Book Of the Year 2023, in the category of illustrated books, selected by Morgunbladid daily
The Reykjavik Children’s Literature Prize 2024, for Best Illustrations
Has your neighbour suddenly gotten rich in an unexplained way?
Is your child suddenly acting like a beast?
Is the house in ruins after Christmas?
Are the devices always breaking down?
Are birthmarks in the form of magic runes in the family?
Do you maybe have an invisible friend?
Icelandic elves are unique among elven nations and have a deep and mysterious relationship with Icelanders in the real world. Here, a new light is shed on the Icelandic elf and the conflicted coexistence of hidden people and humans since the beginning of the country’s settlement.
Underworld trades, bloody Christmas parties, radical actions in environmental matters, romantic and forbidden loves in other worlds and exciting exploits of sheepmen and milkmaids come into play.
Age group: 5–105 years!
“The visual language of Rán in the book is complex yet at the same time simple, humorous, and presented in various ways, such as in the form of comics and newspaper articles. These reflect the different stories of the work and offer endless variety for readers. Rán’s use of watercolors, lively lines, and a limited but thoughtful color palette effortlessly guides the reader through the book. The illustrations enliven the stories and expand them, often with images that parallel the text without directly interpreting it. Rán’s sense of humor and sensitivity are always present and enhance the work as a whole. The same can be said for the clever use of an almost transparent layer of drawings that float through the book, often revealing a third aspect of the narrative.”
JURY’S COMMENTS, THE REYKJAVIK CHILDREN’S LITERATURE PRIZE 2024
FOUR STARS OUT OF FIVE
“The authors share a common feature: their sense of humor is the core of their creative work – whether together or individually – and with humor as their weapon, they evoke new ideas and reflections about elves in Icelandic culture… places familiar themes in a brand-new context – and entertains the reader. …The most entertaining aspect of Ran’s illustrations in Elves are the hidden images that can be found on almost every page by moving the book around … These hidden drawings perfectly reflect the subject matter and transform the images just as the presence of elves alters the laws of the human world. …The book by Ran and Hjorleifur is both enjoyable and informative.”
SALKA GUDMUNDSDOTTIR, HEIMILDIN WEEKLY
“This book is absolutely fantastic and clearly a treasure that many will want to own in their homes… Absolutely magnificent… This is a real gem, brought into a contemporary context. It discusses issues like gender equality among elves, whether they are polyamorous, and their carbon footprint. It’s presented in an entertaining way. … Ran has a unique style, one recognizes her style as soon as one sees it.”
INGIBJORG IDA AUDUNARDOTTIR, KILJAN / NATIONAL TV
“I believe this might even be the best book in the series. I am tremendously impressed by this book. Not least because it is such a beautiful object. The text is incredibly entertaining. There is so much life in the text. This book is made with great respect for elves, which is worthwhile because they certainly know how to avenge themselves.”
KOLBRUN BERGTHORSDOTTIR, KILJAN/NATIONAL TV
