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| Picture book author and illustrator Lee Suzy / Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han |
By Park Han-sol
Picture book artist Lee Suzy has become the first Korean illustrator to win the distinguished Hans Christian Andersen Award (HCAA).
The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), the award's organizer, announced this year's winner at its press conference held at Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy, Monday (local time).
Also referred to as the "Little Nobel Prize," HCAA is the highest international recognition given to both an author and an illustrator for their lifelong contributions to literature for children since 1956 and 1966, respectively.
Named in commemoration of the 19th-century Danish author of celebrated fairy tales, the prize is awarded biennially based on unique aesthetic and literary qualities of the nominees' body of works, as well as their "ability to see the child's point of view and to stretch their curiosity; and the continuing relevance of the works to children and young people."
Its previous world-renowned winners include Astrid Lindgren, best known for her "Pippi Longstocking" series, and Tove Jansson, the artist behind "The Moomins."
After competing against other literary heavyweights across the globe ― Beatrice Alemagna from Italy, Ryoji Arai from Japan, Iwona Chmielewska from Poland, Gusti from Argentina and Sydney Smith from Canada ― Lee became the first and the only Korean to have ever been honored for the prize, following her first nomination in 2016. She is also the second Asian recipient in the award's history, after Mitsumasa Anno's win in 1984.
"Through the inspired marriage between the physical properties of paper books and the philosophical imagery of a 'border,' Lee has managed to inform readers of the unique spatial characteristics of picture books," the Korean Board on Books for Young People (KBBY) said in a statement.
"Furthermore, in exploring the temporal borders between the real world and fantasy, she has boldly broadened the horizons of wordless picture books," it added.
This year's awards will be conferred in September at the 38th IBBY International Congress in Putrajaya, Malaysia.
After studying painting at the Seoul National University and book arts at the Camberwell College of Arts in London, the 48-year-old has walked down the path of developing as a picture book artist for over two decades, writing and illustrating a number of critically-acclaimed children's books.
Her notable works include "Alice in Wonderland," which is in the Tate Britain's Artist Book Collection, and "Wave" and "Shadow," both of which were chosen as The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books.
Lee has also previously received "The Most Beautiful Swiss Books" prize of the year, organized by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, for "The Revenge of the Rabbits," as well as the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for "Open This Little Book."
Last month, her work, "Summer" earned special mentions in the fiction category of the Bologna Ragazzi Awards. The 148-page book ― quite an ambitious length for a picture book with no text ― combines Antonio Vivaldi's iconic violin concerto, "Summer" from "The Four Seasons," with vibrant visuals of children playing in the water achieved through paper collages, pencil drawings, watercolors and acrylic paint.
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