Jan Lööf
Encyclopedia
Jan Lööf is a Swedish
illustrator
, author
, comic creator, and jazz
musician.
Lööf studied at the Stockholm Art Academy in the early 1960s. In 1967, he started his most famous comic strip
Felix, which soon gained popularity into many parts of the world. Mixing humor and adventure, Felix has sometimes been described as a more naivistic version of The Adventures of Tintin
. Later, Lööf created other comics, such as Bellman (a humor strip about a Stockholm
hobo
) and Ville (a "comedic adventure" about an unemployed Stockholm author, teaming up with Olof Palme
and Carl XVI Gustaf
to fight the bad guys).
In the early 1970s, Lööf participated as actor in a few productions, among them the Swedish cult children's TV show Tårtan (The cake) about three incompetent and filthy sailors-turned-bakers. In 1985, Lööf produced his own children's show, the animated Skrot-Nisse och Hans Vänner, for Swedish National Television
.
Jan Lööf's own books for children have been very popular, both in Sweden and worldwide. Among them are The Story of the Red Apple and Uncle Louie's Fantastic Sea Voyage. He has also illustrated children's books written by his friend and colleague Carl-Johan de Geer.
Lööf is known to spend his spare time playing the saxophone
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, comic creator, and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician.
Lööf studied at the Stockholm Art Academy in the early 1960s. In 1967, he started his most famous comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Felix, which soon gained popularity into many parts of the world. Mixing humor and adventure, Felix has sometimes been described as a more naivistic version of The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
. Later, Lööf created other comics, such as Bellman (a humor strip about a Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
hobo
Hobo
A hobo is a term which is often applied to a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. The term originated in the Western—probably Northwestern—United States during the last decade of the 19th century. Unlike 'tramps', who work only when they are forced to, and 'bums', who do not...
) and Ville (a "comedic adventure" about an unemployed Stockholm author, teaming up with Olof Palme
Olof Palme
Sven Olof Joachim Palme was a Swedish politician. A long-time protegé of Prime Minister Tage Erlander, Palme led the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 to his assassination, and was a two-term Prime Minister of Sweden, heading a Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976 and a cabinet...
and Carl XVI Gustaf
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
to fight the bad guys).
In the early 1970s, Lööf participated as actor in a few productions, among them the Swedish cult children's TV show Tårtan (The cake) about three incompetent and filthy sailors-turned-bakers. In 1985, Lööf produced his own children's show, the animated Skrot-Nisse och Hans Vänner, for Swedish National Television
Sveriges Television
Sveriges Television AB , Sweden's Television, is a national television broadcaster based in Sweden, funded by a compulsory fee to be paid by all television owners...
.
Jan Lööf's own books for children have been very popular, both in Sweden and worldwide. Among them are The Story of the Red Apple and Uncle Louie's Fantastic Sea Voyage. He has also illustrated children's books written by his friend and colleague Carl-Johan de Geer.
Lööf is known to spend his spare time playing the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
.
Awards
Jan Lööf is a recipient of a number of awards.- 2010: Selma Lagerlöf PrizeSelma Lagerlöf PrizeThe Selma Lagerlöf Prize is a Swedish literary prize awarded to a Swedish author writing in the spirit of Selma Lagerlöf who was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The prize was founded by the Sunne Municipality in 1983 and has been awarded annually since 1984. Recipients...
- 2009: "Urhunden"Urhunden PrizesUrhunden Prizes have been given out each year by the Svenska Seriefrämjandet since 1987. There are three categories, Best Swedish Album of the Year , Best Foreign Album of the Year , and the "Unghunden" for best children's comics .The award is named after the comic strip "Urhunden" by...
- 2005: Bokjuryn (:sv:Bokjuryn)
- 1985: Golden Antenna (:sv:Guldantennen)
- 1977: Elsa Beskow Plaque (:sv:Elsa Beskow-plaketten)
- 1976: 91:an Scholarship Award
- 1974: Expressen's Heffalump (:sv:Expressens Heffalump)
- 1968: Adamson Award