Author, Illustrator
Sven Nordqvist, born in 1946 in Helsingborg, has always drawn and painted. He has worked as an architect, teacher and graphic designer. In 1983 he won the competition for the best illustrated book organised by what was to become his publishing house, Opal. Already with his second book he brought to life his two best-known and best-loved characters, Pettson and Findus, the protagonists of many of his illustrated books. During his teenage years he was inspired by the illustrators of the Swedish magazine MAD, whose influence is still evident in his style today.
Sven also likes to build mechanical devices out of wood, a passion found in Pettson’s albums. His illustrations are characterised by an incredible richness of colour and detail. Each picture is like a world of its own full of little characters that one can observe for hours, always discovering new details. Perhaps that is why his drawings are so loved by everyone, children and adults alike.
Over the course of his career, he has received many awards, including the Astrid Lindgren Award, the August Prize for Where’s My Sister? and the Northern Lights Prize in 2020, both for Walking the Dog and for the Pettson and Findus series