Contemporary children's literature: education or entertainment? Today’s children’s need for Tom Sawyer and Cheburashka
Deсember 6, 2024
Participants of the AWPUR International Literary Forum speak about continuity in literature
It’s better to start with definitions, said editor-in-chief of the Year of Literature portal, writer and journalist Mikhail Vizel, when opening the discussion. What is contemporary literature? When was the beginning of the contemporary period? What are its boundaries and who sets them?
Today, the definition of contemporary literature can be extremely broad, said Natalia Kostyushina, head of the Bibliography Department at the Russian State Children’s Library: after shooting up in popularity and being instantly promoted to classics, some books go off the radar.
She believes that all children’s literature should provide some edification: “Kids learn from books, starting with nursery rhymes and songs. Parents often think that any children’s book should be educational. We thus deprive our kids of what we ourselves enjoy doing so much: reading for fun.”
Children’s author and publisher Anastasia Orlova absolutely agrees with this: “If authors want to entertain, let them do so. If they want to educate, well, then, they are welcome to write such books as well. My books always include an educative element, but reading is in itself developmental and mind nurturing, and an opportunity to have a pleasant, intelligent conversation. Books teach us to empathize and understand what makes other people different.”
Reading as a process is, by today's standards, so slow that, like it or not, you shall learn something from it, believes children’s writer Sofya Remez. And if kids discuss what they’ve read with their parents, they have a much higher chance of digesting the information.
According to children’s writer and illustrator Daniela Pareschi, text has an equal footing with pictures on the pages of Italian books for children: “In today's world, only bright visual images can grab and hold a child’s attention. Publishers have noticed that beautifully illustrated books sell well, and work hard to make more of those.”
Iranian publisher Ali Asgari (Houpaa Books) pondered on the need to adapt classics for children:
“Many Iranians have books by Russian authors in their home libraries, these are handed down from generation to generation, but children and teenagers find it difficult to read them. This is why we publish adapted classics. Take, for example, the Persian epic poem Shahnameh: not every Iranian adult may grasp its meaning, and we’re talking about one of the country’s most important literary works here. We have made a modern retelling of the poem and provided it with comments. The book has already been published in English.”
Another Iranian publishing house, TUTI Books, has chosen a slightly different path, releasing sequels to classics.
“Classics help people connect to the past and learn from the experience of previous generations,” said publisher Shiva Azimiramezani. “When you read, you realize that, in their essence, people have not changed, they have the same concerns as before: friendship, love, and search for their place in the world.
Today, the definition of contemporary literature can be extremely broad, said Natalia Kostyushina, head of the Bibliography Department at the Russian State Children’s Library: after shooting up in popularity and being instantly promoted to classics, some books go off the radar.
She believes that all children’s literature should provide some edification: “Kids learn from books, starting with nursery rhymes and songs. Parents often think that any children’s book should be educational. We thus deprive our kids of what we ourselves enjoy doing so much: reading for fun.”
Children’s author and publisher Anastasia Orlova absolutely agrees with this: “If authors want to entertain, let them do so. If they want to educate, well, then, they are welcome to write such books as well. My books always include an educative element, but reading is in itself developmental and mind nurturing, and an opportunity to have a pleasant, intelligent conversation. Books teach us to empathize and understand what makes other people different.”
Reading as a process is, by today's standards, so slow that, like it or not, you shall learn something from it, believes children’s writer Sofya Remez. And if kids discuss what they’ve read with their parents, they have a much higher chance of digesting the information.
According to children’s writer and illustrator Daniela Pareschi, text has an equal footing with pictures on the pages of Italian books for children: “In today's world, only bright visual images can grab and hold a child’s attention. Publishers have noticed that beautifully illustrated books sell well, and work hard to make more of those.”
Iranian publisher Ali Asgari (Houpaa Books) pondered on the need to adapt classics for children:
“Many Iranians have books by Russian authors in their home libraries, these are handed down from generation to generation, but children and teenagers find it difficult to read them. This is why we publish adapted classics. Take, for example, the Persian epic poem Shahnameh: not every Iranian adult may grasp its meaning, and we’re talking about one of the country’s most important literary works here. We have made a modern retelling of the poem and provided it with comments. The book has already been published in English.”
Another Iranian publishing house, TUTI Books, has chosen a slightly different path, releasing sequels to classics.
“Classics help people connect to the past and learn from the experience of previous generations,” said publisher Shiva Azimiramezani. “When you read, you realize that, in their essence, people have not changed, they have the same concerns as before: friendship, love, and search for their place in the world.