Simukka and Turtschaninoff selected for Hay Festival Aarhus 39

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Salla Simukka and Maria Turtschaninoff have been selected for the Aarhus 39 as part of Hay Festival’s European Children’s Literature Festival in Aarhus, Denmark in October, it was announced on Wednesday at London Book Fair.

Aarhus 39 is a selection of the best children’s and YA writers from all over Europe, aged 40 and under, who will take part in an ambitious new Hay Festival project comprising a new festival and two new anthologies for the European Capital of Culture Aarhus 2017. Each of the 39 authors has been commissioned to write an original story to the theme of ‘Journey’, with two anthologies of the works edited by Daniel Hahn to be published in English by Alma Books and in Danish by Gyldendal later this year.

The writers were selected in 2017 by a jury of three acclaimed contemporary children’s authors – Kim Fupz Aakeson (Denmark), Ana Cristina Herreros (Spain) and Matt Haig (UK) – with eligibility encompassing authors of books for ages 8+ and teenagers.

Read the full press release here: http://www.hayfestival.com/aarhus39/news-release-hay-festival-unveils-aarhus-39.pdf

www.hayfestival.com/aarhus39/

About author


Maria Turtschaninoff

Maria Turtschaninoff is known for crafting lyrical, historically inspired fantasy stories starring strong female protagonists. In addition to J.R.R. Tolkien, she counts Philip Pullman, Ursula K. Le Guin and C.S. Lewis among her favorite authors. She is a two-time winner of the Society of Swedish Literature Prize, winner of the Swedish YLE Literature Prize, winner of the Thank You for the Book Award, a nominee for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (2020-2024), and winner of the 2014 Finlandia Junior Prize.

Her Red Abbey Chronicles YA trilogy has been sold into 30 languages, while her first adult novel Inherited Land has been sold to 23 territories. Maria has a Master of Arts in human ecology and works full-time as a writer.

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About author


Salla Simukka

Salla Simukka is the author of the international success story The Snow White Trilogy: rights are sold in 52 territories and in Hollywood. She has written several novels for young readers and her accolades include the Topelius Prize 2013 and the Finland Prize 2013. Simukka has been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award  every year 2021–2024. Where It All Begins, published in 2022, is her first novel for adults and in 2024 she started a collaboration with JP Ahonen on a middle grade novel.

Previously Simukka has written book reviews for the newspapers, translated all kinds of texts into Finnish, worked as an editor at a literary magazine and as a screenwriter for a popular TV show for young audiences.  She has also been working on the programme of Turku Book Fair in 2017–2020.

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