By Avery Fischer Udagawa, Bangkok
Japanese author Eiko Kadono has won the 2018 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing, a prestigious biennial award often described as the Nobel Prize for children’s literature. The news was announced at Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2018.
Right: Eiko Kadono (Yomiuri Shimbun)
The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) press release says of Kadono:
“There is an ineffable charm, compassion, and élan in the work of this great Japanese author. Whether in her many marvellous and funny picture books, or her great series of novels about the witch Kiki, or her novel set during World War II about a brave girl who must walk through a terrifying tunnel of trees to get to school, Kadono’s books are always surprising, engaging, and empowering. And almost always fun. And always life affirming.
“Although Kadono has travelled widely throughout the world, her stories are deeply rooted in Japan and show us a Japan that is filled with all kinds of unexpected people. Her female characters are singularly self-determining and enterprising; figuring out how to cope with all kinds of complications without suffering too many self-doubts – though some of these do creep in. As such, they are perfect for this time when we are all seeking girls and women in books who can inspire and delight us with their agency. The language in her picture books is notable for its playfulness and use of onomatopoeia. And of course, the beautiful, but simple language in her novels makes them extremely readable.”
Kadono is the author of Kiki’s Delivery Service, basis of the animated film by Studio Ghibli, among nearly 250 original works for children and more than 100 translations into Japanese.
Kadono is the third Japanese children’s author to win the Andersen, following Michio Mado in 1994 and Nahoko Uehashi in 2014. The 2018 Andersen Award for Illustration has also been given, to Igor Oleynikov of Russia.
SCBWI Japan Translation Group 