abortion. Maria Gripe (b. 1923) writes on contemporary realism as well as fantasy-
oriented novels for young adults, often centring on problems of identity. One major work
is the sequence of four novels set around the time of the First World War, beginning with
Skuggan över stenbänken [The Shadow over the Stone Bench] (1982). The work of
Barbro Lindgren (b.1937) ranges over nonsense stories, poetry and information books.
The greatest changes during the 1980s occurred in the field of the picture book. Its
increasing share of the children’s literary market is due to several factors: growth of
interest in the picture as a narrative medium, a new awareness of the interaction
between the text and the illustrations, and a new generation of artists who have been
influenced by such media as films and comics. Eva Eriksson (b.1949) has developed an
expressive style, inspired by the artistic language of cartoons, Anna Höglund (b.1958)
has worked within a symbolic mould and AnnaClara Tidholm (b.1946) has developed a
poetically evocative imagery. A noted debut was made by Pija Lindenbaum (b.1955) with
her provocative and humorous tale Else-Marie och småpapporna [Else-Marie and the
Seven Fathers] (1990). Notable is also Linnea in Monet’s Garden (1985), an art book for
children, by Christina Björk and Lena Anderson.
In the 1980s children’s prose has shown a clear retrospective tendency, manifested in
historical novels and depictions of childhood. A book in this retrospective vein is Janne,
min vän [Johnny, my Friend] (1985) by Peter Pohl (b.1940). This book about adult
society’s exploitation of children was the outstanding novel of the decade, innovative
both in its disregard of traditional narrative techniques and in its lack of a happy
ending. Mats Wahl (b.1945) is one exponent of the new historical novel with its
camouflaged discussion of ethical values and ideologies. His contemporary novels
equally question traditional moral values, as in Vinterviken (1993). Ulf Stark (b.1944)
and Viveca Sundvall (b.1944) represent different aspects of the new comic approach in
the prose of the 1980s and 1990s, and the last decades have generally been
characterised by the search for new forms of literary expression.
ReferencesVold, K.B. (1989) ‘Contemporary Norwegian writing for children’, News from the Top of the World.
Norwegian Literature Today 2.
Winge, M. (1976) Dansk børnelitteratur 1900–1945, Copenhagen: Gyldendal [English summary:
Danish Children’s Literature 1900–1945].
Further ReadingDenmarkRoots in Denmark: Danish Children’s Literature Today (1992) Copenhagen: Danish Literature
Centre.
Sønsthage K. and Eilstrup, L. (ed.) (1992) Dansk Børnelitteratur Historie [History of Danish
Children’s Literature], Copenhagen: Høst and Søn.
700 THE WORLD OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE