Dates of event :
from: 8. 9. 2017
to: 29. 10. 2017
Time :
9:00 - 18:00
Venue :
Slovenské národné múzeum, Vajanského nábrežie č. 2.
Cao was born in a small village in Jiangsu Province in 1954. He graduated from Beijing University, Chinese and Children’s Literature, in the mid-1970s and then became primarily a writer of children’s books. His first novel was published in 1985 and Chinese literature in the past thirty years has been closely associated with his name. He has written more than one hundred books, three of which were adapted into films. His best known book is The Straw House (1997) and its 300 reprints are something like a miracle in Chinese publishing history.
Cao’s contribution to Chinese literature for children includes his literary activities as well as his academic accomplishments in this field. The writer combines classical esthetic principles and the spirit of humanism with modern sensibilities. His stories are timeless, feature uniting poetic landscapes and compassion for the tragic beauties of coming of age. Reading Cao’s books, we often find ourselves wandering across the “great landscape of human nature and nature itself”.
His search in the stories brings resilient but good-hearted teenagers, including Sangsang, in the book The Straw House and Dingding and Dangdang in a story of the same name: all manage to overcome the ups and downs in their lives with smiles on their faces. Through these characters Cao seeks to help millions of children to grow up into adulthood undaunted and unspoiled.
The artist’s stories have an impact on the desire for an identity not only in children in China, but also across the entire world. His books have been translated into numerous languages including English, French, German and Swedish. During his 30-year career he has received numerous awards, including the Chinese National Books Award. A series of short stories, titled Dingding and Dangdang, was selected for the IBBY collection of books for young people with disabilities. In recent years Cao has started collaborating on books with various international artists.
All his literary, research and pedagogical activities make him a shining star in the field of children’s literature.
Mgr. Viera Aanoškinová
Head of BIB Secretariat
