Continuing what has apparently become United Nations Week around here, I've learned that the German version of my book, Mutter Hat Krebs, has been nominated for the Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis 2007. That is, the 2007 German Youth Literature Award, which I'm told is the most prestigious award for children's and young adult literature in Germany. Here are the 30 nominees. I'm one of six in the non-fiction ("Sachbuch") category and the very last one on the list--no reflection on my chances, I'm sure. More information about the award, in English, is available here.
The awards are presented in October at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which is the largest, most important gathering of publishers, writers, booksellers, journalists, and other literary creators, deal-makers, and parasites in the world. Recognition like this in a venue like that could be a very big deal. I know my publisher, Abrams, always sends a contingent to Frankfurt, and I'm sure they'll be looking for opportunities to sell Mom's Cancer to other countries in other languages. I'm guessing that award nominations don't hurt.
This news made my week, and I appreciate the award administrator Arbeitskreis fur Jugendliteratur e.V. and my German publisher Knesebeck for making it happen. I can only wonder what I might have achieved if I'd set out to write a young adult book on purpose. Probably a lot less.
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