Dead friend

Dead Friend is an autobiographical graphic novel by acclaimed Swedish cartoonist Simon Gärdenfors. It tells the story of the sudden death of his close friend Kalle at the age of eighteen and the profound impact the loss had on Gärdenfors’ life. Moving between memories of their teenage friendship, Kalle’s unexpected death, and the years that followed, the book is both an intimate exploration of grief and a coming-of-age story about friendship, love, guilt, depression, and finding a way forward.

Gärdenfors approaches these themes in his distinctive style: candid, unsentimental, often very funny, and at times painfully direct. His deceptively simple, colourful cartoon drawings create a striking contrast with the emotional weight of the story.

Originally published in Sweden in 2012, Dead Friend was both a critical and commercial success. It topped the comics bestseller list at Swedish online bookseller Bokus for several weeks and was nominated for the Urhunden Award for Best Original Swedish Comic Book. Its lasting popularity led to a second Swedish edition in 2019.

The book has also found an international readership, with editions published in France, Spain, Italy and Brazil, helping establish Gärdenfors as one of the Swedish cartoonists to reach an audience well beyond Scandinavia.