Nordic illustrators to tour Estonia

Estonians and their Nordic neighbours share a love of books that are exciting to read and beautiful to look at. Prizes are awarded in Estonia each year for the 25 most beautiful books, shining the spotlight on these pretty publications. But what is Nordic book illustrating like? How do illustrators get the tone of their drawings just right? These and other topics will be discussed by Linda Bondestam and Jenny Lucander, two well-known and well-regarded book designers from the Nordic countries, during their tour of the Baltic States from 16-23 May. At 18:00 on 16 May the artists will be taking part in a cultural event bridging the gap between Estonia and Finland at Toila Library. This event is open to adults. Anyone interested is invited to visit Illuka School on 17 May, and Pärnu Sütevaka High School of Humanities and Pärnu Kuninga Street Basic School on 18 May, where the illustrators plan to undertake a variety of exciting activities with children.

Linda Bondestam (born in Finland in 1977) says: “I’m not necessarily inspired by beautiful things. Even the ugliest parts of a city with all their scrap and litter can become works of art.” Bondestam is one of the best known book designers in the Nordic countries today. This year she has been nominated for the Nordic Council of Ministers Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award with Ulf Stark for ‘Animals Nobody Has Seen Except Us’. Another book she worked on with Stark, ‘The Dictator’, has been translated into many different languages and published all over the globe. Bondestam studied at Kingston University London and to date has designed dozens of books.

For more information, see http://lindabondestam.com/.

Jenny Lucander (born in Finland in 1975) is a freelance book designer who also works with magazines and commercial publications. Of designing books as an art form she says: “I want to get more across than just a pretty picture or a good composition. My work has to have a story in it, a message, a feeling, a smell or a certain state of mind.” Lucander studied book design (and even story-telling!) at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden having educated herself previously in the social sciences and social psychology. She has twice been nominated for the Nordic Council of Ministers Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award: in 2016 for ‘A Dream About Dragons’ (by Sanna Tahvanainen) and in 2017 for ‘Wilder, Worse Smilodon’ (by Minna Lindeberg).

For more information, see http://www.jennylucander.com/.

The illustrators’ tour of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania is taking place as part of Nordic Writers Crossing Borders, a two-year programme to which the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Offices in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are contributing along with the Norden Association. The programme aims to organise visits by Nordic authors to schools and libraries so as, through their work, to more broadly promote new Nordic literature and culture, to exchange thoughts on important issues, to encourage people to read and to hone people’s ability to express themselves.