swedish country churches | laurentdenimal

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Worth seeing, worth reading.

I will regularly publish here the latest news concerning my work as a photographer and translator: news from ongoing projects, the progress being made on upcoming photo books, the latest writer portraits, any newly published writer portraits in the press, current translations in progress, etc.

Photo Book Fair 2023.

Laurent Denimal
Oct 22, 2023

Have you ever dreamed of meeting

French gardener and photographer, Laurent Denimal,

who has lived in Sweden for three decades,

and who has contributed, among other things,

three very beautiful books of photographs

on three of the most emblematic parks and excursion spots in Stockholm?

I will be present during the two days devoted by SSF

to the Photography Book Fair in Stockholm,

on October 27 and 28,

where the latest book, Gröna Lund, will be presented.

photo Hendrik Zeitler, Fotobokfestival 2022

Friday, October 27th, 12:00 - 19:00

Saturday, October 28th, 12:00 - 16:00

Kulturhuset Stadsteatern, Plan 5

This will be a unique opportunity to see the three works relating to these green spaces brought together on the same table; Gröna Lund, Djurgården and Millesgården, and to be able to discuss with the photographer his original working method and also about the stages that were followed from the inception of the project to the final production of the book.

Gröna Lund (LDP, 2022), foreword Laurent Denimal.

While working as a gardener at Stockholm's Gröna Lund tivoli, I carried a wooden pinhole panorama camera loaded with 35-mm film around with me.

An artist's edition of fifteen autographed copies is presented in a slipcase with one numbered and signed colour print.

Djurgården, in the King's Park (Carlssons, 2014), foreword Per Wästberg.

Djurgården, which once upon a time was the royal deer park in Stockholm, is today the world's first national city park. It forms a green oasis just across the water from the city centre. I spent a season working in the park as a gardener, and had my Polaroid camera with me every day.

Polaroid photography provides unique, small-format images without a negative, limited to a single original photograph. The book "In the King's Park" presents a selection of motifs that were caught in an instant.

Millesgården, in the Sculptor's Park (Carlssons, 2008), foreword Agneta Pleijel.

The photo book Millesgården, in the Sculptor's Park takes you for a walk through the sculpture park in the grounds of the house formerly belonging to Swedish sculptor Carl Milles (1875-1955), located on the island of Lidingö, outside Stockholm.

An artist's edition is presented in a black slipcase with one numbered and signed original print.

Watch two shorts clips presenting the new book

Gröna Lund

and

the Artist Edition

music Johan Hellqvist

Five other books published by Laurent Denimal will be also exhibited

The books are :

Tour de Stockholm

LDP Editions 2011, text Laurent Denimal

Saint-Valery-sur-Somme

LDP 2015, foreword Éléonore Lelong

J'y suis encore / I am still here

LDP Editions 2019, text Laurent Denimal

Portraits d'Auteurs / Author Portraits

Carlssons 2020, foreword Josyane Savigneau

Swedish Country Churches

LDP Editions 2022, text Philippe Bouquet

Welcome to the

Photo Book Fair 2023!

Friday, October 27th, 12:00 - 19:00

Saturday, October 28th, 12:00 - 16:00

Kulturhuset Stadsteatern Plan 5

Stockholm, Sweden

Philippe Bouquet.

Laurent Denimal
Mar 18, 2023

I was greatly saddened to learn of the death of Philippe Bouquet, a former Professor of Scandinavian Literature at the University of Caen, and also a translator of Swedish literature and a prominent specialist on the proletarian literary movement.

I had the great pleasure of working with him on a project that was close to his heart, a passion he had developed during stays in Sweden in the regions of Västergötland and Värmland — the study of country churches, often very small ones, richly decorated with paintings dating from the Middle Ages. We travelled through these regions together in the spring of 2009, visiting 31 churches in total, following a well-established routine: while Philippe supplemented his notes from previous visits, I made sure to document in photographs the buildings and the artworks they contain. The book Svenska landsbygdskyrkor / Swedish Country Churches finally saw the light of day last year, published at the author's own expense. But above all, Philippe leaves behind him an impressive list of works translated from Swedish into French. Stig Dagerman, Henning Mankell, Wilhelm Moberg, Björn Larsson, Aino Trosell, Carl-Henning Wijkmark and so many other Swedish authors owe it to him that they can be read in French today.

Philippe was a tireless discoverer who worked with curiosity and tenacity to "smuggle" new literary works across the borders to wider readership. He translated more than 200 literary works.

Philippe Bouquet

Värmland, spring 2009

Svenska landsbygdskyrkor

Eglises de campagne suédoises

The book present 30 churches from two regions of Sweden, Västergötland and Värmland.

The foreword and the texts for each church are written by Philippe Bouquet (texts in Swedish, French and English).

Photo Book Fair 2022

Laurent Denimal
Oct 23, 2022

Welcome to the Photo Book Fair / Fotobokfestival at the Kulturhuset Stadsteatern, Plan 3 (Stockholm), on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th, october 2022 !

The festival is organized by the Swedish Photographers Association / Svenska Fotografers Förbund

I will present the seven books I published since 2008. The books are :

Millesgården, in the Sculptor's Park (Carlssons, 2008), forword Agneta Pleijel.

Tour de Stockholm (LDP Editions, 2011), text Laurent Denimal.

Djurgården, in the King's Park (Carlssons, 2014), forword Per Wästberg.

Saint-Valery-sur-Somme (LDP, 2015), forword Éléonore Lelong

J'y suis encore / I am still here (LDP Editions, 2019), text Laurent Denimal.

Portraits d'Auteurs / Author Portraits (Carlssons, 2020), forword Josyane Savigneau.

Swedish Country Churches (LDP Editions, 2022), text Philippe Bouquet.

... all the books will be available for sale !

I will also have some copies of the artist's edition of Millesgården, in the Sculptor's Park, Tour de Stockholm and I am still here, also a copy of Swedish Country Churches signed by former professor and translator Philippe Bouquet.