Queen of Denmark refused to patronize famous literary prize because russian artist presides over jury

Due to the appointment of the russian illustrator Anastasia Arkhipova as the head of the jury, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark refused to patronize the Hans Christian Andersen Prize.

The Danish publication DR writes about it, Rubryka informs.

The award was removed from the list of foreign projects under the patronage of the Queen on the Royal Palace's website. Reference to royal patronage has also disappeared from the International Board of Books for Young Adults (IBBY) website.

The Hans Christian Andersen Prize, established in 1956, is presented every two years by the IBBY International organization and is awarded to writers and illustrators for outstanding contributions to children's literature.

It is called the Nobel Prize in children's literature. Previously, the award was received by such outstanding personalities as the Swede Astrid Lindgren and the Dane Cecil Bödker.

But in September, six months after russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the IBBY congress in Malaysia, russian illustrator and art history professor Anastasia Arkhipova was elected head of the jury that will award the prize next time.

The election has split the organization, which was created after World War II to promote peace through cultural exchange and the promotion of children's reading.

Sweden, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are among the countries where local branches tried in vain to get the jury chairman to resign. At the same time, the Danish branch of IBBY did not sign this letter.

In response to criticism of the board's countries, IBBY responded that board members do not represent their country's government but simply themselves as authors, designers, or publishers.

But there is also a lot of evidence that Anastasia Arkhipova is not just an artist whose lines many children who grew up in the former Soviet Union recognize from russian translations of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales.

She has received countless awards, is a professor at the moscow art academy, and is the illustrators' union president. But she is also a board member of the Moscow Association of Artists (MOCX), which is now very active in promoting the war.

The organization has just held a competition in which russian artists had to submit posters, videos, and memes to social networks for use in a campaign to popularize the "special military operation" and mobilize the population.

Submitted works must, among other things, promote "the reunification of historic russian lands." Several examples of submitted posters and drawings can be seen online. On them, a russian soldier is depicted as a heroic avenger who punishes Ukrainian "Nazis."

Reference

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark congratulated Ukrainians on the New Year and noted that the heroic struggle of Ukraine for its freedom makes a "strong impression on everyone."