TEHRAN –Writer Abbas Jahangirian and reading promoter Farmehr Monjezi have joined Iranian nominees for the 2024 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA).

The nominees for the prestigious Swedish prize for children’s literature have been selected by Iran’s Association of Writers for Children and Youth.

Jahangirian has been selected due to his prolific career of almost 50 years, which encompasses literature, research, theater, and film. His creative output spans across all age groups, ranging from children to teenagers and adults, and has been widely embraced by his followers. 

His works stand out for their unique spirit, despite the diverse range of styles and formats. Iran's magnificent history, profound cultural heritage, and astonishing literary works, along with the preservation of nature's ecosystems, the protection of endangered forests and animals, promoting world peace, and conveying emotions of love and grief, resonates deeply in his works, while simultaneously addressing the struggles of teenagers and children.

His works have served as the inspiration for numerous movies and television films, as well as multiple adaptations into screenplays and plays.

Monjezi has been chosen for her successful career of over three decades in promoting reading, authoring, translating, and editing books for children and teenagers. She has an impressive portfolio, having translated over 150 books and written numerous articles for children's and teenagers' dictionaries. 

Furthermore, she has edited a wide range of texts in the field of children's and teenagers' literature studies. She has been recognized with numerous awards for her outstanding contributions in promoting reading and translation. 

Over the years, she has acquired fresh strategies for encouraging reading and attending national and international courses, which she has enthusiastically implemented to help young Iranian children and adolescents in the far-flung countryside gain access to quality literature.

The Children’s Book Council of Iran, Iran’s Association of Writers for Children and Youth, the Institute for Research on History of Children’s Literature, and the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCY-Kanoon) are the four Iranian cultural centers allowed to select Iran’s nominations for the ALMA.

Earlier last month, the Children’s Book Council of Iran picked writer Ali-Asghar Seyyedabadi, illustrator Alireza Golduzian and reading promoter Nader Musavi as its nominees for the award, while Iran’s Institute for Research on History of Children’s Literature selected writer Hushang Moradi Kermani and “Read with Me”, a nationwide plan for the promotion of reading, as its nominees.

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award was established in 2002 by the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs to commemorate Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren and to promote children’s and youths’ literature from around the world.
  
The award amounts to SEK 5 million (about €570,000), making it the world’s largest award for children’s and young adults’ literature.

The ALMA jury will announce the 2024 laureate in March at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy.

Photo: A combination photo shows Iran’s Association of Writers for Children and Youth nominees Abbas Jahangirian and Farmehr Monjezi for the 2024 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

ABU/