The Bologna Children's Book Fair, the most important rights market for children's literature, ended yesterday. The Flemish Literature Fund was present and spoke to over 50 foreign publishers about newly released and award-winning Flemish titles. Despite the global economic crisis FLF grants manager for children's literature, Els Aerts, noted a lot of interest from publishers to translate books. Not in the least because the grants offered by the FLF are now more welcome than ever.
Flemish prize winners continued their triumph in Bologna. ‘Linus' by Mieke Versyp, Sabien Clement and Pieter Gaudesaboos got one of the five very coveted CJ Picture Book Awards from guest-of-honour Korea. ‘Allemaal willen we de hemel' (We all want heaven) by Els Beerten and ‘Het geheim van de keel van de nachtegaal' (The secret of the nightingale's throat) illustrated by Carll Cneut and written by Peter Verhelst got a mention from the international IBBY-jury at the White Raven Awards.
A lot of attention was also paid to Gerda Dendooven's witty new picture book ‘Hoe het varken aan zijn krulstaart kwam' (How the piglet got his tail) and ‘Metro Monsters', the recent hit by Sebastiaan Van Doninck (illustrations) and Pieter Van Oudheusden (text). Youth novelists Do Van Ranst (‘Moeders zijn gevaarlijk met messen' or Mothers are dangerous with knives) and Marita De Sterck (‘De hondeneters' or The dog eaters) did well, partly because they offer continuity to foreign publishers who have introduced some of their previous work in their markets.
True to the yearly tradition, the FLF invited three illustrators to travel with them to Bologna. This year An Candaele, Isabelle Vandenabeele and Klaas Verplancke got to represent the Flemish illustrators' scene. They met with their Italian publishers, made new international contacts and promoted their translated works.
