Baek Heena – laureate 2020 1
Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award Learn more about B
aek Heena’s creations The following is an excerpt from our jury’s detailed introduction to Baek Heena’s unique creations and creative process. You can read the full text at alma.se. Since her debut, Baek Heena has continued to evolve a singular and highly original picture book world. Within that world, she constructs stories very much like theater pieces, building environments like stage sets and using lighting to great effect. Her techniques connect to a long tradition of toy books for children—a genre to which Baek has brought development and renewal with her highly original technical and artistic solutions. The dynamical and magical worlds of her books draws viewers irresistibly into the story. Baek Heena populates her picture books with dolls and animals with human qualities. Although the majority of her books focus on children and convey the child perspective, she also portrays adults and the elderly with refinement and humor. A belief in the power of play and imagination in our lives Baek’s picture book worlds open the door to magic and wonder. Nowhere is this more true than in Pi-ya-ghi Eomma (2011), one of just a few books in her oeuvre that is drawn in charcoal and ink. This crazy, quirky tale paints a portrait of parenthood that is both candid and comedic. A cat named Mjahau lives to hunt down, torment and eat up small animals. One day, however, Mjahau swallows a chicken egg and is amazed to give birth to a baby chick. This unlikely event leads to an equally unlikely transformation in Mjahau, who finds a new role in life after accepting responsibility for sheltering and raising little Peeyaki. 14