In this episode, author and illustrator Lena Frölander-Ulf talks about her first children’s novel Nelson Tigerpaw (Nelson Tigertass) together with agent Leenastiina Kakko.
Her first children’s novel Nelson Tigerpaw (Nelson Tigertass) that was published simultaneously in Swedish and Finnish has received great interest since it was released in 2019. It was nominated for several literary awards including the 2019 Finlandia Junior Prize and the 2020 Runeberg Junior Prize. The novel was awarded the Arvid Lydecken Prize in 2020, praised as “an impressive story that tells about prejudice, the power of friendship and courage, as well as the absurdities of the adult world.”
The novel tells about 6-year-old Nelson Mareng who is spending the summer holiday at his grandfather’s place while his mother is building a house. Due do a sudden change of plans little Nelson finds himself on a train on his way back to hometown Deludenstad and ends up standing all alone at the Grand Central Station feeling scared and lost. But then he befriends tiger Zamba and a timeless adventure story in the mysterious town of Deludenstad begins.
Lena Frölander-Ulf tells what inspired her to write the novel and how the writing process began with a couple of illustrations. She also highlights the main themes of the story that are classic and timely as well as contemporary, and that she wanted to write a timeless adventure story for the entire family.
“I like the idea of writing not just for a specific age group but for adults and young kids and older kids, and for the book to be an experience that you have together”, says the author.
She also gives a sneak peek of her newest two projects that she is currently working on including the third book in her scraperboard picture book series. The previous parts of the series have been about the forest and sea. The third book takes place in a city and is set to be published in Spring 2021 by Förlaget M.
Listen to find out more!
Rights and Brands podcast features insightful talks with Nordic authors represented by Rights and Brands. Together with their agent Leenastiina Kakko guest authors chat about their books, reveals the stories and inspiration behind them and everything in between. If you are intrigued to hear more and discover the interesting voices in Nordic literature, this is the podcast for you. The podcast is available at Acast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and iTunes.