Focus IBBY Column Editor: Leena Maissen IBBY in Bologna 2002 One of the eagerly awaited moments in IBBY’s institutional life is the announcement of the Hans Christian Andersen Award winners, every two years, at two-thirty in the afternoon, during the first day of the Children’s Book Fair in Bologna. The meeting room in Hall 29, where the press conference is held, is too small, overcrowded, and hot, but there is no better alternative. Those who have not been lucky enough to get seats impatiently hope that the other presentations of IBBY activities will pass by quickly, never mind how important they might be. After all, they want to know who the winners are. This year, with Aidan Chambers and Quentin Blake, it was a double for Britain. The British IBBY Section would not believe the news that their candidates had won, since the 2000 illustrator award had gone to Anthony Browne. Their surprise and joy was overwhelming. It seems like a miracle that the jury and the winners—who are notified beforehand—can keep the results secret for two weeks— but they did. When Jury President Jay Heale disclosed the name of the winning author, Aidan Chambers emerged from the back of the room to the podium accompanied by a roar of applause. Although he was unable to attend the event personally, the announcement of Quentin Blake as the winning illustrator was greeted with equally enthusiastic approval. Toasts were raised to celebrate both winners during the traditional champagne and cookies reception at the IBBY stand afterwards. The works and dossiers of all the 55 authors and illustrators proposed for the 2002 awards were exhibited at the IBBY stand and attracted much attention. A part of the stand was reserved for the editors of Bookbird who displayed past issues and sold 46 / BOOKBIRD FOCUS IBBY subscriptions. Posters and leaflets promoted Award winning illustrator is in charge of the IBBY’s Jubilee Congress, which will take place in Fiction catalogue cover design and his or her orig- Basel from 29 September to 3 October. inal art is exhibited. In alternate years, the BIB Guest of honor of the Bologna Book Fair was Grand Prix winning illustrator creates the cover Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak, the First Lady of Egypt, and has an exhibition. Thus, this year it was the who opened the Fair and an exhibition of origi- turn of Eric Battut of France, the BIB’01 winner. nals by Arab illustrators, called “Arabian The Nonfiction catalogue cover was designed by Colours.” On her tour of the Fair, surrounded by the 1986 Andersen Award winner Robert Ingpen security men and media people, Mrs. Mubarak of Australia, who also displayed his pictures for a briefly visited the IBBY stand, greeting old book about Shakespeare. friends and confirming her attendance at the Common consensus is that bad weather is good Fair weather. Bad weather it certainly was, forthcoming Jubilee Congress in Basel. She also cold and rainy, but this was not the only reason made an impressive and thought-provoking for attracting visitors to the Fair. At least IBBY’s speech at a seminar which the Fair had organized stand was a lively meeting place up to the very on “Children’s Books as an Instrument for last moment when books finally had to be Dialogue between Cultures.” packed and stowed away. Yes, half of the dis- While the selling and buying of rights is the played books by Aidan Chambers had been business which brings publishers to Bologna, stolen—but even if this complicates our lives as many other children’s book professionals who organizers, such news rather pleases the author visit the Fair are attracted by the Illustrator exhi- and the publisher. bitions and different accompanying events. The Illustrator exhibition catalogues are as handsome Leena Maissen and heavy as ever. Every two years, the Andersen IBBY Announces the Winners of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2002 The Andersen Award Jury of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) announces that Aidan Chambers (United King- dom) is the winner of the 2002 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award and Quentin Blake (United Kingdom) is the winner of the 2002 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration. The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are the highest international recognition given to crea- tors of children’s books. They are presented every two years by IBBY to an author and an illustrator Robert Ingpen, winner of the 1986 Andersen Award whose complete works have made an important for Illustration, IBBY President Tayo Shima, Aidan and lasting contribution to children’s literature. Chambers, and Jury President Jay Heale after the Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is announcement in Bologna. the patron of the Hans Christian Andersen Vol. 40, No. 3 - 2002 / 47 FOCUS IBBY Awards. The Awards are supported by the Nissan Svetlana Makarovic (Slovenia), Jean Paul Nozière Motor Company. The Awards will be presented (France), Ruth Rocha (Brazil), Milan Rúfus to the winners at the opening ceremony of (Slovak Republic), Ulf Stark (Sweden), Rene O. IBBY’s 50th Anniversary Jubilee Congress in Villanueva (Philippines), Martin Waddell (Ire- Basel, Switzerland, 29 September 2002. land), Renate Welsh (Austria), Qin Wenjun In choosing Aidan Chambers as the author (China), and Ema Wolf (Argentina). winner, the jury paid tribute to his literary skill, The other illustrator candidates were Nicholas his handling of varied narrative techniques, and Andrikopoulos (Greece), Lilian Brøgger (Den- his careful choice of topics within the young adult mark), Nelson Cruz (Brazil), Wu Daisheng world. His writing shows a clear understanding of (China), Niki Daly (South Africa), Boris the adolescent mind. There is suspense in each Diodorov (Russia), Akin Düzakin (Norway), gripping story line with thoroughly real charac- Harrie Geelen (Netherlands), Fibben Hald ters. Aidan Chambers’s books are for teenage (Sweden), Istvan (Argentina), Nasrin Khosravi readers who enjoy being led into realms of a (Iran), Jana Kiselová-Siteková (Slovak Republic), deeper appreciation of life. Mika Launis (Finland), Michèle Lemieux Vivacious and creative, Quentin Blake is a great (Canada), David Macaulay (USA), Francisco artist who has clearly made a lasting contribution Meléndez (Spain), António Modesto (Portugal), both to children’s literature and to the world of Ümit Ögmel (Turkey), Béatrice Poncelet children. This is evident from his many previous (Switzerland), Vjekoslav Vojo Radoici´ ˇ c (Croatia), awards and his election as the United Kingdom’s Marija Lucija Stupica (Slovenia), Marie Wabbes first Children’s Laureate. His originality and sense (Belgium), and Linda Wolfsgruber (Austria). of humor, together with his skill with line, colors, and movement have made Quentin Blake a Jury President Jay Heale (South Africa) beloved illustrator with wide international impact. chaired the 2002 Hans Christian Andersen Award Aidan Chambers was selected from among 28 Jury during its meetings at the IBBY Secretariat in authors nominated for the award. The other final- Basel, 26–27 March 2002. For the first time in its ists (in alphabetical order) were Bart Moeyaert history, the Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury (Belgium) and Bjarne Reuter (Denmark). was divided into two sections, one to judge illus- Quentin Blake was selected from among 27 tration, another to judge writing. The section for illustrators nominated for the award. The other writing consisted of the children’s literature spe- finalists were (in alphabetical order) Rotraut cialists Gunilla Borén (Sweden), Toin Duijx Susanne Berner (Germany), Daihachi Ohta (Netherlands), Hildegard Gärtner (Austria), (Japan) and Grégoire Solotareff (France). Marianne Martens (USA), and Laura Sandroni The other author candidates were Zvonimir (Brazil). The section for illustration comprised Balog (Croatia), Kirsten Boie (Germany), Susan the following children’s literature specialists: Cooper (USA), Luísa Dacosta (Portugal), Werner Silvia Castrillón (Colombia), Virginia Davis J. Egli (Switzerland), Juan Farias (Spain), Jostein (Canada), Claude Hubert-Ganiayre (France), Gaarder (Norway), Gudrun Helgadóttir (Iceland), Zohreh Ghaeni (Iran), and Julia Prosalkova Hannele Huovi (Finland), Momoko Ishii (Japan), (Russia). The President of IBBY, Tayo Shima Muzaffer Izgü (Turkey), Manos Kondoleon (Japan), and IBBY Executive Director Leena (Greece), Dennis Lee (Canada), Joke van Leeuwen Maissen (Switzerland) participated in both meet- (Netherlands), Margaret Mahy (New Zealand), ings ex officio. 48 / BOOKBIRD FOCUS IBBY Children and Books— •Seminar 2 A—Theme: Children’s Books A Worldwide Challenge for a Better World Chairperson: Nina Reidarson (Norway) IBBY Jubilee Congress Seminar Sessions Luciana Savaget (Brazil): Childhood: The Patrimony of Humanity During the 50th Anniversary Jubilee Congress of IBBY in Basel (29 September–3 October 2002) Cristina Pizarro (Argentina): Children’s 8 seminar sessions with the total of 56 ten-minute Right to Poetry contributions by specialists from 25 countries Eiko Kadono (Japan): The Visible and will be offered. The themes relate to the topics of Invisible Worlds the main plenary sessions. Marilyn J. Ward (USA): Voices from the Margins: Outstanding Books for or about Monday, 30 September 2002 Young People with Disabilities •Seminar 1 A—Theme: Children’s •Seminar 2 B—Theme: Children’s Books Reading Promotion Projects for a Better World Chairperson: Elizabeth Serra (Brazil) Chairperson: Evelyn Freeman (USA) Geneviève Patte (France): Echanges Patricia Schonstein Pinnock (South Africa): d’expériences, confrontations