Hagelberg and Tietäväinen: new books

Two of our trainers, Matti Hagelberg who taught several times in India, and Ville Tietäväinen who taught twice in Tanzania and once in India, have recently published extraordinary comics albums.

The cover of  Hagelberg's album. 

Matti Hagelberg’s album “Intia sataa paraatilleni” (India rains on my parade) is about his trip to India in 2003 for training at comics workshops . The trip took him from Delhi to Tatanagar and then to Mizoram.  Hagelberg describes the trip in his unique, laconic style, blending truth with fantasy in a visually stunning mix. 

The story was first published in French (L’Association en Inde, 2006) and in Swedish (Optimal, 2008). The Finnish version has been published by Kreegah Bundolo. (http://www.kreegah.net/). Hard cover, 32 pp, ISBN 978-952-67008-6-1

The book is highly recommended. L.P

The cover of Tietäväinen's book.

Näkymättömät kädet  (Invisible hands) by Ville Tietäväinen was a major event in the comics scene in Finland in 2011. It tells the story of a Moroccan family father who migrates to Spain. Immigration is a hotly debated issue all over Europe and Ville’s book shows the grim reality of the immigrant.

The book took five years to complete and we should all be grateful to the Arts Council of Finland who awarded Ville a five-year grant in 2006. The book is an important read, well researched, visually brilliant, with meticulously crafted dialogue.  Hopefully it will be available in other languages soon.  

Book info: Published by WSOY, Helsinki in 2011, hardcover, 216 pp, ISBN: 978-951-0-37928-8

Check out Ville’s work on http://linjamiehet.fi/villetietavainen/

L.P