»Matteo blev arbetslös« (Matteo became unemployed) is an absurd story, at once humorous and tragic, about work, the meaning of the banal alphabet – and what it reveals about ourselves and the order of the world. Characters and episodes follow one another like dominoes toppling in sequence: each figure intersects briefly with the next, only to be abandoned when a new one appears. These successive links ultimately lead to Matteo – the man who has lost his job.
For the title, I used the circle as a form – evoking the roundabout and its circular motion, which plays a key role in the story. Since the alphabet and its order are central to the narrative, the title is preceded by the letters of the key characters, appearing in the same sequence as in the book. Like a domino effect, the progression builds toward M for Matteo – the main character – and finally resolves in the book’s title.
For the cover, I worked with a seamless pattern of city streets and roundabouts – a visual echo of how the stories intertwine and how the roundabout sets the narrative in motion.
Book: 180 x 120 mm, 226 pages, hardback
Graphic design: My Hellsten
Client: Bokförlaget Tranan