Malaysian Nominated for Swedish Literature Award

60 years old author Margaret Lim from Sarawak has been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2008, the world’s largest award for children and youth literature.  This award was instituted by the Government of Sweden in 2002 in honour of the Swedish children’s books author Astrid Lindgren.
    Lim is the only Malaysian on the list of 155 candidates for the award, which offers $5mil Swedish kronor (RM2.6mil) in prize money. She was thrilled that her nomination had been accepted, even though she will be up against some big names in children literature such as illustrator Quentin Blake and writers Jacqueline Wilson and Diana Wynne Jones.
    “The very thought (of being nominated with them) makes me quake. It is very kind of the award committee to consider me, practically a nobody, on the list of candidates for the 2008 award. Sarawak is on the literary world map and I am very proud to represent Malaysia,” she told the star reporter.
    Lim’s daughter Su Jen Buchheim, who has German citizenship, was also nominated for the award. Both of Lim’s children books, Payah and its sequel Four Eyes, were illustrated by Buchheim.
    The winner of the 2008 award will be announced in March.

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