Barna Hedenhös
| Author | Bertil Almqvist |
|---|---|
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Genre | children |
| Published | 1948- |
Barna Hedenhös (The Hedenhös Children) is the name of a series of Swedish children's books in the 1950s written by Bertil Almqvist.[1] The story is set in the Stone Age and follows the Hedenhös family. Barna Hedenhös is mostly known as a book series, but Almqvist also made an (albeit limited) animated television series about the Hedenhös family that was broadcast on SVT in 1972.[2] Additionally, Almqvist made a comic version of the Hedenhös books for the comic book Tuff och Tuss during the 1950s; the comic version was later remade for the Pelle Svanslös children's comic book in the 1970s.[3]
Story
[edit]The books tell the story of the Swedish family Hedenhös, consisting of the father Ben, mother Knota, and their two children Sten and Flisa, and their dog Urax.[4] The family also has a horse called Hårfagre and a cow called Mura.[1] The books contain both actual events and fantasy episodes.[1]
In all of the stories, the Hedenhös family invents or comes up with things that are known in the modern world today.[5] As an example, the Hedenhös family moves to an island they call "Stockholmen" – the implication being that it was the Hedenhös family that established and was the first to live in present-day Stockholm, Sweden.[5] Another example is that the Hedenhös family launches the "Urlympiska spelen" ("Protolympic Games") and takes part in it, thus being revealed to be a predecessor to the modern Olympic Games.
Racism accusations
[edit]Some of the Barna Hedenhös books have been accused of being racist.[6] For example, dark-skinned people in the books are referred to by terms that are considered offensive today.[6] In 2013 Bonnier Carlsen temporarily halted its re-release of the books as Barna Hedenhös upptäcker Amerika (The Hedenhös Children Discover America) since the 1950 publications refer to Native Americans as "rödskinn" ("red skins").[7] A new text was inserted in the section concerning the first interactions between the Hedenhös family and the Native American tribe, so it would not cause offence.[7]
Sveriges Television's Christmas calendar
[edit]In 2013 it was revealed that Barna Hedenhös would be the 2013 feature on the SVT Christmas calendar TV series for children, broadcast by Sveriges Television, and would premiere on 1 December on SVT.[8] The series was named Barna Hedenhös uppfinner julen (The Hedenhös Children Invent Christmas).[8]
Book series
[edit]- 1948: Barna Hedenhös: bilder från stenåldern
- 1949: Barna Hedenhös reser till Egypten
- 1950: Barna Hedenhös upptäcker Amerika
- 1950: Barnens dag i Hedenhös (picture book)
- 1951: Barna Hedenhös på vinterresa i Sverige
- 1952: Barna Hedenhös och de urlympiska spelen
- 1953: Barna Hedenhös åker bananbåt till Kanarieöarna
- 1954: Barna Hedenhös blir kungliga
- 1955: Barna Hedenhös i världsrymden
- 1957: Barna Hedenhös reser till Paris
- 1962: Barna Hedenhös bakom stenridån
- 1969: Barna Hedenhös på Mallorca
- 1971: Barna Hedenhös besöker England
- Compilations
- 1991: Den stora boken om barna Hedenhös
- Barna Hedenhös
- Barna Hedenhös reser till Egypten
- Barna Hedenhös upptäcker Amerika
- Barna Hedenhös åker bananbåt till Kanarieöarna
- Barna Hedenhös reser till Paris
- 1992: Barna Hedenhös på nya äventyr
- Barna Hedenhös på vinterresa i Sverige
- Barna Hedenhös och de urlympiska spelen
- Barna Hedenhös i världsrymden
- Barna Hedenhös på Mallorca
- Barna Hedenhös besöker England
Others
[edit]- 1996: Barna Hedenhös på Stockholmen (multimedia)
- 1997: Barna Hedenhös hittar hem (after the film Barna Hedenhös bosätter sig i Sverige)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Anklagades för rasism – dras in". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). 20 November 2013. Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ "Barna Hedenhös" (in Swedish). Seriewikin. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ "Barna Hedenhös" (in Swedish). Seriewikin. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ "Barna Hedenhös 7, Urax på äventyr av Bertil Almqvist", LitteraturMagazinet (in Swedish), 22 November 1963, archived from the original on 3 December 2013, retrieved 24 November 2013
- ^ a b "Här får Hedenhös liv i Ystad" (in Swedish). Ystads Allehanda. 23 November 2013. Archived from the original on 24 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ a b Linda-Marie Nilsson (20 November 2013). "Regissören rasar mot "Barna Hedenhös": Rasistiskt". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 23 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ a b "Bonnier Carlsen stoppar Hedenhös-bok". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 20 November 2013. Archived from the original on 22 November 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ a b Torbjörn Ivarsson (24 December 2012). "Nästa års julkalender i SVT rena stenåldern". Dagens Nyheter. Archived from the original on 4 April 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.