How War Changed Rondo received an award at the Berlin International Literature Festival

Ukrainian book How War Changed Rondo written by Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv received the Extraordinary Book 2022 Award at the International Literature Festival Berlin. This was announced on the website of the event.

The book was published by the German publishing house Gerstenberg Verlag. Among the award jury, the book was chosen by writer and illustrator Tatia Nadareishvili.

Authors from 11 countries of the world also received the award:

• Dig by AS King (USA, awarded by Kate Allen);
• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (USA, awarded by Angeline Boulley);
• Cando petan á porta pola noite by Xabier P. Docampo (Spain, awarded by Paula Carballeira);
• Duck, Death and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch (Germany, awarded by Laura Carlin);
• De verjaardag van de eekhoorn en andere dieren by Toon Tellegen and Kitty Crowther (the Netherlands, awarded by Lika Nüssli);
• Dom som bestämmer by Lisen Adbåge (Sweden, awarded by Kristina Sigunsdotter);
• No Future without Forgiveness by Desmond Tutu (Republic of South Africa, awarded by David Van Reybrouck);
• Die Gans im Gegenteil by Wolf Haas and Theresa Präauer (Austria, awarded by Sabine Rufener); 
• La Composición by Antonio Skármeta (Chile, awarded by Tàssies);
• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin (USA, awarded by Sam Thompson);
• Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (UK, awarded by Hana Tooke);
• Alle Jahre wieder saust der Presslufthammer nieder oder: Die Veränderung der Landschaft by Jörg Müller (Switzerland, awarded by David Wiesner);
• Un señor muy viejo con unas alas enormes by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Columbia, awarded by Hassan Zahreddine);
• Fallensteller by Saša Stanišić (Germany, awarded by Sven Beck);
• Death in the Spotlight by Robin Stevens (USA, awarded by Lola Li Bothe);
• Seekers #1 – The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter (UK, awarded by Celia Chung);
• Amok Per Vers by Martin Piekar (Germany, Poland, awarded by Agony Tonda Montasser);
• De Brief voor de koning by Tonke Dragt (the Netherlands, awarded by Jona Valentin Rose);
• Ellbogen by Fatma Aydemir (Germany, awarded by Berfin Sönmez);
• Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi (USA, awarded by Justus Amias Stohwasser);
• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (USA, awarded by Anna Pilar);
• Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (UK, awarded by Mieko Kawakami). 

The Extraordinary Book Award is an international children’s and youth literary award. Since 2012, the International Children’s and Young Adult Literature section of the International Literature Festival Berlin has been presenting the award every September. The jury of the award is composed of the guests of the section of the respective festival edition, who each nominate one book. The jury of the award mainly includes international writers and illustrators.

In Ukrainian, How War Changed Rondo was published by The Old Lion Publishing House in 2015. The book received several awards, among them Bologna Ragazzi Award, and was included in the annually published catalogue of children’s and youth literature The White Ravens 2015. It was translated into several languages, such as Italian, French, Slovak, Armenian and Bulgarian.

As was reported before, earlier this year Romana Romanyshyn and Andrii Lesiv’s book was added to the list of the best books of the year by the most influential American book review magazine Kirkus Reviews. In addition, it also published a review of the publication.

Photo: International Literature Festival Berlin