Children's book author will give lecture today

Swedish literary figure visits N. Korea

By Rachel Lee

Newly appointed Swedish Ambassador to Korea Anne Hoglund will hold a literature event in Seoul, Monday.

As fifth president of the Seoul Literature Society, the ambassador has invited Sven Nordqvist, a prominent Swedish children’s book author and illustrator as guest lecturer for the 40th event of its kind at her residence.

According to the embassy, the author of the Pettson and Findus series visited Pyongyang and met North Korean children before his Seoul visit.

Nordqvist, born in Helsingborg in 1946, is one of Sweden’s most famous and appreciated writers and illustrators.

The architect started his career as an illustrator and author in 1983, when he won a competition for best picture book, for “Agaton Oman och alfabetet”.

The book has had great success in Sweden, but as the story is about the alphabet, it has been difficult to translate to other languages.

A year later, Nordqvist wrote and illustrated his first book about the old man Pettson and his cat Findus, “Pannkakstartan.” The book has been translated into 47 languages and adapted into films and games.

Besides the Pettson and Findus series, Nordqvist has written and illustrated several other children’s books. The most celebrated is “Where is my sister?” (2007), which has sold 80,000 copies.

He has received numerous awards, including the Elsa Beskow Medal, the German Youth Literature Prize, the Astrid Lindgren Prize and the August Prize.

The meeting with the writer will be led by Kim Kyung-yeon, translator of Nordqvist books to Korean.

The Swedish Embassy invited Korea’s most prolific and revered poet Ko Un, whom former ambassador Lars Danielsson had long wished to meet before he returned to Sweden in August as special guest for its annual meeting on Aug. 12.