TEHRAN – The Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) plans to honor Iran’s nominees for the 2019 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, a prestigious Swedish honor to promote children’s and youths’ literature in the world.

The nominees are the literati Jamshid Khanian, Ali-Asghar Seyyedabadi, Farhad Hassanzadeh and Hushang Moradi Kermani.

The honoring ceremonies will be held in four different sessions beginning on February 24 and running for four days.

Khanian is a researcher and a playwright. Among his credits are “A Half Day in the Interrogation Room” and “Compass”. He is also the author of several stories, including “Money” and “Where is My Joseph”, which have been translated into English, Russian and Polish.

Seyyedabadi is a researcher and writer. His credits include “Whom Did Aunt Suska Marry?”, “The Wedding of Bijan and Manijeh” and “Rainbow in My Pocket”.

Hassanzadeh is the author of over 80 books, including “The Backyard” and “Watermelon with Love”.

Moradi Kermani, whose works also appeal to adults, is the author of numerous bestsellers such as “You’re No Stranger Here”, “The Water Urn” and “A Sweet Jam”.

Iran’s nominations for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award are selected every year by the IIDCYA, the Iranian Association of Writers for Children and Youth, and the Children’s Book Council of Iran.

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award was established in 2002 by the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs to commemorate writer Astrid Lindgren.

Photo: This combination photo shows Iran’s nominees for the 2019 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Ali-Asghar Seyyedabadi, Farhad Hassanzadeh, Jamshid Khanian and Hushang Moradi Kermani. 

RM/MMS/YAW