Two Malaysians have been nominated for the prestigious 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) of Sweden at the Frankfurt International Book Fair. They were Mohd. Yusuf bin Ismail, an author/illustrator and oral storyteller, and Daphne Lee Mei Lin, a promoter of reading, and are up against 173 other nominees from around the world for the Swedish award which carries a cash award of five million Swedish krones. The fair in Frankfurt is regarded as the world's biggest event for the publishing industry. ALMA is the world's largest prize for children's and young adult literature.
Linda Tan Lingard, director of Kuala Lumpur-based Yusof Gajah Lingard Literary Agency and wife of Mohd Yusuf bin Ismail, who goes by his pen name Yusof Gajah Lingard, was exalted at the nomination as was her husband. They have a booth at the Malaysian pavilion. This is the second time that a Malaysian has been nominated for ALMA, the first time being in 2008 when Margaret H.L. Lim, a children's story writer from Kuching, was nominated although she did not get the coveted award itself.
More information here.
Linda Tan Lingard, director of Kuala Lumpur-based Yusof Gajah Lingard Literary Agency and wife of Mohd Yusuf bin Ismail, who goes by his pen name Yusof Gajah Lingard, was exalted at the nomination as was her husband. They have a booth at the Malaysian pavilion. This is the second time that a Malaysian has been nominated for ALMA, the first time being in 2008 when Margaret H.L. Lim, a children's story writer from Kuching, was nominated although she did not get the coveted award itself.
More information here.
