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Writer Su-ji Lee, who wrote and painted the picture book 'Summer is Coming', received the Andersen Prize, which is called the Nobel Prize in children's literature.

I was nominated 6 years ago, and this was her second challenge, and this is the first award for a Korean writer.



By Lee Joo-sang, staff reporter.



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[The winner of the illustrator category in 2022 is Korean artist Suji Lee.]



At the opening ceremony of the International Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, artist Suji Lee was selected as the winner of the Andersen Prize.



It was his second challenge after being nominated for the first time in 2016.



She was evaluated as expanding the possibilities as a visual language by unfolding children's real and fantasy worlds by utilizing the characteristics of paper books.



The award was created in 1956 to commemorate Andersen, who is called the father of fairy tales. Every two years, one writer and one illustrator are selected.



It is also called the 'Nobel Prize of Children's Literature' because the artist's artistic value and merit are evaluated by comprehensively examining all the works the author has created so far.



It is the first time in Asia that a Korean artist has won the award, and it is the first time in 38 years in Asia since the Japanese artist Mitsumasa Ano in 1984.



[Lee Su-ji/Writer: I paid attention to the fact that the power of painting is a story that can be made, and I was also very interested in how it could be combined with a medium other than a canvas, a book.]



Last month, for her picture book 'Summer Is Coming', this author received international attention, including the Bologna Ragazzi Award for Excellence in Fiction.



[Lee Su-ji/Writer: I think that literature or art is a third genre that cannot be captured by this.

So, I think that it would be good for the unique artistry of picture books to be recognized and to be recognized more like that.] The



Andersen Award ceremony will be held at the general meeting of the International Association of Children and Young Adults in Malaysia in September.



(Video coverage: Hwang In-seok, video editing: Kim Jun-hee)