News

The Johannes Vermeer Award 2024 goes to illustrator and children's book writer Marit Törnqvist. The jury, chaired by Marise Voskens, unanimously nominated her. Törnqvist receives the award for her exceptional artistic ability to depict universal emotions in language and drawings, and to bring them close to the reader's world of experience. The dedication with which Törnqvist creates a safe space in her oeuvre for a variety of major themes, and welcomes and embraces everyone's perspective with pen and brush, is of great in-depth value for people of all ages.

Guest at Exploring Stories, International Literature festival in Utrecht together with Nicolas Lunabba and Sinan Can.

Marit Törnqvist is nominated for the 16th time for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award! ( Winner announced in april 2025)

Più grande di un sogno" is shortlisted for  the prestigious Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi 2024 in Italy. On the 10th of april the winner will be announced.

The motivations of the Committee

Pictorial and poetic, courageous and tender, Bigger than a dream is a very delicate story that handles a complex theme such as that of childhood mourning. Narrated in the first person, the child's dream is a descent into self-discovery in the form of meeting, dialogue and adventure with the little sister who died prematurely that the protagonist did not know. A dreamlike journey that preserves the freshness of a barely dreamed story, drawn on mixed media panels. Free from any pietism, the child's story is capable of offering young readers (and not only) a disarming yet shareable vision of mourning, opening up to a profound reflection, also nourished by humour, which invites us to accept the end as an integral part of life itself, of the challenges that we all, large or small, are called to face.

Bigger than a dream  by Jef Aerts with illustrations of Marit Törnqvist is published by Camelozampa in Italy September 2023.

In September 2023 We bake a zoo will be published at Querido in the Netherlands. A picturebook about endless playing.

In september 2023 Tortoise and me will be published in Swedish translation at Rabén & Sjögren bokförlag.

On the 21th of June Tortoise and Me was awarded with the silver pencil in the Netherlands. Who wins gold will be announced on the 29th of September 2023.

The installation 'The big loss' will be exhibited in Mimers Kulturhus in Kungälv from 26-5-2023 to 23-6-2023. Marit will visit the exhibition on the 20th of June at International Refugee Day.

Tortoise and me was nominated on the shortlist for 'De Boon literatuurprijs' in Belgium.

Exhibition with different illustrators in the Koppelkerk,
Bredevoort, Netherlands
Marit shows original illustrations from the awarded book What nobody expected.
Other illustrators: Connie Snoek, Wim Hofman, Joke van Leeuwen, Gitte Spee, Floris Tilanus, Ludwig Volbeda, Karst-Janneke Rogaar, Annette Fienieg, Myriam Berenschot, Linde Faas en Merel van Lamoen.

"Schildpad en ik" - "Turtle and I" is on the longlist for de Boon 2023! A prestigious childrens book award in Flandern.

For the 13th time Marit is nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This time IBBY Belgium nominated her.

In the literary café Brummen online Marit Törnqvist will give a lecture at 20.00 about the value of retaining your mother tongue for your identity and development. She will talk about her own native language and what it meant to move to a country where she did not know the language. About the different welcome books she put together in Arabic during the 'refugee wave' 2015-2016. About the importance of language when you are on the run and how it is impossible for some traumatized people to learn a new language. About how to build bridges with language.

But also about the extreme right-wing party 'Sverigedemokraterna' in Sweden that wants to get books in other languages from the libraries and what that actually means.

You can register no later than 2 March at taalmarkt@brummencultuur.nl if you want to attend the lecture online and for more information. Everyone who registers for the lecture will receive a login code and an explanation of the procedure in advance. https://lnkd.in/e_aVsp5

'Night has come' by Astrid Lindgren awarded with 'Vlag & Wimpel' for the illustrations in the Netherlands

Marit nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2021 for the twelfth time! Now by Belgium and the Netherlands

Marit Törnqvist winner of IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award 2020!

https://khanak.org/en/2020/content/marit-tornqvist-iread-2020/

https://www.ibby.org/news-calendar/latest-news

Exhibition in Astrid Lindgrens Näs, Vimmerby, Sweden.
'A happy Island', Marit Törnqvist, 30 years of words and pictures.'

Marit is Visiting 'Vimmerby Berättar' in Sweden for a lecture and a workshop.

Opening of the exhibition 'En lycklig ö, Marit Törnqvist, 30 år i ord och bild' (A happy Island, Marit Törnqvist, 30 years of words and images) on Astrid Lindgrens Näs in Vimmerby. Starts 13 o'clock. Open for everyone.

Marit has a bookrelease of 'Night has come' by Astrid Lindgren on Junibacken in Stockholm with painting class for children from 12.30 - 14.30 and after this she will sign the book.

Marit nominated (for the 11th time) for the ASTRID LINDGREN MEMORIAL  AWARD 2020!
For her illustrations, her writing and her bookprojects for refugees.

Marit Törnqvist nominated for the IBBY I-read outstanding reading-promotor award 2020!

Opening exhibition KunZt Zwijndrecht, Netherlands
about 30 years of making books with a lecture of Marit Törnqvist

Marit Törnqvist is the winner of the Boekenpauw 2018, Belgium, for her illustrations in The island of happiness!!!

Marit visits Myren - Internationell Barnlitteraturfestival in Reykjavík, Iceland

Marit Törnqvist is lecturing on Bookfair Gothenburg, Sweden

Dutch award 'silverpencil' for 'The Island of Happiness!!

Celebration 30 years Marit Törnqvist and 30 years Monique Hagen in the Childrens Bookstore Rozengracht, Amsterdam. Exhibition with original bookcovers from 30 years.

Exhibition Marit Törnqvist illustrator 30 years! Rozengracht 34, Kinderboekwinkel Amsterdam

Marit Törnqvist nominated for the ninth time for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. This time also for her work with books for refugee children.

Marit guest on the Bookfair of Gothenburg on 22 and 23 september.

Marit is doing a lot of workshops in refugeecamps, the photo's are from Vida Vättern in Sweden.

In March The red bird by Astrid Lindgren with illustrations of Marit Törnqvist and God natt Alfons Åberg by Gunilla Bergström, is published in Arabic as a 'welcome' for 30.000 Syrian refugee-children that arrive in Sweden. Maybe can they find some hope and relax after the terrible things they have experienced.
Marit was the initiator of this project. In coöperation with Migrationsverket, Saltkråkan, Rädda barnen, Rabén & Sjögren, Junibacken and more.

FABIANS FEEST (Fabians party) Now published in Sweden! Rights sold to Japan and Denmark. In the Netherlands were already 51.500 copies sold out it is reprinted.

MARIT TÖRNQVIST on the SHORTLIST of the Hans Christian Andersenaward 2016. For more information: KLICK HERE

TOMS CHRISTMAS FISH, now available! Published by Floris Books, Edinburgh.

From now you can buy canvas-prints with Marit Törnqvists pictures on familydesign in Stockholm, for more information: familydesign.se

Floris Books is publishing Tom's Christmas Fish, with the text of Rita Törnqvist- Verschuur. This book was a big succes in 1989 and is reprinted now with a new lay-out.

Rights of Bigger than a dream sold to Korea, Japan, China, Denmark, Sweden, Germany.

Fabians party-app (made by Marit Törnqvist and YipYip Rotterdam) nominated for the GEKKO 2015, Netherlands.

Fabians partytranslation rights sold to Sweden and Denmark!

Grösser als ein Traum (Bigger than a dream) winner of DUDO 2014, prize of the 'Junge Jury' på Konrad-Duden Schule in Germany.

Marit Törnqvist nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Prize 2016!

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children's books. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is the Patron of the Andersen Awards.

FABIANS FEEST (PAULS PARTY) sold in more than 50.000 copies within a few months!
About the fantasy of a child that meets the rationality of his mother.

Brilliant reviews in all newspapers!
A co-production is planned in 2015.
For foreign rights:

Luciënne van der Leije, Rights Manager
rights@singel262.nl
Phone: +31 20 55 11 262

The Fabians feest-app was downloaded more than 15.000 times during the childrens books week in october 2014. It is now available in the Netherlands but can easily be translated to other languages

BIGGER THAN A DREAM winner of the BOEKENLEEUW 2014, the most important children’s book award in Flanders and the SILVER GRIFFEL in the Netherlands. Rights sold to Sweden, Germany, Japan, Danmark & China.

WHITE RAVEN for BIGGER THAN A DREAM!
The White Raven label is given to books that deserve worldwide attention because of their universal themes and/or their exceptional and often innovative artistic and literary style and design.

MARIT TÖRNQVIST NOMINATED FOR ASTRID LINDGREN MEMORIAL AWARD 2015!

MARIT TÖRNQVIST winner of the Löfska Cultural Prize, Sweden.

MARIT TÖRNQVIST NOMINATED FOR THE HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN AWARD 2014. More information: IBBY- Nederland, Toin Duijx
IBBY-Nederland@planet.nl

EXHIBITION PIRANHASOEP & PANNENKOEKEN AT WG-KUNST, AMSTERDAM

About the exchange with children in the jungle of Surinam. Read more...

WHAT NOBODY EXPECTED AWARDED WITH GOLDEN PLAQUETTE
At the Bienále Ilustrácií Bratislava (BIB) Marit Törnqvist is awarded with a Golden Plaquette for her illustrations in What nobody expected.
For more information about the book:

Luciënne van der Leije, Rights Manager
rights@singel262.nl
Phone: +31 20 55 11 262