ALMA laureate Barbro Lindgren

Swedish children’s book author Barbro Lindgren (who coincidentally shares the same surname as Astrid Lindgren) will received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA), the world’s largest monetary award for children’s and young adult literature. The award, which amounts to SEK 5 million (approximately $770,000), is given annually to a single laureate or to several. Authors, illustrators, oral storytellers, and reading promoters are all eligible. The ALMA, founded by the Swedish government in 2002 (and administrated by the Swedish Arts Council), is designed to promote interest in children’s and young adult literature. The UN convention of rights of the child is the foundation of ALMA’s work, and an expert jury selects the laureate(s) from candidates nominated by institutions and organizations all over the world. Lindgren’s rich body of work includes picture books, poetry, plays, and books for young adults. She has published over a hundred titles since her debut book Mattias Sommar (Mattias’ Summer) in 1965. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. For a more comprehensive take of Lindgren’s life’s work, visit www.alma.se/en/Award-winners/2014/. The ALMA will be presented in a ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall on June 2, 2014.