHAT I WANT TO SAY. MAYBE I SHOULDN’T SAY IT, BUT BASICALLY … MY MUM IS A BIT CRAP AT BEING A MOTHER. THERE. NOW I’VE SAID IT IT’S NOT THAT SHE’S A BAD PERSON. SHE DOESN’T HIT ME. DOESN’T DRINK. I KNOW SHE LIKES ME AND SAYS THAT I GOT MY POINTY CHIN AND GOOD TEETH FROM HER. BUT IT’S LIKE SHE CAN ONLY DEAL WITH HER OWN WORLD.” EXTRACT FROM LANGT FRA DET HVIDE HUS (A LONG WAY FROM THE WHITE HOUSE)
range of critically acclaimed C & YA books. She was nominated for the 2016 Ministry Of Culture’s C & YA Author Prize for Tove tænker – dobbelt så gammel (Tove works it out – twice as old). The third instalment in the series is due this Spring. In 2017, Vedsø was awarded a 3 year work grant by the Danish Arts Foundation’s Literature Committee. Read about Mette Vedsø’s novel Hest Horse Pferd Cheval Love on the Award pages
Hest Horse Pferd Cheval Love (Horse Pferd Cheval Love) Jensen & Dalgaard 2017, 130 pages Tove tænker – alene i London (Tove works it out – alone in London) Jensen & Dalgaard 2017, 70 pages FOREIGN RIGHTS: Forlaget Jensen & Dalgaard, forlaget@jensenogdalgaard.dk Langt fra Det hvide Hus (A Long way From the White House) Høst & Søn 2018, 115 pages. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor: jenny_thor@gyldendalgroupagency.dk
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS Most Danish children recognise Rasmus Bregnhøi’s artwork immediately. He has illustrated more than one hundred children’s books and his drawings are living proof that illustrations for kids don’t need to be all gloss and no substance to be loved. He illustrates books for tiny tots, of which the best known are his books about Ib the dog (written by Peter Nordahl) and also picture books, chapter based books,
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Bregnhøi’s drawings are anything but sugary and twee. Rather, they are full-blooded and often funny and highly inventive.
RASMUS BREGNHØI
graphic novels and cartoon series – sometimes in collaboration with an author, other times with himself as both author and illustrator. Bregnhøi moves with ease between humorous and heavy, sometimes political, subjects and he’s clearly able to successfully experiment with styles and genres regardless of whether he’s working in black and white or colour. In the graphic novel Mira (Mira), written by Bregnhøi’s real life partner Sabine Lemire, Rasmus brings the girl and her story to life. We follow Mira and her mum over the course of a year marked by the transition from child to tweenager. Mira’s friends want to talk about nothing but boys and falling in love, but Mira’s not quite done with child play yet. Her mum has lots of different partners. They’re all friendly, but getting used to a new ‘dad’ all the time is a pain. With a mixture of cartoon windows, speech bubbles, diary entries and full page illustrations, Bregnhøi and Lemire have created an engaging and funny tale of everyday life in that difficult period when we are neither children nor adults.
PHOTO: SIMON KLEIN-KNUDSEN
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Bregnhøi’s illustrations for Benni Bødker’s new novel Krystalskibet (the Crystal Ship) show a completely different side to his talents. This story is set in a sci-fi London that is so badly flooded only the highest buildings stand above water. It’s here the burglar Kajsa and her friend Isak live in a battered old submarine - a world clearly inspired by the steampunk genre and Jules Verne’s visionary tale about the ‘Nautilus’ submarine and underwater navigation; all of which is dramatically evoked in Bregnhøi’s black and white vignettes and illustrations.
Benni Bødker’s words and Rasmus Bregnhøi’s 114 brush strokes are combined fantastically well here to give us this year’s best adventure story; full of tension, friendship, an old submarine and magic pieces of crystal. Oh yes and flooded libraries!” THE LIBRARY BOOK BLOGGER ‘BIBLIOTEKAT’ ON KRYSTALSKIBET (THE CRYSTAL SHIP)
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RASMUS BREGNHØI (b. 1965) graduated from the Danish School of Design in 1992. He debuted as an illustrator in 1987, but only began illustrating children’s books in earnest over the last twenty years. His artwork has been exhibited at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the Tabashi Museum in Tokyo, amongst others. He has also won a wide range of prizes, including the Ministry of Culture’s Illustrator Award (2007), The Blixen Prize and the Gyldendal Children’s Book Award (2017). And he was nominated for the 2017 Nordic Council’s C & YA Literature Prize for his illustrations in the double graphic novel Stormhjerte/ Hjertestorm (Stormheart/ Heartstorm). Mira (Mira) Author: Sabine Lemire Gyldendal 2017, 100 pages. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor: jenny_thor@gyldendalgroupagency.dk Krystalskibet (The Crystal Ship) Author: Benni Bødker, Alvilda 2017, 166 pages. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Alvilda: Amalie Karnøe ak@alvilda.dk PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO: Iceland, Sweden, Germany
HANNE KVIST
IF YOU EVEN HAVE ONE FRIEND …
Many of the children in Hanne Kvist’s books are a bit lonely, but the point seems to be that as long as you have even one friend you’ll be fine. And in this author’s universe children and animals are particularly good at befriending each other. 9
DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
Hanne Kvist is something of an all-rounder. She’s both an illustrator and author. She writes short and long novels, and she draws and illustrates both her own works and that of others. For many years she worked as a graphic artist and illustrator and creating her own books didn’t occur to her. But then she felt the urge to find new areas of work, and in 1995 she published the book Alle tiders rejse (The best journey ever) with Ida Toldbod. This gave her ‘the bug’ and in 1997 she won a children’s competition with her novel Drengen med sølvhjelmen (The Boy with the Silver Helmet). This was her breakthrough work and there’s now both a film and stage version. She gets her creative inspiration from many different places, and from home and abroad. Drawing has always been part of her life she says: “I can’t remember a time when I couldn’t draw. But I only started writing after I’d turned thirty. So I feel that drawing always came naturally to me, but I have much bigger ambitions to excel at writing. There’s more at stake for me in the written word.” Hanne was both illustrator and writer for her latest picture book Træet, dyrene og os (The tree, the animals and us), which tells an intriguing story about two children and some animals sitting out in the woods – in the wind and rain – playing Monopoly. We all know that feeling when a board game could last for hours, even days. Some get tired and would rather do something else, and then there are those who want to keep on to the end. It’s difficult to keep everyone
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ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE PRAISED DYR MED PELS – OG UDEN (ANIMALS WITH FUR AND WITHOUT), 2016
WHY ARE YOU ALL SO CROSS? THE TREE ASKS. BECAUSE THE RULE IS THAT TREES STAND STILL, WE SAY. AH … WELL THAT’S A DAFT RULE THEN, SAYS THE TREE. WHO THE HECK CAME UP WITH THAT? PROBABLY THE ANIMALS, WE SAY. PROBABLY THE CHILDREN, SAY THE ANIMALS. EXTRACT FROM TRÆET, DYRENE OG OS (THE TREE, THE ANIMALS AND US)
HANNE KVIST
PHOTO: KAJSA GULLBERG
happy. And there are also those who hover at the edge and want to get involved. Here it’s a tree that begins to stir and wants in. This creates a bit of a stir and suddenly all the trees lie down, which, as it says in the book, creates “a bit of a weird atmosphere”. It’s the kind of understated humour that brings a smile to the reader’s lips. With just a few well-chosen words, children will recognize themselves and situations that, for example, could occur in a schoolyard or playschool. Hanne Kvist has many new projects in the pipeline. She’s currently writing a novel for children and one for adults and also working with the artist Lilian Brøgger on two books which they both will illustrate with Hanne writing the text. HANNE KVIST (b. 1961) graduated from the Institute of Graphic Arts in 1983. She made her debut in 1995
and her breakthrough came in 1997 with Drengen med sølvhjelmen (The Boy with the Silver Helmet). She has won several awards, most recently the 2016 Gyldendal Children’s Book Prize and the 2017 Ministry of Culture’s Author Prize for C &YA books. She was also nominated for the 2014 Nordic Council’s Children and Youth Literature Prize for To af alting (Two of Everything) and in 2016 for Dyr med pels – og uden (Animals With Fur and Without) where Kvist challenges the novel genre with a novel/graphic/comic hybrid.
“A finely composed and heartening picture book with understated humour. The text is crisp and cut back to the bare essentials, and it goes well with the illustrations that are fine autumnal watercolours.” INFORMATION
Træet, dyrene og os (The tree, the animals and us) Gyldendal 2017, 32 pages. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor: jenny_ thor@gyldendalgroupagency.dk PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO: Norway, Sweden, Holland, Italy, Germany, South Korea, the Faroe Islands and Iceland.
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
BOOKS IN BRIEF Author CHRISTINE LUND JAKOBSEN (b. 1977) has a degree in IT, Organization and Learning. In addition to writing children’s books and songs, she’s a consultant and holds workshops on children’s literature. She debuted in 2015 with her first children’s book Hvis jeg flytter i en flaske (If I travel in a bottle).
HEY, MUM. LOOK AT ME! ”Hey mum, look at me!” Lilli says. But mum doesn’t have time. She has to check her phone all the nonstop, or cook. And suddenly Lilli starts to shrink. She gets so small that mum can’t find her. A sweet and humorous story about the relationship between children and adults in a hectic world. Entertaining and vibrant illustrations.
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Illustrator ZARAH JUUL (b. 1978) trained as a multimedia designer and animator and worked for many years as a games and art director. Since 2013 she has worked as an illustrator, copywriter and game consultant and has illustrated several children’s books.
CHRISTINE LUND JAKOBSEN
Illustrations by Zarah Juul Lillebitte Lilli (Lilli little by little) Turbine 2017, 32 pages. TARGET GROUP: 3+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Turbine Forlaget, Marie Jensby: marie.jensby@turbine.dk.
BOOKS IN BRIEF / PICTURE BOOKS 7,8
KRUMBACH & THAU - JENSEN
AN ITA
KR UM
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TH & CATO
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the mountains, and so everything is good again. Masterly interplay between the text and the richly detailed illustrations.
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Author ANITA KRUMBACH (b. 1967) is both a qualified teacher and Danish School of Design illustrator. She has also attended the School for Authors of Children’s Literature. She debuted in 2008, and in 2009 won the Ministry of Culture’s Author Prize for C & YA books for her novel Et mærkeligt skib (A weird ship).
848053 HØST & SØN
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STRONGER TOGETHER “There’s never been anything like it ... This is art” wrote Politiken as it awarded six hearts out of a possible six. A simple story about a little wolf and its teddy ‘Lille’ (Small), who’s petrified of a large wolf called ‘Store’ (Big) who makes everything on the table shake. ‘Store’ is horrible but ‘Lille’ and wolf decide to get a grip and build a pincer machine that can pinch Store and throw him far into
Illustrator CATO THAU-JENSEN (b. 1966) is a graduate of the Kolding School of Design. He debuted as a children’s books illustrator in 1996 and, amongst other things, has won a 1997 Gyldendal Work Grant for authors and illustrators of children’s books, as well the 2002 Ministry of Culture Illustrator Award.
ANITA KRUMBACH
Illustrations by Cato Thau-Jensen Nivemaskinen (The Pincer Machine) Høst & Søn 2017, 32 pages. TARGET GROUP: 3+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor: jenny_thor@gyldendalgroupagency.dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (illustrator): China, Germany and Sweden.
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BUT THEN SOMETHING AMAZING HAPPENED Klotilde is sitting in the garden and suddenly a package drops from the sky. It’s a strange package full of small seeds, which she plants in the ground. In no time little birds called ‘Pips’ start to pop up! Klotilde now has to feed and entertain them. Politiken was full of praise and wrote: “Kamila Slocinska is a gift to all picture lovers.” KAMILA SLOCINSKA (b. 1981) is a Danish/Polish illustrator, writer and artist. She trained at the Danish School of Design and Glasgow School of Art. Since her debut in 2011, she has illustrated over 15 children’s books. She was nominated for the 2013 Ministry of Culture Illustrator Award and has also won an Award of Excellence from ‘Communication Arts’ for her illustrations for Køteren (The Mongrel) as well as a Best Digital Fiction Award for Wuwu & Co. (Wuwu & Co.), Bologna Ragazzi 2016.
KAMILA SLOCINSKA
Den mærkelige pakke – eller da Klotilde mødte Pipserne og ingenting blev det samme som før (The magic package – or, when Klotilde met the Pips and nothing was ever the same again) Jensen & Dalgaard 2017, 48 pages. TARGET GROUP: 3+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Forlaget Jensen & Dalgaard, forlaget@jensenogdalgaard.dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO: Germany and China.
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
BEDSIDE PHILOSOPHY Kurt is sent to bed way too early! Not fair! He wants to be like big boys and go to bed late. But tonight it’s granddad putting him to bed and he says being big is not that great. You have to get up early and go to school, and then you leave home and have to wash up yourself and go to work. Kurt and granddad talk and talk about life and feeling small, even though you’re really big in lots of ways, and suddenly Kurt feels sleepy. Author MORTEN DÜRR (b. 1968) debuted with the teen novel Skodfilm (Chancers) in 2004 and has since published a wide range of C & YA
books. He won the Danish Ministry of Education’s 2008 author prize and in 2016 the School Librarians’ Children’s Books Prize. In 2017 he published the critically acclaimed and award winning, graphic novel, Zenobia (Zenobia) illustrated by Lars Horneman. Illustrator PETER BAY ALEXANDERSEN (b. 1955) has illustrated children’s books for over 30 years. In 2016, he won the new Ib Spang-Olsen-prize for Axel og mus på den store rejse (Axel and Mouse and their Great Adventure). Since 2008, he has been represented internationally by the USA illustrators agent Shannon Associates.
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MORTEN DÛRR
Illustrated by Peter Bay Alexandersen Kurt og den store verden (Kurt and the big world outside) Forlaget Alvilda 2017, 34 pages. TARGET GROUP: 4+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Forlaget Alvilda, Amalie Karnøe: ak@alvilda.dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (author): More than ten countries. (illustrator): the Faroe Islands, Germany, Sweden and USA.
THE LITTLE WOLF AND THE SLIMY MONSTER Urd the wolf cub would love a feed of sweets but Daddy Wolf says no. Urd sneaks out of the forest and into the city, where something weird is going on. Basically, all you have to do is dress up, and you get sweets! So Urd gives it a try. Politiken loved the book: “One of the cutest and funniest books I’ve read for a while.” Dige’s writing “has the wolves howling and angels singing.” Author STINE JOSEFINE DIGE (b. 1976) is a sociologist and professional communicator. She also studied at the School for Authors of Children’s Literature. In 2013 she founded the voluntary association ‘2200 bedtime stories’ that encourages reading aloud to children in disadvantaged areas. Illustrator THOMAS HJORTHAAB (b. 1990) studied cartoon drawing at Serieskolan in Malmö, Sweden. He debuted as a children’s book
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illustrator in 2014 and has since worked full time as an illustrator. He is currently working on his first picture book in his own name.
THE STRANGE THINGS GROWNUPS SAY
STINE JOSEFINE DIGE
Philippe’s grandmother speaks French and she keeps saying “le courant d’air” and Philippe hasn’t a clue what that is. Maybe it’s dangerous? Philippe imagines all sorts of monsters and looks everywhere to find it until the adults laugh and say it’s just a draught. But what does a draught look like? A different, ingenious and colourful picture book about all the strange things adults say, and that are not always what they seem.
Illustrated by Thomas Hjorthaab Ulveungen Urds uhyggelige halloween (Urd the wolf cub’s horrible Halloween) Calibat 2017, 32 pages. TARGET GROUP: 5+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Forlaget Calibat, Emil Blichfeldt, info@calibat.dk
Author KAMILA LÖFSTRØM (b. 1970) is a university lecturer and has worked as a reviewer of children’s literature for the newspaper Information since 2007. Illustrator LILLIAN BRØGGER (b. 1950) has been illustrating children’s books for more than 40 years and has won a range of awards, amongst others, two Ministry of Culture
illustrator awards. She has also been nominated for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award and a Nordic Council’s C & YA Literature Prize.
KAMILLA LÖFSTRØM
Illustreret af Lillian Brøgger … Og sådan er det hele vejen (And it just carries on like that) Jensen & Dalgaard 2017, 40 pages. TARGET GROUP: 5+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Forlaget Jensen & Dalgaard, forlaget@jensenogdalgaard.dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (illustrator): Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Sweden.
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EVERYBODY LOVES VITELLO
numerous awards, both as a children’s book illustrator and cartoonist.
KIM FUPZ AAKESON
` Illustrated by Niels Bo Bojesen Vitello redder verden (Vitello saves the world) Gyldendal 2017, 32 pages TARGET GROUP: 5+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor: jenny_thor@gyldendalgroupagency. dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (illustrator): Faroe Islands, Germany, Sweden and UK. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (author): More than 10 countries.
After watching the news, Vitello’s mum is convinced the world is going to end. So Vitello decides there’s nothing for it but to save the world, and his friends Max, Hasse and William have to shut down their new ‘Speed Kill’ PC game and lend a hand. It’s now ten years since Kim Fupz Aakeson published the first book about this sparky boy – sometimes too sparky. Vitello redder verden (Vitello saves the world) is the 19th book in the Vitello series, and Vitello the movie actually launches early 2018!
PAP: 237 mm
Anton er en dreng på ti år. Normalt er Anton den gladeste dreng i hele verden. Han kan godt lide at røre sig. Han kan lide at kaste bolden så højt op i luften, at den slet ikke kommer ned igen. Og han kan lide at dykke nede i søen. Helst så dybt, at selv fiskene holder op med at svømme. Og bare glor.
Men en dag sker der noget mærkeligt. Det er, som om Anton har fået bly i sine sko. Han kan næsten ikke røre sig, og hans krop bliver tungere og tungere. Antons krop, der før var let som en fjer, er blevet så tung, så tung. Det er, som om at han bærer på den tungeste byrde.
Anton is usually a happy boy, but one day he feels like everything is suddenly really heavy. He says to himself: “I’m carrying the heaviest burden ever.” Nobody knows exactly what he means, but nothing seems to lift his mood; neither birthdays nor 8,0 mm
Katrine Marie Guldager & Kirsten Raagaard
Author KIM FUPZ AAKESON (b. 1959) won the 2011 Danish Ministry of Culture’s author prize for children’s and youth literature and has twice been nominated for the Nordic Council’s C & YA Literature Priz. He’s one of Denmark’s most prolific C & YA authors and writes for children in all age groups, without ever writing down to them.
SOMEONE TO TALK TO
PAP: 237 mm
Katrine Marie Guldager
ANTON
Illustrated by: Kirsten Raagaard Anton og den tunge byrde (Anton and the heavy burden) ABC 2017, 32 pages. TARGET GROUP: 5+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: ABC Forlaget, Flemming Møldrup: flemming.moeldrup@gmail.com.
PAP: 326 mm
ANTON OG DEN TUNGESTE BYRDE
OVERTRÆK: bogblok 240 x 320 mm - 2,3 mm pap: 237 x 326 mm
Fladryg 8 mm ???
Illustrator KIRSTEN RAAGAARD (b. 1947) debuted at the start of the 1970’s and has since illustrated a wide range of children’s books. From 2000 onwards, she has also written several picture books. In 2002 she was nominated for the Nordic Council’s C & YA Literature Priz.
KATRINE MARIE GULDAGER
SOFIE AND THE DOGS
ISBN 978-87-7916-402-4
ANTON_OG_DEN_TUNGESTE_BYRDE_omslag.indd 1
For many years, Author KATRINE MARIE GULDAGER (b. 1966) just wrote for adults. She also studied at the Danish Academy of Creative Writing (1992-94). She debuted in 1994 with a poetry collection Dagene skifter hænder (The days change hands) and her debut as a children’s author was in 2002. Since then she’s written numerous children’s books alongside her writing for adults.
Kirsten Raagaard
og den tungeste byrde
I hele verden!
Illustrator NIELS BO BOJESEN (b. 1958) studied at the Danish Design School and at the School of Visual Arts / Department of Media Arts, New York. In addition to illustrating children’s books, he is a cartoonist for the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and several international newspapers and magazines. He has received
games. But when Dad comes home from a trip and sits down and listens to him, everything lifts. This is the fifth book in the Anton series.
Lars Bech-Jessen · bogmager.dk ·mail@bogmager.dk · tlf. 2894 8200
1/10/2017 12:38:51 PM
Sofie lives in Greenland. She’ll soon be 7 and wants only one thing: a puppy. But Sophie’s parents don’t think it’s a good idea, because Greenland dogs are not just cute pets and can be sort of wild. No problem, says Sophie, because she has a special gift - she can talk ‘dog’! The author and illustrator have previously collaborated on the acclaimed novel Skovpigen Skærv (Skærv, the Woodland Girl). Author KIM LEINE (b. 1961) grew up in Norway, but moved to Denmark when 17 to train as a nurse. He then went to Greenland
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BOOKS IN BRIEF / READING ALOUD CATO THAU-JENSEN (b. 1966) is a graduate of the Kolding School of Design. He debuted as a children’s books illustrator in 1996 and, amongst other things, has won a 1997 Gyldendal work grant for authors and illustrators of children’s books, as well the 2002 Danish Ministry of Culture’s illustrator prize.
and lived there for 15 years. He debuted in 2007 with the searing autobiographical novel Kalak (Kalak), and won the 2013 Nordic Council Literature Prize for Profeterne i evighedsfjorden (The Prophets of the Eternal Fjord). He published his first children’s book in 2015. Illustrator PETER BAY ALEXANDERSEN (b. 1955) has illustrated children’s books for over 30 years. In 2016, he won the new Ib Spang-Olsen-prize for Axel og mus på den store rejse (Axel and Mouse and their Great Adventure). Since 2008, he has been represented internationally by the USA illustrators agent Shannon Associates.
KIM LEINE
ICE AGE FUN Kanuld and Onk and their Neanderthal families live together in the woods. Many things aren’t yet invented. No school. No dentists. On the other hand, no sweets or bouncy castles either. The boys can play as much as they want, and they’ve become great friends; so it’s not so easy when the mothers want to interfere all the time. A different and humorous read-aloud book that plays with language and the contrasts between modern and prehistoric times. This is the second book about Kanuld. The first book: Kanuld on Mammut Sletten (Kanuld on the Mammoth Plain) came out in 2012.
CATO THAU-JENSEN
Kanuld og Onk i miraklernes urtid (Kanuld and Onk in the Age of Prehistoric Miracles) Gyldendal 2017, 134 sider. TARGET GROUP: 6+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor: jenny_thor@gyldendalgroupagency. dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO: Sweden and Germany.
Illustrated by Peter Bay Alexandersen Pigen der kunne tale med hunde (The girl who could talk ‘dog’) Gyldendal 2017, 62 pages TARGET GROUP: 5+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor: jenny_thor@gyldendalgroupagency. dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (author): More than 20 countries. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (illustrator): the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Island, Germany, Sweden and USA.
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
IN THE CAUSE OF TERROR AND PORTENTS Hey Christmas isn’t not only for fun and games, you know! Yuletide also has a lot of ancient myths and legends about strange beings, you need to be scared of. Author and illustrator have jointly set out to raise awareness of these abominations – all for the kids’ sake of course – AND to save Christmas! The 24 stories are drawn from across Europe and listed with warning codes and guidebook details. On the illustrations, Berlingske wrote: “Formidable grotesque gothic and romantic set pieces, where light and shade are utilized to brilliant eerie effect.”
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BROTHERS GET THEIR FINGERS OUT A modern fairy tale about two brothers. Big brother Arne is ill and hasn’t been in school for ages. One day his little brother Finn comes into him in a total panic – his little finger has gone! So they set off on amazing journey to find Finn’s little finger. A story about being small and growing up as you search for something you miss, in more ways than one. In the autumn of 2017 the book was designated as a ‘White Raven Book’ for the International Youth Library. JESPER WUNG SUNG (b. 1971) debuted in 1998 with the short story collection To ryk og en aflevering (Kick ‘n Rush) for which he won a debutant award. He has since written a range of critically acclaimed C & YA
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books. In 2010 he won the Ministry of Culture’s children’s books award for Kopierne (The Copies), and in 2015 was nominated for the Nordic Council’s C & YA Literature Prize for Ud med Knud (Boot Canute). Illustrator OTTO DICKMEISS (b. 1969) is a graduate of the Danish School of Design, but has drawn since a young boy. He thrives on the contrast between light and dark, good and evil. No accident then that he has also illustrated some of H.C. Andersen’s fairy tales. Otto has won the Danish Ministry of Culture’s illustrator prize on two occasions.
JESPER WUNG SUNG
Illustrated by Otto Dickmeiss Lillefingeren (The little finger) Høst & Søn 2017, 92 pages. TARGET GROUP: 7+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor: jenny_thor@gyldendalgroupagency. dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (author): Germany, Holland, Belgium, Italy, France and USA.
Author BENNI BØDKER (b. 1975) debuted in 2004 and in 2013 was awarded the school librarians author prize and has been nominated for the Orla children’s books award several times. 18/01/17 10:05He writes in many genres, but glories in gore, horror and historical fiction. In 2017, he also released the steampunk-illustrated novel Krystalskibet (The Crystal Ship) – see portrait of Rasmus Bregnhøi.
BOOKS IN BRIEF / READING ALOUD
JUST LIKE THE OLD DAYS ”You surrender completely, with mind, heart and apple tart, to the Burble Town Chronicles by Elvira Fragola, unless you’ve a heart of stone,” wrote Politiken’s reviewer. Four years ago, Fragola, who’s clearly inspired by Astrid Lindgren’s Bullerby books, began a blog about the Mumleby (Burbleby) universe and since then has produced four books about Vera from Anemone Road and Astrid from Blackberry Lane. The books, which the author has illustrated herself, are full of delightful, feel-good stories and also contain menus and imaginative activities. Author ELVIRA FRAGOLA (b. 1991) is a self-taught author and illustrator. Her own childhood, partly in a South Funen fishing village, is the inspiration for her Mumleby (Burbleby) chronicles.
ELVIRA FRAGOLA
En sødmefuld summer i Mumleby (A serene summer in Burbleby) Turbine 2017, 154 sider. TARGET GROUP: 5+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Turbine Forlaget, Marie Jensby: marie.jensby@turbine.dk.
JOHN KENN MORTENSEN (b. 1978) has worked as an illustrator and film director. His own comic book debut came in 2011 with Post-it Monstre (Post-it Monsters), which won an award for best comic debut. Mortensen has, amongst others, illustrated the Danish version (Hans og Grete) of Neil Gaiman’s ‘Hansel and Gretel’ and produced conceptart for the Dreamworks studio. He has a huge international fan group, with over 80,000 followers on social media.
BENNI BØDKER
Illustrated by John Kenn Mortensen Julebestiariet (A Christmas Bestiary) Cobolt 2017, 104 pages. TARGET GROUP: 8+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Forlaget Cobolt, cobolt@cobolt.dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (author): Germany, Greece, Japan, Norway and Sweden. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (illustrator): France, UK and USA.
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
JOURNEY TO ANOTHER WORLD Elmer is just an ordinary lad who
Elmer is just an ordinary lad who loves soccer and not much else. Not even computer games. But the new girl in class, Emmy, is the opposite. But Elmer and Emmy have to do group work together, and one day Emmy disappears through a portal to a country called Arcadia, which is one of the PC games Emmy plays. Elmer has no choice but to go after her. A fantasy novel about being sucked into a digital world. And only a true friend can get you back to reality. Features a multiple colour design and a map of Arcadia. This is the first book in a planned three part series about Elmer Baltazar. Author TOBIAS BUKKEHAVE (b. 1980) is a film and media studies graduate, with a particular focus on American TV series. He went on to work as a scriptwriter, reviewer
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and author. Elmer Baltazar marks Bukkehave’s C & YA debut. His work is influenced by the heroes of his own childhood and carries traces of everything from early Spielberg and ‘Star Wars’ to various toy characters. Illustrator ANDREAS ERSTLING (b. 1974) has been drawing since he was a boy and spent much time at the local library with his head in comics. This interest has never waned, and after finishing university in 2003, he soon got involved with a community of artists and in the last 11 years has illustrated a wide range of C & YA books.
TOBIAS BUKKEHAVE
Illustrated by Andreas Erstling Elmer Baltazar – Rejsen til Arkadia (Elmer Baltazar - The Journey to Arcadia) Carlsen 2018, 348 pages. TARGET GROUP: 9+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Carlsen / Lindhardt & Ringhof, Nya Guldberg: nya.gulberg@lrforlag.dk.
BOOKS IN BRIEF / NOVELS
THE SPOOKY HOUSE “The year’s best horror,” wrote Weekendavisen newspaper. Two girls, Kira and Sofie, come across an abandoned house. Don’t Enter! So, of course, they do. It turns out the house is anything but abandoned. In a room upstairs, the electricity works, even though the rest of the house is cut off. There’s something mysterious about the room. Then things take a turn for the much worse .... Mette Finderup writes in a very accessible way, so even weak readers can be right there as well. Author METTE FINDERUP (b. 1968) is a highly productive and versatile author who has published more than 60 C & YA books since her debut in 2005. In 2010 she won the Orla Award and in 2014 the Danish School Librarians award.
METTE FINDERUP
Det (d)øde hus på Egevej (The d(r)ead house on Oak Lane) Forlaget Bolden 2017, 248 pages. TARGET GROUP: 10+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Forlaget Bolden, Ulrikke Juul Bondo: ulrikke@ forlagetbolden.dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO: Finland, France, Hungary, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Turkey and Australia.
DAD HUNTING
note there with a secret message for Alvin?
“Moving and authentic”; “Brilliantly composed and challenging”; are just some of the descriptions reviewers have used to describe this story about Alvin. He’s 12 years old and lives with his mother, who’s petrified of germs and batteries. She also believes you shouldn’t think about anything on full moon nights, because the moon steals your thoughts. But despite this Alvin goes in search of his father, whom he has never known. He collects discarded shopping lists at the supermarket, coz just think if his dad had left his
Author KATHRINE ASSELS (b. 1972) is a film and media studies graduate and has a Master’s in C & YA Culture. She debuted in 2008 with a novel for adults – Snydeæg (The Fake Egg). Her first children’s books was in 2011 – Drengen der hele tiden tabte sit ansigt (The boy who kept losing his face).
KATHRINE ASSELS
Månen er en højttaler (The Moon Can Speak) Jensen & Dalgaard 2017, 92 pages FOREIGN RIGHTS: Forlaget Jensen & Dalgaard, forlaget@jensenogdalgaard.dk
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
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BOOKS IN BRIEF / NOVELS
Who among us has not, at some point, wished that a brother or sister would just disappear? But what if it actually happened? This is what Simon has to face when following his twin brother Tim into a dark, dystopian world where lurks the Spindle Hex. She has kidnapped Tim and spun him into her Ditte Wiese (Winther-Rasmussen) er født web. The problem is that it was Simon i 1978. Hun er opvokset i provinsen og kender alt til bøhlands-blues og - som også er det, der har himself who inrastløshed a sudden rage had trukket hende først fra Vestfyn til Silkeborg, så over Aalborg til København wished that Tim had never existed. og nu til en ny lille provinsby lige uden for Køge. Thus he has sealed both his own and Det uperfekte, grimme og rå har en særlig plads hos forfatteren, som samtidig er håbløsThe romantiker og evig optimist - en his brother’s fate. only one who til tider svær balancegang, men der var ingen der lovede, at det skulle can help him isvist the være let, Fate det der Changer. liv. Provinspis er wrote hendes YA-debut. “Rivetingly exciting,” Berlingske and regarding the illustrations: “Dazzling. Lars Gabel surpasses himself once again.”
Krigshemmeligheder (War Secrets) consists of 11 short stories, all of which engage each other and can almost be seen as a single novel from many different viewpoints. We meet eleven 9th classIdastudents from a remote slås med bøhlandsblues og provinsidioter. Hun vil bare væk. part of Denmark; hear of the things Men hvordan slipper man fri, når der er meget they’re struggling with infyre. their home at kæmpe imod: familie, venner, Og ikke mindst sig selv. and school lives. It aint easy being Nogle gange er man nødt til at tage en omvej young inforaat small slippe ud. windswept town – especially if you moved there from a big city. Drinking, pills, bullying, antigay stuff, parenting problems, stress, domestic violence. A teen war zone.
Foto: Thomas Sjørup
Author KENNETH BØGH ANDERSEN (b. 1976) has published a range of titles in the horror/fable genres and won several awards since his debut in 2000. He’s best known, amongst other things, for the Antboy (Antboy) series – also made into a film series – as well as Den store Djævlekrig (The Great Devil War). The first book in this series Djævlens lærling (The Devil’s Apprentice) will hit the Copenhagen stage as musical in the autumn of 2018. Illustrator LARS GABEL (b. 1971) is a Kolding School of Design graduate. Since 2002 he has worked as a freelance illustrator. In 2015, he won the Ministry of Culture’s illustrator award for De Vilde Svaner (The Wild Swans) and in 2016 the Claus Deleuran Prize for the ‘best Danish cartoon series debut’ for the graphic novel Vand til blod (Water to blood).
KENNETH BØGH ANDERSEN
Illustrated by Lars Gabel Skæbnemageren (The Fate Changer) Høst & Søn 2017. 176 pages. TARGET GROUP: 8+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor, jenny_thor@gyldendalgroupagency. dk PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (author): More than 15 countries.
"Han var skide ligeglad med, hvad andre tænkte." "Og det vil du også gerne være?" "Det er jeg." "Der er forskel på at være skide ligeglad og være glad." "Helt sikkert," vrænger jeg.
PROVINSPIS DI T T E W I ES E
PROVINS PIS
11 SECRET STORIES
DITTE W IE SE
WHEN ARE WE BAD?
ANDERS JOHANSEN
Krigshemmeligheder – og andre små og store gemmelege (War Secrets and other small and huge hiding places) Modtryk 2017, 186 pages FOREIGN RIGHTS: Forlaget Modtryk, Amalie Karnøe: ak@alvilda. dk PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO: Norway and Germany.
»Det er indhold. somt god
»Ditte W roman o
CARLSENPULS
Author ANDERS JOHANSEN (b. 1953) has worked as an author and translator for many years. He debuted in 1984. His preferred genre is the teen-novel of which he has written a good number. He has won a wide range of awards; for ex. the 1994 Danish Ministry of Culture’s author prize for children’s and youth literature; the 2002 Assoc. of School Librarians’ Children’s Book Award and the 2009 Orla Prize.
»Hold n ikke lag stoffer,
PORTRAIT OF A SCARRED YOUNG GIRL “A breakneck debut. Raw, tough and uncompromising in its language and themes,” wrote Information. 18-year-old Ida is bored to death in a small provincial hole. She longs to get away. From high school. From her afternoon job in that sick supermarket. And from her dad, who’s in a loveless relationship with a new woman after mum left. Only the weekends banish the boredom and Ida devours their amnesia of sex, booze and drugs. Author DITTE WIESE (b. 1978) submitted Provinspis (The Back of Fucking Beyond) to the Carlsen novel competition. She didn’t win, but feels she won anyway, because the publisher liked her story so much they offered to publish it.
DITTE WIESE
Provinspis (The Back of Fucking Beyond) Carlsen 2017, 232 pages. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Carlsen / Lindhardt & Ringhof, Nya Guldberg: nya.gulberg@lrforlag.dk.
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8,2 mm
PAP: 246 mm
10/27/2017 10:32:35 AM
Lars Bech-Jessen · bogmager.dk · mail@bogmager.dk · tlf. 2894 8200
TIME FOR CONTEMPLATION Before you were quite small, you were even smaller. You began as a dot in your mother’s womb and before that you were an idea. Historien om dig (Your story) is a philosophical picture book in which a thought provoking play on words is beautifully interwoven with the illustrations. “Deep contemplation in colour, symmetry and universal forms,” wrote Information about Hanne Bartholin’s illustrations. Historien om
Illustrator HANNE BARTHOLIN (b. 1962) trained at the School of Design in Kolding and debuted as a picture book illustrator in 1995. She has a long list of fine titles under her belt and received the Ministry of Culture’s illustrator award in 2001. In 2015 she won the prestigious Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award at the Shanghai International Children’s Book Fair.
SØREN LIND
Illustrated by Hanne Bartholin Historien om dig (The book about you) ABC 2017, 28 pages. TARGET GROUP: 4+. FOREIGN RIGHTS: ABC Forlaget, Flemming Møldrup: flemming.moeldrup@gmail.com. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (author): China, Holland, Mexico, South Korea and Sweden PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO (illustrator): More than 15 countries.
24/02/17 14.36
eller nuttet? trodsig velopdragen, strid, festlig, bange, sløv, kvik, muggen, ængstelig, bestemt, kærlig, sjusket, klog, irriterende, gakket, pyntesyg, dum, morsom, tarvelig, trist, sart, stædig, bekymret, eventyrlig, forsigtig, forvirret, munter, beslutsom, yndefuld, dydig, ulykkelig,
BODY_Historien om dig.indd 7
sårbar, genert,
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”Brilliantly done, sometimes poetic even, but primarily accessible,” wrote Berlingske. In this book, readers get an intro into how it all began. We get answers to questions about the Big Bang, the sun, the stars and atoms. Over ten chapters, the author expands our minds on everything from first life on earth to quantum mechanics and gravity. The book is richly illustrated with both drawn illustrations and photos. Author JOHAN OLSEN (b. 1969) is a biologist and researcher at Copenhagen University. In Denmark, he’s also known as the lead singer in the rock band ‘Magtens Korridorer’ (The Corridors of Power). He’s also a science commentator and recognized expert in protein crystallography. Illustrator THOMAS HJORTHAAB (b. 1990) studied cartoon drawing at Serieskolan in Malmö, Sweden. He debuted as a children’s book illustrator in 2014 and has since
fjantet,
A B C
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
ille,
Author SØREN LIND (b. 1970) is a philosopher and has written books on language, cognition and human consciousness. He debuted in 2007 and has since written a range of children’s books, which often have a philosophical angle.
DIG
BODY_Historien om dig.indd 19
Historien om DIG
Historien om
24/02/17 14.36
dig (Your story) is the third book on which the author and illustrator have collaborated. The previous works are Historien om absolut ingenting (The history of absolutely nothing) (2012) and its follow-up Historien om alting (The history of absolutely everything) (2015).
Søren Lind och Hanne Bartholin
dryg 8,2 mm
DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
BOOKS IN BRIEF / NON FICTION
BLACK HOLES AND DARK MATTER “Full of explanations of concepts like multiverses; the doughnut universe; the Tadpole Galaxy; flying snowballs; black holes and exoplanets; time logic; Einstein’s theories; the history of space travel and space projects that make really revealing reading in the author’s clearly explained prose,” wrote Politiken. All you ever wanted to know about the universe and the solar system: the galaxies, black holes, dark matter and the many other strange things that exist in space. Full of images of planets, stars and other space phenomena. Author LARS HENRIK AAGAARD (b. 1961) is a journalist with longstanding ties to Berlingske, for which he now writes on science, specialising in climate, weather, natural disasters and astronomy. He is also ”The Professor” in the children’s newspaper ‘Kid’s News’ and has previously written, amongst other things, Hvor langt er der til verdens ende? (The world – how long do we have left?) and Hvad er månen lavet af? (What’s the moon made of?).
BODY_Historien om dig.indd 18
rolig, dygtig, s voldsom, pinlig, uartig,
worked full time as an illustrator. He is currently working on his first picture book in his own name.
JOHAN OLSEN
Illustrated by Thomas Hjorthaab Bogen om verden (The book of the world) Politikens Forlag 2017, 176 pages. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Politiken Literary Agency, Rudi Urban Rasmussen: rudi.u.rasmussen@jppol.dk.
LARS HENRIK AAGAARD
Rejsen til rummet (The book of the universe) People’s Press 2017, 188 pages. FOREIGN RIGHTS: People Group Agency, Louise Langhoff Koch: lolk@artpeople.dk. PREVIOUS TITLES SOLD TO: Norway.
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modig, nervøs, pjattet, gnaven farlig, skrøbelig, tosset, spændende, spøjs, skør, almindelig, mærkelig, venlig, Er du sjov, sur, sød, Men hvad er du så for en?
DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
FIGHTING FIRE WITH FIRE We have to push the boundaries, but not at any price. It can be in your face, but still respect the sensitivities of readers, Sarah Engell says.
She is one of the most significant voices within realist youth literature in Denmark at the moment. She debuted in 2009 with the novel Hvis bare … (If Only …) and has since written a range of books for young children, youths and adults, but her 2014 novel 21 måder at dø (Twenty-One Ways to Die) was her breakthrough work as an author. The reviewers declared it the best teen-novel of the decade. A controversial novel about online bullying and suicidal thoughts. Grave issues such as self-harming, vicious bullying and eating disorders have become Sarah Engell’s trademark as an author. And even though she has also
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written for adults, she’s best known for her teen-novels. Her latest work Valget (The Choice) is that rare phenomenon, a political youth-novel, which amongst other things deals with Europe’s refugee crisis. With its echoes of real life events, the novel became a hot topic in the Danish media and, despite the fact it’s a teen-novel, attracted a large number of adult readers. The main character is the almost18 years old Xenia who’s on the verge of becoming a leading light in the Ethical Party. She works as a volunteer at the reception point for refugees arriving by train at
SARAH ENGELL
Copenhagen’s main railway station. One day, a feverish seven year old Syrian girl called Lilas turns up. There’s a message written on her arm that says she has to seek asylum in Sweden. But if the girl is handed over to the Danish police, she has to stay in Denmark and may never be reunited with her family that is possibly in Sweden. Xenia has a big heart and chooses to take the girl home with her, until more can be learned about the family. But this is illegal and could destroy Xenia’s dreams of becoming a politician. In parallel, we are given short glimpses of Lila’s trek through Europe; an odyssey inspired by the Sinbad the Sailor tale from The Arabian Nights. SARAH ENGELL (b. 1979) who debuted in 2009, graduated from the School for Authors of Children’s Literature in 2014. Writing is in her blood and in 2015 she decided to become a fulltime author. The last few years have been extremely busy for Sarah. Quite apart from Valget (The Choice), her novella What we’ve lost was included in the Odyssey anthology that marked the 2017 Hay children’s literature festival in Aarhus, Denmark. Sarah has also won the Carlsen Award for her work. She has several new books in train, including the graphic novel Fuglemanden (Birdman), about a 17-year old girl with psychological problems. The novel is illustrated by the award winning Lillian Brøgger and will be published this Spring.
“A challenging teen-novel … ‘The Choice’ is quite simply of its time and compulsive reading.” WEEKENDAVISEN
PHOTO: SIMON LÆSSØE
HER ARM IS LIMP AS I PUT IT AROUND MY NECK AND HELP HER UP. I GUIDE HER OUT BETWEEN THE PEOPLE AND BAGS LYING ON THE FLOOR. “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?” SAYS KHALIL. “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” “SAY WE GAVE HER A TRAIN TICKET AND SHE’S ON HER WAY TO SWEDEN.” BEFORE KHALIL CAN SAY A WORD, I PUSH THE DOOR OPEN AND PULL THE GIRL OUT INTO THE ECHOING NOISE OF THE MAIN STATION. HER BODY IS BURNING HOT. I TRY TO WALK QUICKLY WITHOUT TUGGING HER. “TRUST ME,” I WHISPER. “TRUST ME.”
Valget (The Choice) CarlsenPuls 2017, 346 pages. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Carlsen / Lindhardt & Ringhof, Nya Guldberg: nyaguldberg@lrforlag.dk
EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
NORDIC MAGIC REALISM
Her books always contain some kind of journey and she blends cultural elements, realism, fantasy and myth with new impulses to present a new world to us. 220
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2
CAMILLA HÜBBE
Camilla Hübbe debuted as an author of children’s books little more than ten years ago, but she’s always been a storyteller in some shape or form. She worked for the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen for many years and has also written a wide range of TV scripts for both children and adult programmes. Her Cirkus Saragossa (Saragossa Circus) (2007) tells the magical tale of ‘Elvis’ and his rather odd circus family, which tries to settle down to a life of school and fixed routines. Camilla then moved on to children’s crime books and a teen-novel set in the world of New Orleans jazz. Her manga-inspired teen-novel Tavs (Silentio), in collaboration with the illustrator Rasmus Meisler, hit the streets in 2012. Fittingly, this cutting edge novel came out as a physical book and an app and tags Japanese comic books, Haruki Murakami and film noir. A harbinger of what’s to come in modern digital fiction.
Danish books of 2017 – the only C&YA book on the list. Nord (North) will be published digitally during 2018.
POLITIKEN
CAMILLA HÜBBE (b. 1963) is a trained dramatist and has worked in theatre, film and TV. She debuted in 2007 and has since written a range of children’s books. Her highly acclaimed novel Tavs (Silentio), in collaboration with Rasmus Meisler, was published in 2012.
seeks to invoke Nordic myth and particularly the renowned Sibyl’s prophesy in the Old Norse Edda, but with a new narrative approach. The novel is both a climate crisis alarum and a teen-novel that deals with loneliness and that tough transition between childhood and adult life.
RASMUS MEISLER (b.1973) works as an illustrator and graphic designer. He graduated from the Danish School of Design in 1998 and has since worked in illustration and on title animation sequences for Danish films and TV.
Just as with Tavs (Silentio), the aim is to publish Nord (North) digitally, replete with an atmospheric soundtrack and options for navigating the novel’s content and universe. The novel will also have a text-speech function in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic and Faroese. The Danish Arts Foundation has selected Nord (North) as one of the 10 best
“I SEE THAT YOU CARRY THE SIGN: FRJÓ – THE SEED. THE SIBYL’S CHARM. SO RAGNARÖK MUST BE NEARLY UPON US.” ”I HAVEN’T MUCH OF A CLUE ABOUT ANY RAGNARÖK,” SHE SAID, FEELING A SUDDEN NAUSEA. I’VE COME TO FIND MY MUM. I’M GOING TO NIFLHEIM.” ”INDEED CHILD. I EXPECTED YOUR ARRIVAL, SOME DAY. IT IS THE SERPENT YOU SEEK, IS IT NOT?” EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK
PHOTO: LENAPAASKE
Meisler and Hübbe have continued their collaboration in Nord (North) – about the 14-year old girl, North. She lives alone with her mum in Copenhagen and rarely sees her artist father, who has moved to Berlin. One day North returns from the corner shop to find that her mum has disappeared, and she sets off to find her. On the way she meets the three Fates: Urd, Verdande and Skuld and the squirrel boy Ratatoskr, who leads her to Niflheim – the Nordic Hades. The story is obviously inspired by Nordic mythology but it’s also imbued with tales like Alice in Wonderland. Hübbe
“It’s wild. It’s scary. It’s almost unbearable. What a book!”
Nord (North) Høst & Søn 2017, 192 pages. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor: jenny_thor@gyldendalgroupeagency.dk
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
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A short, poignant tale about the consequences of war, told with very little text and bold striking pictures. A large wave hits the boat carrying Amina, and she is thrown overboard. In the cold water her mind wanders, back to her life with her parents in Syria and the stories about Zenobia, the Warrior Queen from ancient Syria. “If Zenobia could … so can you!” Zenobia is the story Amina, and her flight from war. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Morten Dürr & Lars Horneman, mortendurr@me.com SOLD TO: Arabic/Tamer Institute, Australia/New Zealand/The University of New Zealand Press, Croatia/Sandorf, France/Editions Marabout, Iceland/Bókadeild, Korea/Jiyangsa, Norway/ Fontini, Spain/Barbara Fiore Editora, Sweden/Nypon Forlag, USA/Seven Stories Press
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Græd blot hjerte (Cry Heart, But Never Break)
Winner of the 2017 ALA Batchelder Award (American Library Association literary award for “most outstanding” children’s book translated into English and published in the U.S). Aware their grandmother is gravely ill, four siblings make a pact to keep death from taking her away. Death shows up eventually, and while they prolong his visit by offering a cup of coffee, he shares a story that helps them see the value and importance of being able to say goodbye. FOREIGN RIGHTS: Gyldendal Group Agency, Jenny Thor, jenny_thor@gyldendalgroupagency.dk SOLD TO: China/ Petrel Publishing House, Japan/ Imajinsha, Kosovo/ KOHA, Mexico/ Editorial Santillana, Romania/ Grupul Editorial Art, Ukraine/ Vydavnytstvo, USA/ Enchanted Lion Books,Vietnam/ThaiHaBooks
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE / CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS
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DANISH LITERARY MAGAZINE CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS IS PUBLISHED BY THE DANISH ARTS FOUNDATION’S COMMITTEE FOR LITERARY PROJECT FOUNDING. THE MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED ANNUALLY.