Ann Mari Sjögren Biography
A TRUE FAIRY TALE

We are privileged to be able to include here an interview with Ann Mari Sjögren completed in late 2002 by our good friend Per Arne Skansen from Sweden. A true fairy tale of one of the great children's fairy book illustrators of the 20th century.

Ann Mari is a lady of 84, full of warmth and humour, crystal clear in mind and with lots of stories to tell.

Ann Mari had a natural talent for drawing, quite from early childhood. After school, she started a career as commercial artist, then was employed by a publishing house for a short time; that's how she came into the book business.

Most of her life she has been a freelance, working with books as well as advertising.

"A Day in Fairy Land" was published in many languages, and possibly in quite large editions. Information from some old newspaper clippings shows publishers talking about "millions of copies" being printed in the United States, but we understand they may have been more marketing than facts. The royalties the artist received very little of it all, just a payment once for the pictures.

Ann Mari said: "Once in Norway on vacation, I visited a bookshop and saw my own pictures in a Norwegian edition. I didn't even know about it.

Ann Mari recently commented that she would be proud to be included in the new Fairy Book to be launched later this year by Fairies World ™ and London publishers, Chrysalis Books.

"It's encouraging to find my work being appreciated. I had quit painting for about 20 years (1969 - 1989) and then this neighbour, Lena Lindh, started digging in my piles of drawings and made me start again, also arranging these school books to be published. And now you and these people in England are interested. I'm flattered!"
Ann Mari Sjögren
December 2002

With special thanks to Per Arne Skansen
11th February 2003

Swedish artist Ann Mari Sjögren passed away peacefully early on Sunday 11 July 2010.