ARS LIBRI: FANTASY AND ADVENTURE

ended

Every story matters! There are children out there for whom a certain book in our project may act as their first mirror. Children’s books shape the worldview we grow up with. We have to be able to recognise ourselves in stories, illustrations and narratives, and to learn about the different realities of life around us. This is more the case today, in these troubled times burdened by pandemics and war, when we must strengthen our cultural identities as Europeans. Everybody has the right to discover literature and to create stories, irrespective of their socio-economic or cultural background, gender or religion. European societies are diverse and becoming more so all the time. The European Union has a dedicated approach to literary translations, enhancing the capacity of the book sector to nurture talents, as well as to innovate. In this context, the project “Ars Libri: Fantasy and Adventure” (ALFA) aims to develop intercultural dialogue through translating quality children’s literature – which is an under-represented genre – from lesser-translated literatures. Thus, we will translate, publish, distribute and promote 24 works from 9 countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Ukraine, strongly believing that there are synergies and equal values between our cultures. The selected titles will showcase the diverse nature of European children’s literature by offering: • stories of high literary value; • stories which all celebrate the independence of spirit; • distinctive European flavours - in both subject matter and literary style; • extraordinary illustrations; • carefully designed high-quality hardback editions; The implementation of the project will educate Romanian children, parents, teachers, and librarians and it will widen their knowledge about European countries and literature. The published books will promote a transcultural dialogue and build cultural bridges between European countries.