Maria Parr is an acclaimed Norwegian writer, part of our Aarhus 39 selection of the best emerging writers from across Europe. Maria will be appearing at the inaugural International Children’s Literature Hay Festival Aarhus 2017 later this month. Here she talks about her new story for Quest, our new anthology of stories for children, inspired by journeys.
Tell us about your story...
We (the authors at the anthology) were given the theme Journeys. I didn’t travel much as a kid, and I wanted to write about the fact that dreaming about places and using your imagination is also a way of making a journey.
When did you decide to become an author?
I have always enjoyed making stories, but I think I was about 14 years old when I decided to give it a try. Then I started to write and my book came out ten years later.
What is special about writing for children?
Well, if you ask people about their strongest and most important reading experience, it’s often one they had as a child. And I think this makes children's literature the most important literature. To make great books for children is hard, and it’s inspiring and it’s a lot of fun! It’s a privilegie to write for children.