ELLEN EKMAN TALKS OLLE AND BOLLE ARE BROTHERS
"I can really relate to the sibling rivalry"
Daniel John
'Olle and Bolle Are Brothers' is the second children’s book you’ve illustrated, after 'The Week Before Child Allowance', which came out almost exactly a year ago. What can you tell us about this new book, what is it about?
'Olle and Bolle Are Brothers' is written by author Lotta Lannebo and tells the story of brothers Olle and Bolle and their slightly frazzled mom. It takes place on a gray and slushy day when they stay indoors and “do their best to survive”, as the mother in the book would put it. It’s based on Lotta’s own children and her experiences as a single parent.
Is it right that Cecilia Torudd’s comic strip 'The Single Mom' was an inspiration not just for Lotta's writing but also for your illustrations at large?
Just like 'The Single Mom', Olle and Bolle’s mom does her best not to completely lose it, despite bad weather, sibling fights, failed chocolate-ball baking, and general chaos. I think of that recurring moment in 'The Single Mom' when the mom tears at her hair and screams “Crumbs!” It’s those little details that can push a struggling parent over the edge, and sometimes you have to take deep breaths not to have a breakdown, or step out onto the balcony to count cars, as Olle and Bolle’s mom does. I read a lot of 'The Single Mom' growing up, even if I couldn’t always relate to everything in the comics as a kid. Cecilia Torudd was one of my biggest inspirations when I started drawing myself. Unfortunately, I think she’s often forgotten when people talk about how “so many women started making comics”. She was there early on. And Lotta joins that proud tradition of portraying single mothers in a truly wonderful way.
How did the collaboration with Lotta Lannebo come about?
It was Rabén and Sjögren who brought us together. We didn’t know each other beforehand, but Lotta quickly invited me over for a little home visit, field studies, so to speak, complete with preschool pickup and grocery unpacking. I only stayed for half an hour, but it gave me a pretty good glimpse into what had inspired 'Olle and Bolle Are Brothers' (laughs).
“Olle and Bolle are alike, but still different”. How would you describe their similarities and their differences?
Olle is the typical big brother, good with long, complicated words! He wants to play with his glass marbles or his Lego with the tiny pieces, stand on the stool in the kitchen and help out, or build railway junctions on the living room carpet. Unfortunately, he can’t really do any of that, because everything Olle does, Bolle wants to do too, but he can’t, because he’s too little! Olle keeps it together until he can’t anymore, while Bolle toddles around, not quite understanding why he isn’t allowed to join in.
Lotta has been writing her children’s books since 2009 but how was taking that step for you compared to the comic strips you usually make?
When I draw comic strips, it’s fast-paced. If you’re making five strips a week, you can’t get stuck on details if you want to deliver. With the children’s books, though, I can allow the illustrations and settings to take their time and expand. I can think about little details, like what kind of crispbread is on the counter, or where the postcard on the fridge was sent from. It’s also very different to illustrate someone else’s text instead of being responsible for both text and image yourself. That exchange is incredibly rewarding.
In your own writing, you often focus on everyday life. Things of which adult readers can relate to. Despite the target audience, that actually very much feels like a common thread even between these two?
I definitely like children’s books that lean toward a kind of everyday realism. I really appreciate fairy tales and fantasy, but as an illustrator I often get excited by ordinary, recognizable situations. That’s why I liked both 'The Week Before Child Allowance' and 'Olle and Bolle Are Brothers'. For me it is very important that the settings and characters feel believable. I like to “open the fridge” in my characters’ homes and see what’s inside, so to speak.
Why do you think the comic-strip format works so well for portraying the situations and relationships we have in life?
Comics really suit today’s media climate, with one image, you can quickly comment on a current debate without having to write a long opinion piece. They’re accessible and easy to share. Plus, comics do not have to stick to objectivity. You can exaggerate, be childish, unreasonable, and that freedom is part of the charm.
Considering that your own comics are often politically-charged, what response do you usually get?
My comics often spark discussions in the comment sections on my social media. Readers don’t always agree, but more often than not, they direct their anger toward the characters, not me. And that’s kind of how it is with comics, it’s not always my opinions being expressed, but my characters’. They’re far from always right and often act wrongly. Overall, though, the response is very positive and appreciative. I’ve almost never received hate mail or anything like that. I think people don’t really see the sender of a comic, I’m not standing next to it with a cocky author photo, I’m a bit invisible. And honestly, that’s quite nice.
Is a lot of it drawn from your own experiences?
Lots is based on personal experience but I'm also constantly on the lookout for new material! I write down things my friends tell me, read the news, scroll through Twitter. Some comic strips practically write themselves. Like when a friend told me about her mom who had been annoyed all day by someone named “Snooze” who kept calling her. Other topics take more work to develop.
How much of Olle and Bolle do you personally relate to?
I can really relate to the sibling rivalry. I was the youngest one who was always in the way, never allowed to join in, but desperately wanted to, being a bit too much for my size. And the fights! My God, my brother and I fought so much. I honestly don’t understand how we are friends today but apparently it all worked out fine in the end.
Do the people you portray in your comics ever recognize themselves?
It is actually usually very well received. I have gotten a sense that people are more eager to be included than the opposite.
Of all the characters you’ve created which one is the most like yourself?
There’s a bit of me in many of my characters, but one in particular, Lisa, she's quite close. She’s a middle-class kid studying at art school, who feels smothered by her parents’ unconditional love and support. I tend to use her when there’s a lot of me in the story.
Your characters often look kinda similar visually?
When I started drawing 'Little Berlin', I didn’t want to decide too much about the characters in advance. One way to protect that openness, was to draw them all more or less the same. It gave me the freedom to figure out who they were along the way, and maybe, in a sense, to avoid clichés. So instead, everyone looked alike, and I had to trust that the content and dialogue would communicate what I wanted, rather than relying on detailed character design. Over time, the characters kind of introduced themselves, I got to know them, as I drew them.
'Little Berlin' is probably what you're best known for being published in several newspapers. How did that one start out?
'Little Berlin' started when I was attending the Comics School in Malmö. We were given an assignment to come up with a comic concept and draw ten strips. Three students would then be selected for publication in Sydsvenskan. At first, I had no idea what kind of comic to make, I had zero ambitions of doing humor comics. I was going to draw long, serious black-and-white stories. But then I came up with a funny situation I’d recently experienced and drew a strip about my boyfriend’s beard. From there, I just kept digging where I stood, in hipster culture, and set the comic in Möllan in Malmö, surrounded by all these trendy twenty- and thirtysomethings. Sydsvenskan chose to publish it, and when I later learned that Metro was looking for a new cartoonist, I sent in those same ten strips. They picked it up, we moved the setting out of Malmö and we renamed it 'Little Berlin' which is now a fictional Swedish big city, sort of a mix of Malmö, Stockholm and Gothenburg.
That whole series has now been released in five book collections. Where do you feel it stands today. How long do you think it can continue while still keeping its focus on the group it portrays?
I still have plenty of material left from my own twenties and early thirties that hasn’t yet been covered in the comic. But, my hope is that 'Little Berlin' will continue to grow alongside me, that the characters will age along with me.
What relationship do you get with characters, after having them with you for so long?
I care deeply for my characters. They really do try, but rarely manage to get things quite right. That whole period of being in your twenties and thirties can be so tough, you have zero experience but so many ambitions. And in the absence of experience, you compensate with all this annoying attitude and half-baked ideas about who you want to be, ideas that completely miss the mark. But I also get irritated with them. They can be insufferable and self-absorbed, just like oneself, I suppose. That’s probably why they get under my skin.
Coming up with new comic strips every day, on top of other projects, sounds incredibly productive. Are there ever days when you simply can’t think of anything to write about?
I rarely have a stack of finished ideas or scripts lying around. On a day when I’m supposed to draw, I just sit down, go through my notes and loose ideas, and start working a script out. It’s a routine, like any other job. Of course, sometimes I really hit a wall. When that happens, I try to have another project to switch to, so I can set the comic aside for a while and return to it later with fresh eyes. And then there is learning to be satisfied, that’s something I’ve really had to practice. It can’t be perfect every time. Sometimes you just have to go with what you’ve got. And honestly, those “in-between” comics are necessary too, it can’t be a punchline hit every single time.
What can’t a good comic strip be missing?
It varies so much, it’s hard to say. There’s probably no fixed formula.
How often do you read other people’s comic strips?
I read a lot of comics, I love comics and graphic novels. I read many Swedish creators, Mats Jonsson, Annelie Furmark, Julia Thorell, Henrik Bromander, Coco Moodysson, Åsa Grennvall, Liv Strömquist, and Sara Hansson. There are so many great humor and satire artists to draw inspiration from too, Sara Granér, Lisa Ewald, Nanna Johansson, Elin Lucassi. I’ve also read 'Rocky' by Martin Kellerman for years, it has probably influenced me a lot as a strip cartoonist. I still think it’s hilarious. I read it every day in DN.
Is there a dream project you’ve always wanted to make happen?
I’d love to create an animated film or a TV series someday, that would be so much fun. Apparently, animation is very expensive, though, so I will just have to sort out some funding first!
Are there any plans for more books about this family?
The plan is for Olle and Bolle to become a series of children’s books, where we’ll get to follow them on more adventures. I’m really looking forward to illustrating that.
