The publication of Camilla Läckberg's children's book "Pelle Svanslös and the tail hunt" coincides with the opening of a new Pelle Svanslös land built in the amusement park Furuvik for 4.5 million kronor. The queen of thrillers is also a co-owner of No Tail AB.
The Läckberg brand gives publicity on a book market where it is important to be seen, notes Jana Rüegg, who researches children's literature in radio and just Pelle Svanslös.
Camilla Läckberg herself believed that she would meet "mixed reactions", she said in the summer.
I thought it would be a scandal, since Pelle is part of high culture, Swedish cultural heritage, and many think I belong to low culture. But it never came, she said recently to Dagens Nyheter.
Explaining the world
Gösta Knutsson hardly saw his cat universe as "high culture", emphasizes Jana Rüegg – for radio man Knutsson, Pelle Svanslös rather entertainment with strong contemporary relevance.
- Through Pelle Svanslös, Gösta Knutsson could comment on contemporary events. His take on children's culture was to talk to children on an equal level, to try to explain the world to children.
The tailless cat was born on the radio in 1937 and in the books, a time of rationing and expensive butter is depicted. The third book "Pelle Svanslös in America" (1941) preceded the civil rights movement and had a strong anti-racist message, she emphasizes.
The books have a humanistic value system about people's equal worth. It was a lot about solidarity and showing civic courage.
cat
How does Pelle Svanslös change with new authors? During the 10s, Åsa and Michael Rönn established Pelle Svanslös as a story about anti-bullying and about "daring to be kind", Jana Rüegg means. Camilla Läckberg has so far introduced two new cats: Fixar-Fanny and French Pascal.
Pernilla Oljelund, one of the scriptwriters of the acclaimed Christmas calendar "Pelle Svanslös" from 1997, cannot remember writing in any new cats at all.
I thought Pelle Svanslös was an enormous good universe as it was. We got it on a silver platter. I think it was a bit more sacred back then, the boundaries have been stretched incredibly for how disrespectful you get to be towards a work, she says with the addition that she welcomes them.
But I think it's important that it's done in the same spirit and with a gentle hand.
Original Pelle:
Was created by radio man Gösta Knutsson, first as a story on the radio. The book "Pelle Svanslös on adventure" was published in 1939. The 13 books mainly take place in Uppsala and deal with, among other things, political current events during World War II, for example, the Roma's situation and Nazism. A Danish cat could be hunted by the police for being a "quisling".
90s Pelle
In the Christmas calendar "Pelle Svanslös" on SVT, Björn Kjellman played the lead role.
2000s Pelle
The couple Åsa and Rönn have written new picture books about Pelle Svanslös and now Camilla Läckberg takes over. She is also a co-owner of No Tail AB, which in turn owns Sagogränd, which manages the rights to Pelle Svanslös.
Sources: "The history of Swedish children's and youth literature" and others.
