Argentinian illustrator Marisol Misenta wins Astrid Lindgren award

YEREVAN, MARCH 26, ARMENPRESS: Argentinian illustrator Isol has beaten The Hungry Caterpillar's creator Eric Carle and War Horse author Michael Morpurgo to win the world's largest award for children's literature, the SEK5m (£500,000) Astrid Lindgren memorial award. As reports Armenpress, referring to Guardian, given annually by the Swedish government to an individual or organization working "in the spirit of Astrid Lindgren" to "safeguard democratic values", there were 207 candidates from around the world competing for this year's prize. Isol, born Marisol Misenta in Buenos Aires in 1972 and an illustrator, cartoonist, graphic artist, writer, singer and composer, was chosen by a jury of 12 international children's literature experts to stand alongside former winners including Shaun Tan, Philip Pullman and Maurice Sendak. Her books, according to today's announcement, expose the "absurdities of the adult world". The author and illustrator of 10 books of her own, as well as a collaborator with Argentinian poet Jorge Luján, the jury praised Isol for creating "picture books from the eye level of the child". From her 1997 debut Vida de Perros, about a little boy who finds similarities with his dog, to El Globo, about an angry mother who is transformed into a balloon, her pictures "vibrate with energy and explosive emotions," said the judges. "With a restrained palette and ever-innovative pictorial solutions, she shifts ingrained perspectives and pushes the boundaries of the picture book medium," they wrote in their citation. "Taking children's clear view of the world as her starting point, she addresses their questions with forceful artistic expression and offers open answers. With liberating humour and levity, she also deals with the darker aspects of existence." Isol's ability to explore new formats was also praised. Her book Tener Un Patito Es Util can be read from two different directions to tell two different stories, either what a boy can use a duck for, or what a duck can use a boy for, while Nocturno, about dreams, is printed in fluorescent colours and is best read in the dark. "Isol's great talent as a picture book author is apparent in the overall experience created by the dramatic composition, the choice of colours and the intensity of the drawn line," said the announcement. Isol's work has been published in around 20 countries. She will be presented with her award in Stockholm on 27 May.