Bart Moeyaert - Laureate 2019 1
Author who stands with the weak among us Bart Moe
yaert learned the art of storytelling from listening to his big brothers around the dinner table. He calls Astrid Lindgren his “third grandmother” and in his own books, he wants to show us that every person is important, and he will stand with the weak among us. Get acquainted with the 2019 ALMA laureate! PUBLISHED FIRST BOOK AT 19 Bart Moeyaert was born in 1964 and lives in Antwerp, Belgium. He published his first book when he was just nineteen: the award-winning novel Duet met valse noten (1983), which he started writing as a young teenager. He has since produced a rich body of over 50 works in genres ranging from picture books and YA novels to poetry. His books have been translated into more than 15 languages and many have received awards. Moeyaert also writes for television and the stage, has translated novels, and teaches at the university. YOUNGEST OF SEVEN BROTHERS Moeyaert has been a storyteller since he was little: singing, acting, making up stories and writing them down. Growing up as the youngest of seven brothers left an indelible stamp on his life and body of work. Each evening the family would gather around the dinner table and everyone would tell the story of their day—oldest first! The young Bart quickly learned to decide if a story was boring or entertaining. Sometimes he sat under the table dreaming up his own stories. INSPIRED BY ASTRID LINDGREN Moeyaert relates strongly to Astrid Lindgren. Her books were very important to him as a child. He has even said she was like a “third grandmother” to him! “When I was nine, I read Astrid Lindgren’s books and her world was like my own family and the real world was like her world. Later I understood that her world was about inclusion. And that was a comfort, because I was a loner in my family as the youngest child. It influenced my own work. I want to expand the boundaries of literature for children,” Moeyaert says.