The Finnish Comics Society has awarded author and illustrator Ulla Donner with the Puupäähattu Prize for her works and authorship.
They have motivated their choice as follows:
“Donner has created her own design language, where for instance the typography becomes a part of the image. This obeys the fundamental idea of comics: the interplay of word and image. Into every page there’s more content than what it looks like at a first glance. Moomins and memes have given stylistic influences, but above all it is the author’s own voice that is heard and seen. The humor in the books is insightful, Donner is not being mean but rather creating likeable contemporary satire. Donner’s works show, how serious subjects can be dealt with in a warm and understanding way”.
Ulla Donner (b.1988) is an author and illustrator whose three books – Spleenish, Crap, and The Natural Comedy – have been welcomed with enthusiasm from critics and readers alike.
Spleenish (2017) explores the struggle of young people trying to fit in and stand out at the same time, and the frustration that follows.
Donner’s second work, Crap, explores the contradictions and dangers of capitalism by following a group of artsy young people working at a trendy advertising agency. The promotion campaign of the latest revolutionary product, a potato-based high-protein sausage, sets in motion a chain of unexpected events with larger consequences than expected. Crap was awarded with the Finlandia Comics Prize upon its release, and is currently out in French with Atrabile.
The Natural Comedy is Ulla Donner’s latest work, and it has been reviewed as her masterpiece. Born as a twist on Dante’s The Divine Comedy, the work follows Birch, a leaf who makes a crash landing on Candy after falling off a tree on the way to the Great Autumn Party. The reluctant duo embark on a roadtrip through the forest, which has been destroyed by mankind, and encounter a string of weird characters along the way. Donner’s pencil stuns readers with vivid illustrations rich in blues, whites and yellows that bring the forest to life and give the main characters rounded, Moomin-like and extremely cute features. The work won the Urhunden Prize in Sweden, and has already been sold to Poland.
All of Ulla Donner’s works have been nominated for the Most Beautiful Book of the Year Award. In Finland, her production is published by Schildts & Söderströms.
Warmest congratulations to the author and the publisher!