Interview: China to continue producing extraordinary literature, says Italian editor

China will continue producing extraordinary literature, Alessandra Gnecchi Ruscone, senior editor at Giunti Editore Group, told Xinhua in an interview at the Bologna Children's Book Fair that concluded on Thursday.

Giunti Editore Group, Italy's largest publisher of children's books, was the first in the Mediterranean country to publish a novel of award-winning Chinese writer Cao Wenxuan, Bronze and Sunflower, in 2013.

On Monday, Cao became the first Chinese author to ever win the Hans Christian Andersen Prize, awarded by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) and considered the highest international recognition in the field of children's literature.

"When we choose books, we choose artworks. It is certainly difficult to tell what is an artwork and what is not. But when you have been working in this field for so many years and you have examined hundreds and hundreds of books, some of them catch your eye," Gnecchi Ruscone said.

"But after two months, I could really not forget this novel, and I told myself: I want to publish it, because it might not have an immediate sales success, but I know that in 20 years or more it will be an influential book on our catalogue," she added.

She observed that Bronze and Sunflower conveys many messages, as quality literature books should. "This novel is set in a world which is far away from our children, China. But its key message is universal, which is the reason why I decided to publish it. It talks about solidarity, and about difficulties. All individuals, including children, are faced with some difficulties in their life, and Bronze and Sunflower is a story of exceptional solidarity amid many hardships," she noted.

A second aspect that Gnecchi Ruscone found very interesting in Cao's novel was the theme of poverty. "In Italy we live in a wealthy world, but since several years ago we have been faced with a strong economic crisis which has led Italians to talk again about poverty, a word that Italy and Europe used to know very well just until 70 years ago. So I thought that this book could also be a beautiful starting point to arouse reflection about this word: poverty," she elaborated.

Giunti Editore Group on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with China Publishing Group at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

The group is also looking at Cao's other works, she unveiled. "We are reading all of his books. We do think that Cao really is an outstanding author, and it is very important to present to our readers a writer who is at such a high level," she highlighted.

"When China opened to the world, we started to study contemporary China with the same great interest, and since many years ago we have been seeking relations with China's publishers and professionals in the children's books world," she said.

"We will continue to look at Cao's works, and will definitely also look for other Chinese authors, because art speaks a universal language. People are all equal, all children lose their first tooth at seven years old, and feelings are also universal. Real artworks are universal," she said.

Gnecchi Ruscone also acknowledged that there are some difficulties in collaborating with China due to a lack of knowledge in Italy about such a huge market.

"But I am fully sure that collaboration will be very intense, and that extraordinary literature and art works will come out from China in the next years," she said. Endit