The Marsh Award is given to the best foreign fiction for children and young readers translated into English.
“The Adventures of Shola”, originally published in Basque and later in Spanish, is a compilation of four stories: Xolak badu lehoien berri (1995, Erein), Xola eta basurdeak (1996, Erein), Xola ehizan (2000, Gara), eta Xola eta Angelito (2004, Erein)]. All four were illustrated by Mikel Valverde.
The Adventures of Shola (Pushkin, 2013) has received praise from various quarters since its publication in the United Kingdom, including being shortlisted as one of the best works of 2013 by The Independent and being warmly reviewed last week in The Irish Times “Seek out a copy of The Adventures of Shola by the Basque writer Bernardo Atxaga. Mikel Valverde’s illustrations are most expressive and the English translation comes courtesy of the great Margaret Jull Costa. Shola is one of the most impressive heroines of the modern world“.
