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French playwright beats Mankell to Marsh award

01.01.70 | Catherine Neilan

The story of a 1.5mm-high fugitive has beaten bestselling Swedish author Henning Mankell to win an award for children's literature in translation, the Guardian reports.

The translation of French playwright Timothée de Fombelle's Toby Alone beat Mankell's story of a motherless boy who becomes a local hero, When the Snow Fell, to win the Marsh award for children's literature in translation.

De Fombelle's translator Sarah Ardizzone collected the award, and a cheque for £2,000, from Alex Rider creator Anthony Horowitz.

The other titles on the shortlist were English translations of the Italian My Brother Johnny by Francesco D'Adamo, the Spanish Letters from Alain by Enrique Perez Diaz, the Greek Tina's Web by Alki Zei and the French Message in a Bottle by Valérie Zenatti.

Books submitted for this year's prize, which is awarded to the best translator of a children's book, were from languages including Chinese, Icelandic and Yiddish.

• awards
• Catherine Neilan
• children's
• translations