Harald Wiberg (1 March 1908 – 15 August 1986) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

writer, artist and illustrator. He was best known for his illustrations in the books about

Tomten A (, ), tomte (), , or () is a mythological creature from Nordic folklore today typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season. They are generally described as being short, having a long white beard, and wearing a con ...

and of

Astrid Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (; ; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on- ...

Life and career

Wiberg was born in

Ankarsrum Ankarsrum is a locality situated in Västervik Municipality, Kalmar County, Sweden with 1,254 inhabitants in 2010. History There is written evidence for Ankarsrum dating to about 1430 (when it was called Jangolsrwme) and from 1544 (Ångersrum). ...

in 1908. He attended the Stockholm College of Drama (Stockholms dramatiska högskola). Later he also studied in France and Italy. Most of his illustrations show Scandinavian landscapes, animals and traditional mythological figures. In the 1960s, he became known in Sweden through his appearances in the nature documentary show ''Korsnäsgårde''. He became known internationally through his illustrations of the Tomten books: ''Tomten'' (1961) and ''Tomten and the Fox'' (1965). In the Swedish edition of these works, Wiberg's illustrations were published next to the original poems by

Viktor Rydberg Abraham Viktor Rydberg (; 18 December 182821 September 1895) was a Swedish writer and a member of the Swedish Academy, 1877–1895. "Primarily a classical idealist", Viktor Rydberg has been described as "Sweden's last Romantic" and by 1859 was ...

and Karl-Erik Forsslund. In the international editions the illustration appeared next to a text written by

, based on the poems and the illustrations. The success of these works prompted Wiberg to write and illustrate his own Tomten book entitled ''Gammaldags jul''. The book was translated into English (''Christmas at the tomten's farm''). Another work by Viktor Rydberg, ''Björn's Advent on Christmas Eve'' (''Lille Viggs äventyr på julafton'', 1980) was also illustrated by Wiberg. In 1976 he received the Elsa Beskow badge for his illustrations in the book ''The big snowstorm'' (Den stora snöstuellen, 1975). On August 15, 1986, he died in Falköping.

Works (selection)

Awards

* 1970: ''

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award The Lewis Carroll Shelf Award was an American literary award conferred on several books annually by the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education annually from 1958 to 1979. Award-winning books were deemed to "belong on the same shelf" ...

'' for ''

Christmas in the Stable ''Christmas in the Stable'' (original title: ''Jul i stallet'') is a 1961 children's book by Astrid Lindgren, illustrated by Harald Wiberg. Plot A mother tells a story about the very first Christmas to her child. Although it had happened a long ...

'' (shared with

) * 1973: ''The Brooklyn Art Books For Children Citations'' for ''Christmas in the Stable'' (shared with Astrid Lindgren) * 1976: ''Elsa Beskow-plaketten'' for ''The big snowstorm''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiberg, Harald 1908 births 1986 deaths Swedish fantasy illustrators Swedish male writers