See Hamlet by Barbro Lindgren (text) and Anna Höglund (illustrations), 2017
Titta Hamlet
On the back of the cover of this thin book you can read: Shakespeare´s most famous drama - now as a picture book! It is a brilliant idea to condense the tragic saga to…let me count …94 words! Hamlet is Shakespeare´s longest play with 30,557 words. Maybe you miss some of the nuances but on the whole I think this short version captures the essential feel of doom and gloom of the classic tragedy.
See Hamlet. Hamlet not happy. Hamlet´s mom stupid. Hamlet´s dad dead.
Hamlet in love with Ophelia. Ophelia in love with Hamlet. Ophelia´s dad shady.
Hamlet very, very sad.
I was going to write that I didn’t want to spoil the end but I’m sure most individuals over 12 years old reading this blog know how this play ends. The picture book ends with these laconic words:
Hamlet dead. Now everybody dead. Good night. Good night.
My comment:
I have to acknowledge that this short version of Hamlet is very appealing to me: for the first time in my life I can distinguish the different characters and their intentions. I think this tiny book is a masterpiece! But maybe not suitable for the very young children.
Time from time it seems like our world is overflowing with tragedy and suffering.
In 2014 the eight-year-old girl Yara was brutally abused and beaten to death by a relative. The atrocities to which the girl was exposed to during the last hours of her short life are unbearable to read about. Yara´s sad, sad story has stayed with me. I don’t know where she is now but I hope that wherever she is, she is unbroken.
Erica Stenkrona: I keep thinking of Yara, 2019. Neocolor I on black mat board. 80 cm x 120 cm