Auringonmuna

by Elsa Beskow, Eila Kivikk'aho (Translator)

Elsa Beskow (1874 - 1953) on Ruotsin tunnetuin sadunkertoja. Beskowin hurmaavat kuvakirjat ovat iltasatujen klassikoita, joiden lumo ei ole vähentynyt vuosien aikana. Elsa Beskow luo lapsille maailman, jossa elämä on yksinkertaista, suurenmoista ja täynnä luottamusta. Hän saa suuret ja pienet lukijansa huomaamaan arkipäivän ihmeellisyyden. Olipa kerran keijukainen, joka eli metsän ajattomassa, rauhallisessa maailmassa. Mutta eräänä päivänä metsään ilmestyi auringonmuna – ja se järkytti keijukaisen maailman sijoiltaan. Ihastuttava luontosatu Beskowin herttaiseen tapaan.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Swedish Literature, Classics, Nature

30 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1932

About the author

"Så långt jag minns tillbaka brukade vi syskon, liksom nästan alla barn, tycka mycket om att rita. Jag var bara sex år då jag hade klart för mig, att jag helst av allt ville lära mig rita, när jag blev stor, och allra helst rita i sagoböcker. Min bror och jag brukade ofta sitta och rita tillsammans. Han ritade vikingafejder och grekiska hjältestrider, medan jag ritade barn och stugor och landskap. Hans ritningar var säkert mycket bättre än mina. Jag kommer ihåg att jag beundrade dem mycket, fast jag nog tyckte att hans hjältar hade väl korta ben." Så berättar Elsa Beskow om sin barndom "När jag var liten" publicerad första gången i Barnbiblioteket Saga nr 35 (texten ovan tagen ur Solägget 1986) I samma berättelse skriver Elsa Beskow om hur roligt det var att gå i skolan och få lära sig läsa, hennes favoritbok var en tjock Topeliusbok som hon släpade med sig överallt och läste högt ur för sina syskon.

Redan som liten satte hon ihop långa sagor som hon berättade för sin ett år äldre bror, "Vanligen gick det till så, att han släpade mig med sig till en vrå, satte sig själv i vägen för mig, så att jag ej kunde rymma, och befallde: berätta nu! Och jag pladdrade på så gott jag kunde. Ibland tappade jag alldeles tråden i berättelsen och frågade honom bekymrad: 'Vad menar jag, Hans?' 'Kanske menar Elsa så…' föreslog han helt beredvilligt, och så fortgick berättelsen."

Elsa Beskow föddes 1874 på Söder i Stockholm. Hennes familj bestod av mor och far, fyra systrar och en bror. När Elsa Beskow var 15 år dog hennes far och modern blev ensam med barnen. Familjen flyttade till moderns ogifta yngre syskon som bodde tillsammans. Mostrarna och morbrodern blev verklighetens förebilder till Tant Grön, Tant Brun, Tant Gredelin och Farbror Blå.

Under åren 1892-95 utbildade sig Elsa Beskow till teckningslärare vid Tekniska skolan, det var också då som hon började att teckna för barn. 1897 gifte hon sig med Natanael Beskow, präst och konstnär. Paret fick sex söner, vilka många gånger kom att stå modell för barnen i hennes berättelser och sagor. Deras hus och vildvuxna trädgård i Djursholm fick ge inspiration till hennes besjälade blommor och växter. Elsa Beskows stil har jämförts med sekelskifteskonstnärer som Walter Crane och Kate Greenaway, men även Ottilia Adelborg. Första gången hennes bilder, bildberättelser och verser publicerades var 1894 för barntidningen Jultomten.

Barnboksdebuten kom 1897 med bilderboken Sagan om den lilla lilla gumman, en klassiker som de flesta barn känner till ännu idag. Elsa Beskow hade fått ramsan om den lilla gumman berättad för sig av sin mormor och i den första upplagan från 1897 slutar boken abrupt med gummans "Schas katta!" I nästa upplaga tyckte förläggaren på Wahlström och Widstrand att boken skulle sluta med "och katten sprang till skogs och kom aldrig mer igen" för så mindes han ramsan.

Men femtio år senare, i en ny upplaga, skrev Elsa Beskow till raden "Men kanske[br]ändå att han kom hem till slut" då flera barn blivit ledsna över det tidigare slutet.

Beskows bilder dominerade bilderbokskonsten under närmare 50 år och säkert har många av dagens bilderbokskonstnärer påverkats av hennes konst.

1952 erhöll Elsa Beskow Nils Holgersson-plaketten för sin samlade produktion. Det finns dessutom ett pris uppkallat efter henne, Elsa Beskow-plaketten, instiftat 1958 av Sveriges allmänna biblioteksförening.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first encountered Elsa Beskow's 1932 picture book Sol-Ägget in German translation in late 1969 (when I was three years old), and with Das Sonnenei being one of the books my paternal grandmother had to read aloud over and over again (for I absolutely adored both the poetic text and equally so the accompanying illustrations and I thus kept asking for Das Sonnenei so often that after a while my grandmother got pretty well sick and tired of Das Sonnenei and insisted on other Elsa Beskow picture books, something that I now appreciate, but against which as a three year old I certainly rebelled a bit). So because of my fond childhood nostalgia and memories regarding Das Sonnenei, and that in German, Elsa Beskow's original Swedish text has indeed been translated to also be poetry (and just like is the case in Sol-Ägget), well, this certainly has made in particular my inner child not be all that enamoured of the anonymous and verbally dense prose translation (or rather adaptation) in Floris Books' 1993 The Sun Egg.

And no, I do not really mind all that much (even if perhaps a trifle) that the text for The Sun Egg is a prose adaptation since translating poetry can be problematic and awkward, but I do indeed have my issues with Floris Books' translators so often being nameless and that their adaptations are also generally much more verbose and with considerably more unnecessary information and details than the original works textually speaking show and provide (and that this has most definitely been the case with The Sun Egg, that the anonymous words, that the prose for The Sun Egg has been dragging and a bit tedious and certainly not really the sweet and lovely poetry of Das Sonnenei and more than likely also what Elsa Beskow originally penned in Sol-Ägget, that there are just too many words in The Sun Egg and how this kind of lessens the verbal magic I so loved in Das Sonnenei as a three year old).

But while I am not all that textually thrilled with The Sun Egg, yes and of course, Elsa Beskow's artwork is absolutely magical and the combination of text and images in The Sun Egg still works well enough and tells the same story as Das Sonnenei and Sol-Ägget do (and that I really do adore how it is the diminutive chaffinch that knows what the supposed sun egg in the forest is and then takes the little elf along to Spain for the winter so the elf can experience trees full of sun eggs, trees laden with oranges).

Visually charming and utterly aesthetically adorable is The Sun Egg, and Elsa Beskow's pictures therefore and definitely rate five stars for me. But while I would definitely be rating Das Sonnenei with five stars (and Sol-Ägget as well), sorry, but the adapted and more than a somewhat overly long and involved prose narrative for and in The Sun Egg can only be a high two stars for me, and that together, the combination of text and images for The Sun Egg is thus three stars, a quite high three stars to be sure, but textually speaking not yet four stars.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly charming! Full of the adorable woodland creatures and quirky, adorable elves that make Beskow great. I absolutely love her illustrations and this is a wonderful story to read any time of year as it follows all the seasons. Children will probably have fun guessing what the sun egg actually is before the characters do ;-)

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little red-haired elf - whose dancing welcomes the returning sun in Spring, the golden leaves in Autumn, and the falling snow in Winter; and who is beloved of all the birds in the forest, because she always returns their fallen eggs to their nests - stumbles upon an unusually larger and orange egg, in this charming tale from Sweden's beloved picture-book artist, Elsa Beskow. Convinced that the egg has fallen from the sky, and belongs to the Sun, the elf soon has her friends and comrades gathered round. It falls to the chaffinch to enlighten all, as to the exact nature of the egg, and its relation to the sun, thereby setting in motion events that will take the elf on a most unexpected journey southward...

This classic Swedish picture-book, first published in 1932 as Sol-Ägget, manages to be utterly adorable and completely sweet, without ever descending into any kind of affected "cutsey-ness." The little elf is completely natural, and makes an engaging and believable heroine, while her woodland friends - from her mischievous fellow elf Larch, to the rather grouchy gnome, Crooked Root - make an appealing cast of secondary characters. Like Beskow's Children of the Forest , this delightful book is a magical celebration of the outdoor world, and all the beauties it has to offer. Recommended to young fairy-tale lovers, who always have an eye open for enchantment, and to fans of Elsa Beskow's work.

[H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely lovely book that tells the story of an elf that finds a "sun egg" (spoiler alert: it's a orange) with some woodland friends, and goes on an adventure which I have to guess is Florida, given the orange trees.

I'm so in love with Elsa Beskow's illustrative work, and already have another one of her books on the way, Rosalind and The Little Deer. I really appreciate the detail of nature she puts into her art. Makes me want to touch all the tree branches.

One of the elves is a little jerk, so there's that.

This book was originally published in 1932 in Swedish. (The cover is the exact same)

[Kitiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit long for a children’s book

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reads old-fashioned; I'm not sure it was worth reprinting, imo. But young me, half a century ago, would have loved the art and liked the story, so I'm sure this is finding an audience.

[J. Boo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spectacularly beautiful illustrations. Not thrilled with the story that goes along with them. Too large a cast of characters, and somewhat clunky writing - perhaps better when read in Swedish to an audience of Swedes who are familiar with the cultural context.

Q: "Now that we've read it, what did you think?" DS4 &DD2: "Let's read something different."

Me: 5/5 for illustrations (did I mention how beautiful they are?) 2/5 for story. Them: 2/5

[Jinnie Stork · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastisk saga med flera dimensioner och ett mysigt, om än lite tomt, språk. Lätt att dramma sig bort, och drömma sig tillbaks till skogens dofter.

[Tapani Aulu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Monessa huomaa, miten tarina, sanasto ja kuvituskin on ikääntynyt. Mutta toimii edelleen lähes ajattoman hyvin.

[Ana on the Shelves]

This is quite literaly is what dreams are made of!
Precious little story!

[Susa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sympaattinen tarina metsän elävistä, jotka löytävät appelsiinin, ajalta jolloin appelsiinit totta tosiaan olivat ihmeellisiä.

[Frida Wernblad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book my dad read for me as a child and brings back so many memories i think it a great story with great grafik

[Ebba · Rating 4 out of 5]

För nostalgins skull, men detta är en sådan pärla!

[Книжни Криле · Rating 5 out of 5]

С „Децата на Джуджан, горското джудже“ българските читатели най-накрая имаха възможността да се запознаят със спиращите дъха илюстрации и вълшебните сюжети на Елса Бесков. За наша огромна радост, от изд. „Enthusiast“ се появи и втора нейна приказка – „Слънчевото яйце“. В нея една мъничка фея попада на нещо голямо, оранжево и кръгло насред величествената гора. Какво би могло да бъде това, освен яйце от самото слънце и… началото на едно незабравимо приключение! Прочетете ревюто на „Книжни Криле“: https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202...

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, and obvious if you’re an adult, but exactly the kind of fantasy story certain small children like. It’s more fanciful but in many ways similar to Sophie’s Squash, but with the added delight of Elsa Beskow’s fairies.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ljuvliga bilder! Det var så fantastiskt som barn att få fantisera om djurens pysslingvärld, i den realistiskt avbildade naturen, och då också kändes magisk. Och apelsinen som gör allt så glödande varmt - och älvan har faktiskt samma eldröda ton i sitt hår.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a charming little story! The illustrations were absolutely gorgeous & I loved the curiosity and playfulness of the characters. Cannot wait to share this delightful book with my nieces and nephews :)

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical with lots of room for imagination.

[Maria Bergman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book for children with pictures.

[Quince · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favourite.

[Julia Maja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Po książkę sięgnęłam z ciekawości podczas wizyty w krakowskiej szwedzkiej kawiarni. Głównie dlatego, że zauważyłam ilustracje pojawiające się na szwedzkich naczyniach. Wcześniej nie znałam twórczości Elsy Beskow. Niestety w Polsce zostały wydane zaledwie dwie książeczki autorki.

Jestem pod wrażeniem, jak autorka poprzez wykreowanie baśniowego świata opisuje przyrodę i wprowadza czytelnika w skandynawski klimat. Opowieść o córce elfów, która pewnego dnia znalazła na swojej drodze tytułowe słoneczne jajo skradła moje serce zarówno ze względu na historię jak i przepiękne ilustracje. Treść książeczki jest zagadką dla młodszych czytelników, którzy wraz z dziewczynka i jej leśnymi przyjaciółmi próbują dowiedzieć się czym jest znalezisko.

Myślę, że na wysoką ocenę zaważył również fakt, że jestem fanką motywów pomarańczy. Jestem przekonana, że jeśli w przyszłości będę miała dziecko, to otrzyma ode mnie egzemplarz tej uroczej książeczki.

[FM Family · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a strange one, especially, as many other reviewers pointed out, because they persist in describing this orange as being yellow. Which I thought wouldn't bother me but it was so persistent throughout that it was just like - why?

A classic Swedish story about fairies and other woodland creatures, it straddles that line where if you like gnomes etc, it's enchanting, whereas if, like my wife, you find them creepy, you can lean in and feel creeped out. My 3.5 year old seemed to enjoy it, and liked the happy and anxious frogs especially I think. Worth a read if you're looking for in translation stories, but I feel like it is similar in ways to the Chirri and Chirra stories, and Kazuo Iwamakura's squirrel series, but my kid and I both preferred the latter two.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book thanks to a recommendation from an old friend. However, I have to say that the tangential nature of the storytelling was a bit distracting. It seemed as though the narrative thread, though centered on the effects of a fairy finding an orange, didn't seem committed to recounting that single story, but rather the story of several other characters that made brief cameos as the story went along. It was nice as older stories go, but it wasn't my favorite story.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elsa Beskowin tuotantoa parhaimmillaan; pieni keijukainen löytää metsästä suuren, oranssin munan - mitä ilmeisemmin se on tipahtanut auringon pesästä! Piakkoin koko metsän väki on ihmettelemässä auringonmunaa, mutta onneksi Rastas osaa kertoa mikä se todellisuudessa on.

Ihanan utuinen ja ajaton fiilis koko tarinassa ja kuvituksessa.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the pillars of my childhood, this book has been very thoroughly read in my home.

[Maxine Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Charlotta Larsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this enchanting story.

[Margaret Sefton · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Floridian, I absolutely fell in love with this concept for a children's book. I love this work.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little elf finds an orange egg that turns out to be just an orange.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

A wood elf finds an orange and thinks that the sun laid an egg.