Iran’s Moradi Kermani nominated for Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
Iran’s Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature nominated bestselling writer Hushang Moradi Kermani for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) in 2024.
The award, administered by the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs, was established in 2002 to commemorate Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren and to promote children’s and youths’ literature from around the world.
It is the world’s largest award for children’s and youths’ literature, and the second-largest literature prize in the world.
The prize, five million Swedish kronor in cash, is awarded to one or more recipients including authors, illustrators, storytellers and promoters of reading.
Alireza Goldouzian, Ali-Asghar Seyyedabadi, and Nader Mousavi were also announced as recipients of the 2024 ALMA on behalf of Children’s Book Council of Iran.
Iran’s nominations for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award are selected separately every year by the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA), the Iranian Association of Writers for Children and Youth, the Children’s Book Council of Iran and the Institute for Research on History of Children’s Literature.
Moradi Kermani has been nominated for the award several times. However, he failed to win the honor.
Moradi Kermani is mostly known as a children’s writer, but his works also appeal to adults.
He is the author of numerous bestsellers such as ‘You’re No Stranger Here’, ‘The Water Urn’ and ‘A Sweet Jam’. Most of his works have been translated into English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Arabic, Armenian, Turkish and several other languages.
“Hushang Moradi Kermani is the writer for those children and youths whose voices are heard in their society; from those children who work in the carpet weaving workshops to those who enjoy the minimum educational facilities in their schools in the remote rural areas,” the Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature wrote.