Inger Edelfeldt

Edelfeldt was born in Stockholm in 1956. Her father was an engineer and her mother was a house wife. Her father used to tell her stories before he went to work in the mornings, but he also suffered from depressions and was treated with electrotherapy. The situation at home reflected on the young Edelfeldt, she was bullied at school and suffered from self-harming OCD. As an adult she tried several therapies and finally settled on Zen coaching and meditation.[1]

Edelfeldt made her debut in 1977 with the book Duktig pojke ("Good Boy").[2] The novel is about the boy Jim who is lonely and asserts himself by excelling in school. The book was later reworked into a book for young adults and it is regarded as one of the first coming out novels in Sweden.[3] She has written more than 30 books since then,[4] most of which are novels, short stories, poetry books, comic books and books for children and young people.[5] Edelfeldt's young adult novels often revolves around subjects like identity and efforts of liberation.[2] Another common theme is mans double nature, the mirror image and the dark side of a good life.[6] She writes in a multitude of styles such as satire, fable, drama and has been described as easy to read with a special sense of humor.[7]

"[Edelfeldt]...is a crossbreed between Astrid Lindgren and Franz Kafka."

— Göran Hägg, docent in literary science[6]

Edelfeldt is a self-taught artist and she says that she has been inspired by the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Arthur Rackham and Maurice Sendak. She has worked as an illustrator since 1976. She made aquarelles for the 1985 edition of the Tolkien calendar in the United States and the United Kingdom.[8]

In 1995, the Swedish television the TV-series Nattens barn ("The Children of the night"),[9] made after Edelfeldt's young adult novel Julliane och jag ("Juliane and me"). The series was directed by Lisa Ohlin.[10]

On 30 July 1990, Edelfeldt hosted the noted radio program Sommar I P1.[11]

• 1987 – Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for Breven till nattens drottning[12]
• 1989 – Adamson Diploma from Svenska Serieakademien[13]
• 1991 – Svenska Dagbladet literary award[14]
• 1993 – ABF literature and art stipend[6]
• 1995 – Göteborgs-Posten literary award[6]
• 1995 – Nils Holgersson Plaque for the short story Gravitation[14]
• 1996 – Dobloug Prize[14]
• 1996 – Karl Vennberg's prize[15]
• 1997 – Ivar Lo-Johanssons personal award[14]
• 1998 – Ludvig Nordström award[7]
• 1999 – Gustaf Fröding stipend[6]