News
Thursday 25 March 2010
'Creator of magic' wins international literature award
Nottingham Trent University visiting professor, David Almond, has been awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international prize in children's literature, for his work as 'a creator of magic realism for children'.
The Biennial awards are given by The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) to a living author and an illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature.
David has been a visiting professor at the University's Centre for Creative Writing, part of the English department, since 2006. He is widely regarded as one of the most exciting and innovative children's authors writing today. His books are bestsellers all over the world, with sales approaching one million copies.
His novels include Skellig, Kit's Wilderness, The Fire Eaters and Clay, and have earned him the Carnegie medal, two Whitbread children's prizes and a Smarties Award Silver Medal, along with a host of other prestigious nominations.
David was selected from 28 authors for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, with the other finalists hailing from Iran, Brazil, Sweden and Denmark. The judges commended his work, saying it "captures his young readers' imagination and motivates them to read, think and be critical. His use of language is sophisticated and reaches across the ages."
David said: "Of course I'm absolutely delighted. When I started to write for the young, I felt as if I began to grow up as a writer. The children's book world is a place of great creative experimentation, and I'm proud to be part of it."
David Belbin, programme leader for the MA in Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University, said: "David is a completely original, inspirational author who has produced an incredible body of work in a surprisingly short period of time. Our students love to work with David and learn a great deal from their tutorials with him. This award is richly deserved."
