Aron Landahl, the author and illustrator, receives the Lennart Hellsing Award. The jury praises his bold artwork that invites readers to "extraordinary adventures".
In the motivation, it is emphasized that he, like Hellsing, has "complete trust in his audience" and is not afraid of the frightening. Aron Landahl does not think that he seeks the eerie, but knows that his pictures can be "dark and murky". His August Prize-nominated book "All eat all" can also be considered gruesome – where a turtle is eaten by a snake that becomes dinner for a swan that is swallowed by a seal. All animals die.
Aron Landahl often draws nature – he recently illustrated "Surr", which is about pollinating insects.
His pictures are detailed, but he combines the complex with the simple for a greater effect. Aron Landahl is inspired by Japanese woodcuts, Rousseau, and the German illustrator Maria Sibylla Merian's way of giving animals a character in scientific illustrations. Manga is also an important inspiration. Keiji Nakazawa's book "Gen – the boy from Hiroshima" about a boy who loses his family when the US bombs Hiroshima had a significant personal impact.
Now, Aron Landahl is working full-time. The jury emphasizes that he draws the reader into adventures. It's not what he associates his work with, but that's what he wants life to feel like: like the books.
Born: 1984 in Visby
Lives: In Uppsala
Career: Is an illustrator, musician, and nurse. Debuted with "Dropp dropp" (2019) and has since illustrated several books by Barbro Lindgren. In 2023, his second own picture book "All eat all" was published, which was nominated for the August Prize. Awarded the Picture Book Prize Snowball 2024.
Current: Recipient of the Lennart Hellsing Award. Illustrated the book "Surr", written by Anna Lind Lewin and Lotta Fabricius Kristianson, which was published in the spring.
About the Lennart Hellsing Award: In connection with Lennart Hellsing's 100th birthday in 2019, the children's book publisher Rabén & Sjögren established an annual award of 100,000 kronor as a tribute to Hellsing's work for picture books and children's culture.
