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In preparing this Andersen Awards issue—the third that I have had the privilege to work on—I am once again impressed by the creativity, technical skill, and versatility that the world’s finest authors and illustrators bring to books for children. They have contributed richly textured and aesthetically pleasing works that are faithful to their national identities yet have universal resonance. While reviewing the dossiers, I became increasingly aware that international children’s literature is moving in the direction of cultural inclusiveness, evoking a spiritual and mystical dimension, offering complex texts and pictures that “tease” readers to grasp the underlying meaning, and experimenting with narrative techniques. Several nominees represent the cultural and linguistic diversity of their countries. For instance, Roch Carrier and László Gál belong to Canada’s French-speaking and East European populations respectively; Bernardo Atxaga comes from the Basque region of Spain and writes in Euskera; and Susie Morgenstern is an American-born author writing in France in French. Furthermore, the works of the nominees embrace ethnic, linguistic, gender, and disability issues, instead of focusing primarily on mainstream groups. Martin Waddell addresses the Irish “Troubles” in his books for teenagers; Mohammad Reza Yousefi explores the geographical and ethnic diversity of Iran; Marilda Castanha celebrates the rituals and beliefs of Black and indigenous cultures of Brazil; and Ed Young illustrates Nigerian, Native American, Indian, and Chinese stories. All display respect for the intelligence of young readers by meticulously researching the history, setting, and customs in order to provide accurate cultural details and to search for an appropriate artistic style. Whether producing realistic, imaginary, futuristic, or historical works, an overwhelming number of authors and illustrators employ fanciful characters, motifs, and archetypes from fairy tales, myths, and legends to establish a mythical space, a universal time that connects with the child’s subconscious world and imaginary life. By infusing these elements into contemporary settings, they ensure a psychologically safe atmosphere for introducing young readers to complicated political, social, and emotional issues of global significance: racism and persecution, war and violence, religious questioning, mental illness, changing family patterns, struggle for survival, and the symbiotic relationship between nature, animals, and humans. Anthony Browne, Józef Wilko´n, Lois Lowry, Kanzawa Toshiko, Gülten Dayio×glu, and Peter Dickinson transport readers to magical worlds, prehistoric times, or futuristic societies, while raising intriguing questions about utopias, failings of authority figures, exploitation of wildlife and the environment, and the importance of mythology and racial memory. These thought-provoking subjects are handled gently. Authors achieve distance through irony, humor, verbal nonsense, and satire. For instance, Ulf Stark provides endearing portraits of young people struggling to understand their roles or coping with grief and death, but he describes these emotions through tragicomic situations and humor. Authors also use a variety of perspectives to build intricate narrative structures—multiple voices, conversations, dreams, diaries, letters, documentary journalism, and inner monologues. A master of magical realism, Ana Maria Machado has used all these devices to link the supernatural with the real and to free the imagination from conventional ways of thinking. Like Machado, Jostein Gaarder and Louis Jensen also construct their plots around complex architectural patterns: stories of parallel worlds, a game of cards, or a journey through the various life stages. Similarly, the illustrators employ a variety of artistic styles to interpret and extend these themes—surreal, absurdist, abstract, romantic, caricature, miniature, realistic, or cubist. Through images, symbols, and colors they evoke mood and the subtle nuances of rhythm and movement to reveal deeply felt emotions. Boris Diodorov searches for an appropriate pictorial language to capture the spiritual depth of each book that he illustrates. To create a surreal atmosphere, Anthony Browne and Rotraut Susanne Berner move between dream and reality, transformation of everyday objects, and fragmented narration, while Marija Lucija Stupica focuses on the mysterious content of fairy tales and infuses it with her own memories and imagination. Without a doubt, the candidates for the Andersen Awards—often referred to as the best of the best—offer their best work for children and demand from them a high level of intellectual engagement. They prompt young readers to contemplate existential and philosophical concepts, to question the world around them, to reflect on their experiences, to express fears and hopes, to formulate values and opinions, and to broaden their sensibilities. Reading about their achievements and examining their books was sheer pleasure. However, to use the metaphor of the archetypal journey, getting this issue ready in time for the IBBY Congress in Cartagena was filled with challenges! Yet, I encountered many guardian spirits who helped me along the way. I express my gratitude to the national sections of IBBY for providing me with the documentation for their candidates and for patiently responding to my queries; to Leena Maissen and Elizabeth Page at the IBBY Secretariat for their valuable help; to Maria Nikolajeva, Jean Perrot, Jay Heale, and Karen Coats for their excellent articles; and to Naomi Greengrass, Rohini Khorana, and Ruchi Mital for assisting me with the numerous tasks associated with compiling the biographies and preparing the issue for publication. Above all, I thank our senior copyeditor, Susan Clawson, and design and production manager, Lesli Lai, for their hard work exceptional talents, and commitment to ensuring the success of this issue. Last, but certainly not least, I thank Nissan Motor Company for their continued financial support of the Andersen Awards.
Yours sincerely, “I write because I like the Portuguese language, I like stories and conversations, I like people with different opinions and experiences, I like other lives, other ideas, other emotions. I like to think andimagine.” —Ana Maria Machado (Andersen dossier) De olho nas penas (Eyes on the feathers; Rio de Janeiro: Salamandra, 1981), by Ana Maria Machado, is the story of a political exile who has to repeatedly change schools, addresses, and countries. This lack of external reference is anchored to mystical links with his ancestors, mythology, and the historical past of his community. Message from Nissan The 2000 Hans Christian Andersen Awards Winner
of the Author Award Winner
of the illustrator Award Author Finalists Illustrator Finalists The Nominees The Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury 2000 Jury
President’s Report: The Wires are Wobbling Jury Members Calendar To the Reader |
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