Press release -
Laurie Halse Anderson accepts the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2023
The American author Laurie Halse Anderson received the world’s largest literature award for children’s and young adult literature, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, at a ceremony in the Stockholm Concert Hall on Tuesday, May 2. The award was presented by H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria.
− When I became an author, Astrid Lindgren's defense of children's right to read helped define my path. She shaped the sense of responsibility I feel to my readers and their families. Stories open the doors to conversation and growth. Books strengthen us, and help lay the foundations of morality and wisdom, said Laurie Halse Anderson in her acceptance speech.
Apart from the prize sum, 5 million SEK, Laurie Halse Anderson received a diploma, presented by H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and illustrated by Stina Wirsén.
The jury’s motivation
"In her tightly written novels for young adults, Laurie Halse Anderson gives voice to the search for meaning, identity, and truth, both in the present and the past. Her darkly radiant realism reveals the vital role of time and memory in young people’s lives. Pain and anxiety, yearning and love, class and sex are investigated with stylistic precision and dispassionate wit. With tender intensity, Laurie Halse Anderson evokes moods and emotions, and never shies from even the hardest things."
About Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie Halse Anderson is one of America’s foremost writers for young adults. Her breakthrough novel, Speak, was published in 1999 and has been translated into many languages and adapted for film. In her richly expressive novels for young people she gives voice to the adolescent experience with sometimes brutal honesty. The yearning for love and belonging is a recurring theme for Anderson.
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The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award was created in 2002 by the Swedish government to promote every child’s right to great stories. This global award is given annually to a person or organisation for their outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature. With a prize of five million Swedish kronor, it is the largest award of its kind. Administrated by the Swedish Arts Council.
