Iranian nominees for 2013 Astrid Lindgren Award announced

TEHRAN,June 14(MNA) -- Children’s author Ahmadreza Ahmadi and book illustrator Farshid Mesqali have been announced as the Iranian nominees for the 2013 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which is presented annually by the Swedish government. Worth 5 million Swedish kronor (£467,000), the prize is for a body of work “in the spirit” of Pippi Longstocking creator Astrid Lindgren. The two nominated by Iran’s Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) will be among the 2013 contenders for the award, Persian news agencies reported on Wednesday. Born in 1940 in Kerman, Ahmadreza Ahmadi is an Iranian poet and screenwriter. The history of modern Persian poetry refers to him as the founder of New Wave Poetry in Iran. Born in 1943 in Isfahan, Farshid Mesqali is an Iranian graphic designer, illustrator, animator and author. He won the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1974. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is the world’s largest prize for children and young adult literature. It is awarded annually to a single recipient or to several. Authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and those active in reading promotion are eligible to receive the prize. Dutch author Guus Kuijer won the Astrid Lindgren memorial award in 2012, and the 2011 award went to Australian writer and illustrator Shaun Tan. The 2010 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award went to illustrator Kitty Crowther from Belgium.