Swedish author Barbro Lindgren has won the 2014 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the largest award for children’s literature with a prize of five million Swedish crowns. The award was announced from the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm on Tuesday, and broadcast live at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
There were 238 candidates from 68 countries up for this year’s award. Of Lindgren and her work, the awards jury wrote, “Barbro Lindgren is a literary pioneer. Using adventurous language and rich psychological nuance, she has re-invented not only the picture book for the very young but also the absurd prose story, the existential children’s poem, and realistic fiction for young adults. With perfect pitch, she presents to us both playful shenanigans and moments of bright joy, and the inscrutable nature of life and the nearness of death.”
Born in Sweden in 1937, Lindgren is the author of more than 100 books, which include picture books, poems, plays, and young adult novels, as well as fiction for adults; her writing has been translated into more than 30 languages. Her first book, Mattias Sommar, was published in 1965; subsequent titles include the Benny picture book series, illustrated by Olof Landström; and the Wild Baby books, illustrated by Eva Ericksson. In 2004, Lindgren was a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She will receive her award at a ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall on June 2.
