Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Editorial

2016; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 54; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/bkb.2016.0030

1918-6983

Björn Sundmark,

Themes in Literature Analysis

Editorial Björn Sundmark (bio) my grandmother gerda used to read H. C. Andersen’s stories to me. She read about The Ugly Duckling and The Red Shoes; she read about The Steadfast Tinsoldier and The Wild Swans. Sometimes her throat would get dry, or the story would make her sad (or both). That was my cue to fetch her a glass of water. After a little pause, she would continue to read. Her voice was old and comforting, and a bit hoarse. A few years later, when I was too big to sit in her lap, she gave me her six big blue Andersen books – “to Björn,” it says, in her shaky-old handwriting. Therefore, when editing this issue of Bookbird, I have been reminded of Andersen’s stories, hearing them in my grandmother’s voice, and seeing Andersen’s name and his work connected, again and again, to the 57 nominees and to their work – thousands of stories. Yes, it has been wonderful to see the books submitted from IBBY sections from all over the world, books by authors and illustrators nominated to the Andersen award. It is often said that the winner takes it all, but to my mind, what is most remarkable is the range and quality of the nominees, and that the books have come from all over the world. They are all winners to my mind; and we, the readers, are all privileged as long as there are such outstanding authors, illustrators and storytellers in our midst. Andersen and my grandmother would agree, I am sure. In this special issue of Bookbird all of the nominees are presented on one page each: a short text, a photo and illustration, and the titles of five important works. This means that there is little room left to make an ordinary Bookbird, with articles, reviews, and essays. However, to make this Nominees’ issue into something more than a catalogue I wanted to provide something more. That is why you will also find two author interviews, one with David Almond (Andersen Award winner 2010) and one with Cornelia Funke. If the 57 presentation texts are the distilled commentaries and assessments about the work of 57 outstanding authors and illustrators, interviews aim for something else. They allow writers and illustrators to speak in their own words and on their own terms about their work. Interestingly, both writers (who I interviewed on two consecutive [End Page 4] days during the Litteralund conference 16-17 April 2015), keep extensive notebooks, where they draft their work, and where the creative process becomes visible and almost tangible. Often the notes, scribbles and sketches are suggestive and beautiful on their own. Cornelia Funke (who started out as an illustrator, although she is now better known as an author) has for instance made some astounding illustrations and covers for her own notebooks, such as the cover illustration on this Bookbird. The image is strangely suggestive with its image of a swan/egg/artefact and strange words. To my mind, and in the context of this Bookbird, it conjures up Andersen’s wild swans, of his ugly duckling; I think of how things are animated in his stories, how animals are transformed, how words become images and how images become words. The Andersen Awards are supported by Nami Island Inc. (since 2009). Publication of this special issue has also been made possible through a gift from Nami Island Inc., in the Republic of Korea. IBBY gratefully acknowledges their support of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards. [End Page 5] Björn Sundmark BJÖRN SUNDMARK is Professor of English Literature in the Faculty of Education, Malmö University, Sweden. He has published numerous articles on children’s literature, and is the author of the study Alice in the Oral-Literary Continuum (1999) and co-editor of The Nation in Children’s Literature (Routledge 2013). He is editor of Bookbird–Journal of International Children’s Literature. Copyright © 2016 Bookbird, Inc.