China to continue producing extraordinary literature, says Italian editor

Cao Wenxuan is the first Chinese author to ever win the Hans Christian Andersen Prize, awarded by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and considered the highest international recognition in the field of children's literature.

China will continue producing extraordinary literature, Alessandra Gnecchi Ruscone, senior editor at Giunti Editore Group, told Xinhua in an interview at the Bologna Children's Book Fair that concluded on Thursday.

Giunti Editore Group, Italy's largest publisher of children's books, was the first in the Mediterranean country to publish a novel of award-winning Chinese writer Cao Wenxuan, Bronze and Sunflower, in 2013.

On Monday, Cao became the first Chinese author to ever win the Hans Christian Andersen Prize, awarded by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and considered the highest international recognition in the field of children's literature.

"When we choose books, we choose artworks. It is certainly difficult to tell what is an artwork and what is not. But when you have been working in this field for so many years and you have examined hundreds and hundreds of books, some of them catch your eye," Gnecchi Ruscone said.

"But after two months, I could really not forget this novel, and I told myself: I want to publish it, because it might not have an immediate sales success, but I know that in 20 years or more it will be an influential book on our catalogue," she added.

She observed that Bronze and Sunflower conveys many messages, as quality literature books should. "This novel is set in a world which is far away from our children, China. But its key message is universal, which is the reason why I decided to publish it. It talks about solidarity, and about difficulties. All individuals, including children, are faced with some difficulties in their life, and Bronze and Sunflower is a story of exceptional solidarity amid many hardships," she noted.