- Author Nominee:Argentina
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Writing and drawing are natural things for me to do for as long as I can remember.
– Beatriz Ferro
Considered as one of Argentina's most significant writers for young people, Beatriz Ferro has produced more than 300 short stories for the children's book series Bolstillitos (little pockets) but her work includes many other genres: novels, poetry, plays, school texts and retellings of myths and traditional stories, as well as journalism and translation. Bolstillitos was very popular and accessible for young readers as the books were sold at news stands. Some of her poetry has been set to music and has been performed in public.
Ferro was born in Buenos Aires on 31 August 1935. Originally her interests led her towards the visual arts and she studied at the School of Architecture at Buenos Aires University. During the 1950s and 1960s she engaged with avant-garde fine arts workshops, leading her to explore new forms of artistic experience. She painted murals, exhibited non-figurative paintings and designed decorative textiles, which received international attention. She began to illustrate books also, and still maintains an interest in this area, providing sketches for the artists who illustrate her books today. Her book Zapatos Caminadores [Walking shoes] began as a series of sketches of little shoes starting to walk interspersed with lines of text, out of which the complete story grew. It was subsequently illustrated by the artist Oscar Rojas according to Ferro's original sketches.
In the 1960s she became involved in publishing, and created and directed lists for a number of important publishing houses in Argentina. From 1977 to 1988 she was editing consultant for the Atlantida publishing house. In 1979 she was commissioned by UNESCO's General Publishing Board to design a series for children based on articles in the UNESCO Courier.
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Beatriz Ferro attributes her gift for storytelling to her Irish grandmother, who told tales of gnomes and little people, and feels inspired by stories of the Argentine countryside, ghosts and her mother's adventures in the northern province of Santa Fe. Her studies in architecture are also highly influential on her work, providing she says, her most enriching experiences.
Many of her books have been translated and she has been honoured at the Bologna Book Fair. In Argentina, she is regarded, both through her writing and publishing, as an influence on other authors as well as many generations of children.
Selected bibliography
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