Russian children`s writer Ekaterina Murasheva has been longlisted for the famous Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The winner of the 10th anniversary edition of the prize will receive 500,000 euro.

It is the second time Murasheva has been nominated for the award, considered to be the world`s most prestigious prize for children`s literature. Last year, she figured on the list of 175 nominees along with her compatriot, the illustrator Evgeny Antonenkov.

The 184 candidates from 66 countries nominated for the world`s largest award for children`s and young people literature were announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair by Larry Lempert, Chairman of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award jury.

Fewer than half of the nominees are authors, while others are illustrators, promoters of reading and professional storytellers.

The prize was established by the Swedish government in 2002, the year Lindgren, who was the country`s most famous children`s author, died aged 94. She created such beloved characters as Pippi Longstocking and Karlsson-on-the-Roof. Astrid Lindgren`s works have been translated into over 90 languages, and her stories will live forever.

The winners of 2012`s Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award will be announced on March 20, 2012 in Vimmerby, Astrid Lindgren`s hometown.
sections: Culture