Aarhus 39: Celebrating Europe's Best Emerging Writers !

L'année dernière, depuis ma douce Polynésie, j'apprenais que je faisais partie de la liste des auteurs présélectionnés pour représenter la littérature de jeunesse européenne au Festival international de Aarhus, au Danemark, qui aurait lieu 18 mois plus tard.
Totale incrédulité. 

Après lecture et relecture des documents envoyés, je compris que la liste définitive serait arrêtée par un jury composé de trois auteurs européens renommés, après une étude approfondie des ouvrages, prix remportés par les présélectionnés, ainsi que grâce aux avis de blogueurs et journalistes de chaque pays concerné. 

"The chosen writers will be invited to spend five days in Aarhus visiting schools and taking part in a city- and region-wide weekend festival towards the end of Aarhus’ Capital of Culture year. With venues across the city, festival events will be accessible to all and will include a range of ‘in conversation’ events, debates and creative workshops."

source Hay festival

THE JUDGES

Kim Fupz Aakeson, from Copenhagen, Denmark, is best known for his quirky, honest and glorious picture-books for children. He is also a novelist and illustrator for comics, contributes to professional journals and newspapers, and writes for radio, theatre and film. He has published more than 80 books for children and young adults, winning numerous awards. His titles include the Vitello series, In Order of Disappearance, A Caretaker's Tale and Perfect Sense.

Ana Cristina Herreros was born in León, north-west Spain, where she remembers her grandmother telling stories. An academic, author and editor, she is an expert in the oral tradition and folkloric sources. In 1992 she began professional story-telling in theatres, libraries, schools, hospitals, prisons and public parks. Her books, published in Catalan and English, include Popular Tales of the Mediterranean, The Book of Spanish Witches, Magical Geography and Popular Tales of Mother Death.

Matt Haig is a journalist and author living in Yorkshire whose novels have been translated into 29 languages. Children’s books include Shadow Forest, The Runaway Troll and To Be a Cat. His first book, The Last Family in England, retells Shakespeare’s Henry IV Part 1 with the protagonists as dogs, and is to be filmed by Brad Pitt’s production company. Other titles are The Dead Fathers Club and The Possession of Mr Cave.

Il va sans dire que j'étais déjà incroyablement honorée de faire partie des auteurs présélectionnés.

Aujourd'hui, je suis encore plus fière d'annoncer que j'ai l'honneur de faire partie des 39 auteurs qui représenteront la littérature de jeunesse européenne via ce festival. 

Si chacun des 39 auteurs était au courant, la nouvelle a seulement été annoncée aujourd'hui en direct de la London Book Fair, et relayée sur les réseaux sociaux. 

Je serai donc à Aarhus, en octobre prochain, pour rencontrer des élèves et présenter l'anthologie que nous avons rédigée sur le thème "Voyage". 

Ma nouvelle, "The journey within", a été illustrée par le grand Ian Beck, je suis très fière ! 

Voici le communiqué de presse paru à cette occasion. 

Hay Festival reveals Aarhus 39 selection:  

Europe’s best emerging writers for young people

Hay Festival has today unveiled the Aarhus 39 selection – a group of 39 children’s and YA writers from all over Europe, aged 40 and under, who will take part in an ambitious new project commissioned by European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017, comprising a new festival and two new anthologies.

Writers were selected by a jury of three acclaimed contemporary children’s authors – Kim Fupz Aakeson (Denmark), Ana Cristina Herreros (Spain) and Matt Haig (UK) – with eligibility encompassing authors of books for ages 8+ and teenagers.

Each author has been commissioned to write an original story to the theme of ‘Journey’, with two anthologies of the works edited by Daniel Hahn to be published in English by Alma Books and in Danish by Gyldendal later this year.

The anthologies will feature drawings from some of Europe’s leading illustrators, including Barroux, Britta Teckentrup, Dave McKean, Ella Okstad, Helen Stephens, Peter Bailey, Satoshi Kitamura, Anke Kuhl, Hanne Kvist, Isol, Joelle Jolivet, Jörg Mühle, Kitty Crowther, Mårdøn Smet, Ole Könnecke, Rotraut Susanne Berner, Sandrine Kao, Serge Bloch, Søren Jessen, Yvonne Kuschel, Adam Stower, Axel Scheffler, Benji Davies, Chris Riddell, Ian Beck, Joel Stewart, Neal Layton, Ross Collins, Tony Ross, Anna Höglund, Barbara Nascimbeni, Cato Thau-Jensen, Charlotte Pardi, Kamila Slocinska, Lilian Brøgger, Moni Port, and Philip Waechter.

The two English language anthologies – Quest: Stories of journeys from around Europe from the Aarhus 39 (for children age 8+) and Odyssey: Stories of journeys from around Europe from the Aarhus 39 (for young adults) – will be launched on Friday 26 May at Hay Festival in Wales.

The project will culminate at this year’s inaugural International Children's Literature Hay Festival in Aarhus, 25 – 29 October. Commissioned by European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017, and programmed by Hay Festival, it will be the first ever globally recognised children’s literature festival, engaging young people across Europe in a fresh exchange of ideas and conversations. The 39 writers will be invited to spend four days in Aarhus visiting schools and take part in the festival programme alongside the very best of Europe’s writers for young people.

The list was announced at The London Book Fair in a special event featuring two of the Aarhus 39 writers, Katherine Rundell and Sarah Crossan, plus Hay Festival children’s director, Julia Eccleshare, and editor of the upcoming Aarhus 39 anthologies Daniel Hahn. The group discussed the art of writing for children, and how reading stories of lives lived in other countries can influence a new generation with understanding and empathy.

Cristina Fuentes La Roche, International Director at Hay Festival, said:  

“Hans Christian Anderson, Charles Perrault, JK Rowling, Judith Kerr… Europe is home to some of the best writers for young people of all time. In a world that feels increasingly divided, these borderless shared stories unite us in empathy – encouraging us to experience lives lived in other countries and cultures in a way that nothing else can. Aarhus 39 is the next step in this journey – these emerging writers showcase the strength of children’s and YA literature today and we are thrilled to offer a new global platform for sharing their work.”

The Aarhus 39 project builds on three similar festival campaigns Hay Festival has run with the UNESCO World Cities of Literature in Bogotá, Beirut and Port Harcourt, and the Mexico 20 project for The London Book Fair’s UK–Mexico Market Focus 2015. Each of these projects has generated new festivals, new publications and long-tail campaigns that are still supporting a new generation of writers from Latin America (Bogotá 39), the Arab diaspora (Beirut 39) and Sub-Saharan Africa (Africa 39).

Aarhus 39 selection:

1. Ævar Þór Benediktsson – Iceland 2. Alaine Agirre – Spain 3. Aline Sax - Belgium 4. Ana Pessoa - Portugal 5. Andri Antoniou - Cyprus 6. Anna Woltz - Netherlands 7. Annelise Heurtier - France 8. Annette Münch - Norway 9. B. R. Collins - UK 10. Cathy Clement - Luxembourg 11.Cornelia Travnicek - Austria 12. David Machado - Portugal 13. Dy Plambeck - Denmark 14. Elisabeth Steinkellner - Austria 15. Endre Lund Eriksen - Norway 16. Finn-Ole Heinrich - Germany 17. Frida Nilsson - Sweden 18. Gideon Samson - Netherlands 19. Inna Manakhova - Russia 20. Jana Šrámková - Czech Republic

21. Katherine Rundell - UK 22. Katherine Woodfine - UK 23. Laura Dockrill - UK 24. Laura Gallego - Spain 25. Ludovic Flamant - Belgium 26. Maria Parr - Norway 27. Maria Turtschaninoff - Finland 28. Michaela Holzinger - Austria 29. Nataly Savina - Latvia 30. Nina Elisabeth Grøntvedt - Norway 31. Peder Frederik Jensen - Denmark 32. Salla Simukka - Finland 33. Sandrine Kao - France 34. Sanne Munk Jensen - Denmark 35. Sarah Crossan - Ireland/UK 36. Sarah Engell - Denmark 37. Stefan Bachmann - Switzerland 38. Stefanie de Velasco - Germany 39. Victor Dixen - France

Hay Festival brings readers and writers together in conversation in sustainable events around the world – sharing stories and ideas to inspire, examine and entertain, inviting participants to imagine the world as it is
and as it might be. This year marks the festival’s 30th anniversary; dreamt up around a kitchen table in Hay-on-Wye in 1987, the unique marriage of exacting conversations and entertainment for all ages has travelled to editions in 30 locations, from the historic town of Cartagena to the heart of cities in Peru, Mexico, Spain and Denmark.

Hay Festival Wales takes place Thursday 25 May – Sunday 4 June 2017. Visit www.hayfestival.com for more information.

International Children’s Literature Hay Festival – Aarhus 39 takes place 25 – 29 October with the support of Literature Across Frontiers and the British Council. Visit www.hayfestival.com/aarhus39 for more information.