From: Judith Ridge <judith.ridge_at_gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2010 22:02:14 +1100

I've just heard that Patricia Wrightson, the great children's author and recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen award (1986) has died. She was 98 years old. She was without doubt one of the greatest figures ever in Australian children's literature and with her passing ends a remarkable era. For me personally, she was the editor at the helm of The School Magazine in the years I was reading it as a child, and I was conscious of the great legacy she left when I came to work at the Magazine many years later.

The NSW Premier's Literary Awards gives a prize for children's literature in her name every year. The shortlist for the 2010 award will be announced in a week or two, and the award will be a bittersweet one this year.

Judith

-- Judith Ridge Western Sydney Young People's Literature Officer

Arts and Cultural Development Blacktown City Council PO Box 63 (62 Flushcombe Road) Blacktown NSW 2148 AUSTRALIA

-- My work blog: http://westword.wordpress.com/ My personal blog: http://www.misrule.com.au/s9y/ My personal website: http://www.misrule.com.au
Received on Wed 24 Mar 2010 10:02:14 PM CDT