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Laurie Halse Anderson received the Astrid Lindgren Award

Laurie Halse Anderson received the Astrid Lindgren Award

Laurie Halse Anderson has won the international Astrid Lindgren Award, given for achievements in literature for children and adolescents.

In her rigorously written novels for young people, Laurie Halse Anderson gives voice to the search for meaning, identity, and truth in both the present and the past. Her darkly glowing realism reveals the vital role of time and memory in the lives of young people. Pain and anxiety, longing and love, class and sex are explored with stylistic precision and impassioned wit. With gentle intensity, Laurie Halse Anderson evokes moods and emotions and never shies away from even the most difficult things.

Laurie Halse Anderson was born in 1961 in Potsdam, New York, and made her debut as a writer in 1996. In her first-person novels for young adults, Anderson gives voice to the teenage experience, and the pursuit of love is a recurring theme for a writer, according to the jury. She lives in Philadelphia and, in addition to writing books, has been active in issues related to sexual violence and book censorship.

The list of nominees for the award, made public last October, included 251 candidates from 64 countries.

The Prize of Astrid Lindgren was established by the Swedish government after the death of the writer in January 2002. The prize money amounts to 5 million Swedish kronor ($475,000). The jury consists of 12 people appointed for four years by the Swedish National Council of Culture. Among them are writers, literary critics, artists, critics, librarians, and the Lindgren family is represented by her great-grandson Johan Palmberg. Last year’s recipient was the Swedish author and illustrator Eva Lindström.

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