TEHRAN – Writer Hushang Moradi Kermani, whose works mostly feature child protagonists from poor and deprived families, has been nominated for the 2022 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA).

Moradi Kermani, who has previously been nominated for the prestigious Swedish honor for over five times, received the new nomination from Iran’s Institute for Research on History of Children’s Literature.

“This institute has nominated Hushang Moradi Kermani once again for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2022, because it considers him to be a writer who has added much value to reading in our society,” the institute said in a press release published on Thursday.

“Creating stories about the children from deprived and lower-class families, from children in carpet weaving workshops to those living in villages on the margins of deserts, Moradi Kermani has tried to be a voice echoing their pains and needs,” it added.

The institute said that Moradi Kermani’s works have led Iranian society towards reading more than ever. His works enjoy factors such as sustainability, stress on human values, a strong influence on children, and capability of being translated, all of which encourage people to read.

Moradi Kermani is mostly known as a children’s writer, but his works also appeal to adults.

He is the author of numerous bestsellers such as “You’re No Stranger Here”, “The Water Urn” and “A Sweet Jam”. 

Most of his works have been translated into English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Arabic, Armenian, Turkish and several other languages.

The Institute for Research on History of Children’s Literature, the Iranian Association of Writers for Children and Youth, and the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults are allowed to select Iran’s nominations for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. 

They have previously nominated authors Fereidun Amuzadeh-Khalili, Jamshid Khanian, Hamidreza Shahabadi and Mohammadreza Shams, and reading promoters Abdolhakim Bahar, Shahla Eftekhari and Ali-Asghar Seidabadi, and the organization’s Mobile Library and Read with Me program for the 2022 ALMA.

The winner will be announced on March 22, 2022.

The award was established by the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs in 2002 to commemorate Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren and to promote children’s and youths’ literature from around the world.

It is the world’s largest award for children’s and youths’ literature, and the second-largest literature prize in the world.

The prize, five million Swedish kronor in cash, is awarded to one or more recipients including authors, illustrators, storytellers and promoters of reading.

Photo: Writer Hushang Moradi Kermani in an undated photo.

MMS/YAW