Biography
Marit Törnqvist was born in 1964 in Uppsala, Sweden. She moved to the Netherlands at the age of five. She studied illustration at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. Today, she is a celebrated illustrator and children’s book writer, and her oeuvre has many highlights.
Törnqvist made her debut as an illustrator with a picture book for Astrid Lindgren, which marked the start of a long collaboration with Lindgren and a series of other writers. For example, she made the iconic illustrations of the collectionYou are the sweetest by Hans and Monique Hagen, of which thirty thousand copies have been sold since its publication in 2000. She also received the Golden Brush for Pikkuhenki‘s illustrations, with text by Toon Tellegen.
In 1995, Törnqvist made her debut as a writer with the book Small story about love, for which she was awarded a Silver Stylus. Since then, writing has become an increasingly important part of her work. For this, she has received the Silver Stylus twice in recent years, for The Happy Island (2018) and Turtle and I (2023).
Törnqvist has joined exhibitions and has won prizes all over the world. In 2021, she received the IBBY i-Read Outstanding Reading Promoter Award for her efforts in the field of reading promotion. In 2024, she was nominated for the 16th time for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the ‘Nobel Prize’ in children’s literature. Törnqvist was also the designer of a three-dimensional journey through Astrid Lindgren’s books at the Junibacken Children’s Museum in Stockholm, which now welcomes millions of visitors.
In recent years, Törnqvist has broadened her horizons and initiated numerous international book projects for refugee children around the world. She has been closely involved for decades in the Iranian book promotion project Read with Me, which focuses on the most vulnerable children in the country. She also guides a dozen Iranian illustrators in making their picture books.
In 2017, she compiled an anthology of Dutch children’s literature translated into Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, Somali, Tigrynia and Kurdish under the title A book for you, of which ten thousand copies were distributed in asylum seeker centres as a welcome gift to children in their own language.
In addition to illustrating and writing, Törnqvist regularly stands on the barricades for asylum seekers and minors struggling. With her art installation The big loss, she spent three days outside the parliament of Stockholm in 2022 around World Refugee Day to put the abuses within Swedish asylum policy on the agenda and published various opinion pieces in major Swedish newspapers.
In order to give a voice to children in the economically disadvantaged and politically neglected Nydala district in Malmö, Sweden, experiencing major problems with the recruitment of minors by gangs, Törnqvist initiated a pilot project in this district in 2023. Under professional guidance, eleven-year-olds have written and illustrated a book about their own lives, which can be borrowed from all Malmö libraries.
In addition to the various drawing, writing and reading projects with children, Törnqvist is always busy creating a new picture book. Writing and drawing is a way for her to find peace in the harsh and sometimes chaotic world.
Marit Törnqvist’s books have been translated into thirty languages. Törnqvist lives in the Netherlands and Sweden.
Illustration Marit Törnqvist from book What no one expected
Silver Stylus for book The Happy Island
Illustration Marit Törnqvist from book The Happy Island
Illustration Marit Törnqvist from book The Happy Island
Marit Törnqvist and Astrid Lindgren. Photo: Lars Grönwall
Marit Törnqvist Junibacken 1996. Photo: Lars Grönwall
Golden Brush for illustrations book Pikkuhenki, with text by Toon Tellegen
Performance A book for you 2023. Photo: Annelies van der Vegt
Presentation A book for you 2017. Photo: Annelies van der Vegt
Silver Stylus for book Turtle and I
Illustration Marit Törnqvist from book Turtle and I
Drawing in asylum seekers’ center. Photo: Melker Dahlstrand
Presentation of book What no one expected Ketelhuis 2009. Photo: Annelies van der Vegt
Illustration Marit Törnqvist from book What no one expected
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Marit Törnqvist’s oeuvre list
Pre-University Education St Vituscollege, Bussum
Gerrit Rietveld Academy,
Amsterdam. Ilustration.
Illustrator and children’s book writer
Set designer Cultural Centre Junibacken, Stockholm, Sweden
Initiator of writing, drawing and reading projects for children
Lecturer, translator and art director
Debut as illustrator När Bäckhultarn for till stan (A calf for Christmas) Astrid Lindgren and Julkarpen (Tom’s Christmas Fish) Rita Törnqvist
Debut as a writer of Little story about love
Designer of a three-dimensional journey through the work of Astrid Lindgren at the Junibacken Children’s Museum in Stockholm, Sweden
Upcoming Projects:
From December 2025 – April 2026 Marit’s work will be exhibited at Museum Kranenburgh in Bergen, North Holland
In 2026 Marit, together with Ramsey Nasr and Kadir van Lohuizen, will join a scientific expedition to East Antarctica, organised by the Swedish Secretariat for Polar Research
A selection of projects:
2023-present Initiator of a pilot project dedicated to book writing and illustrating ‘Det stora mötet’ (The big meeting), for children in Nydala, Malmö, Sweden, together with writer Nicolas Lunabba
2023-present Initiator of the anthology A book for you in Arabic, Farsi, Kurdish, Somali, Tigrinya and Turkish, as a welcome gift to refugee children in the Netherlands
2021 The big loss (Den stora saknaden). Art installation on World Refugee Day in front of the parliament building in Stockholm, Sweden
2017 Initiator of the anthology A book for you in Arabic, awarded to 5.000 Arabic-speaking refugee children in the Netherlands
2016 Initiator of welcome books for refugees in Arabic, distributed to 30,000 Arabic-speaking refugee children in Sweden
2010-2014 Initiator of a cultural exchange (writing and drawing) between schoolchildren in Amsterdam and children in the jungle of Suriname
2010-present Closely involved in the Read with Me reading promotion project in Iran.
Projects in Isfahan, MahmoudAbad, Tehran, Khonsar, Sarpol e Zahab, Qeshm Island and many other places. Coaching various Iranian illustrators. Designing libraries in Iran
A selection of exhibitions:
2025
Kranenburgh Museum, Bergen
Solo exhibition
2025
Astrid Lindgrens Näs, Vimmerby, Sweden
Group exhibition ‘De stora mötet’, work by children from Nydala, Malmö
2023
Koppelkerk, Bredevoort, the Netherlands
Group exhibition “Word in Images”
2023
Mimers Kulturhus, Kungälv, Sweden
The big loss, art installation
2022
Frölunda Kulturhus, Gothenburg, Sweden
The big loss, art installation
2021
Montreuil, Paris, France
Group exhibition ‘Notre Usine a NOUS’
2019
Bib Bratislava, Slovakia
Group exhibition
2019
Astrid Lindgrens Näs, Vimmerby, Sweden
Solo exhibition ’En lycklig ö’
2018
Kunzt Zwijndrecht, the Netherlands
Solo exhibition ‘Light in the dark’
2018
Artist Forum, Tehran, Iran
’When two worlds meet’ exhibition together with illustrators supervised by Törnqvist
2016
Bib Bratislava, Slovakia
Group exhibition
2015
Library of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Group exhibition
2015
Bib Bratislava, Slovakia
Group exhibition
2014-2015
Schunck, Heerlen, the Netherlands
Solo exhibition
2014
Anton Pieckmuseum, Hattem, the Netherlands
Group exhibition
2014
Rotterdam Central Library, the Netherlands
Solo exhibition
2013-2014
Literary Museum Hasselt, Belgium
Solo exhibition
2012-2013
Urawa Art Museum, Chiba City Museum, Kawara Museum, Ashikaga Museum, Japan
Group exhibition Winners bis Bratislava
2012-2013
Rotterdam Central Library, the Netherlands
Solo exhibition
2012
CODA museum Apeldoorn, the Netherlands
Solo exhibition
2011
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Group exhibition ‘The brushes’
2010
CODA museum Apeldoorn, the Netherlands
Solo exhibition
2009
Various cities in Northern Italy
Group exhibition Le immagini della fantasia
2009
OBA Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Solo exhibition
2007
Dalmaru Museum Tokyo, Tokushima Art Museum, Huis ten Bosch Nagasaki, Japan
Group exhibition
2006
Central Museum Utrecht, the Netherlands
Brush winners
2005
Public Library New York, US
Solo exhibition ‘The red bird’
2005
Canoon Cultural Centre, Tehran, Iran
Solo exhibition
2004
Museet Näktergalen,Vimmerby Sweden
Solo exhibition
1996
Kunsthal Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Group exhibition NPS cultural prize
1996
Stockholm City Museum, Sweden
Solo exhibition
1992
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Group exhibition NIC
1990-1994
Swedish Libraries Tour, Starting at Eriksbergs Museum, Tranås
Solo exhibition
1998-2024
Junibacken, Stockholm, Sweden
Solo exhibition ‘Marits lilla Galleri’, permanent exhibition
A selection of book projects and literary festivals:
2024
Sweden (lecture Malmö, Nydala/Lindängen library)
2021
Russia (lecture IBBY Conference)
2018
Iceland (Mýrin barn literature festival)
2018
Iran (Read with Me)
2016
Iran (Read with Me)
2015
Japan (lectures in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto)
2012
Turkey (Tuyap Bookfair performance)
2012
Kenya (Storymoja festival workshops)
2012
Suriname (workshops KBF Paramaribo, Pikin Slee & Granta Tai)
2011
Aruba, Curaçao (workshops/lectures Children’s Book Week)
2009
Suriname (workshops KBF Paramaribo, Nickeri)
2006
Burundi (with MSF)
2004
Iran (Cannon Literature Festival)
A selection of prizes and nominations:
2024 Bigger than a dream shortlist Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi, Italy
2024 We bake a zoo top-10 picture book 2025, the Netherlands
2024 Nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial award, Sweden, 16 times since 2009
2023 Silver Stylus Turtle and I, the Netherlands
2023 Shortlist nomination for de Boon
2023 Turtle and I, Belgium
2022 Nati per Leggere (Born to read Award) Alla ska sova (Tutto dormira), Italy
2020 IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award 2020
2020 With flying Colours (Vlag rn Wimpel) brush jury Everything goes to sleep because now it’s night, the Netherlands
2018 Book Peacock The Happy Island, Belgium
2018 Silver Stylus The Happy Island, the Netherlands
2018 Solkatten Scholarship for book projects with refugees, Sweden
2016 Astrid Lindgrens Världs Stipendium
2015 Nomination Hans Christian Andersen Award 2016, shortlist
2014 White Raven Bigger than a dream, Germany
2013 Löfska Cultural Prize, Sweden
2013 Nomination for the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2014
2011 Golden Plaque bis Bratislava What no one expected
2007 Peter Pan Silverstar Pikkuhenki, Sweden
2006 Golden Brush for the illustrations in Pikkuhenki
2004 Emil-prize from Smålandsakademien for the designs for the Astrid Lindgren landscapes in Junibacken and the picture books with Astrid Lindgren
2004 Svensk Bokkonst Sunnanäng (The red bird), Sweden
2002 Children’s bookstore price You are the dearest with Hans & Monique Hagen, the Netherlands
1997 The Lidman Prize for the Astrid Lindgren storyline and other landscapes in Junibacken
1997 IBBY list of honour, the Netherlands, illustrations for Heroes on socks by Annie Makkink
1996 Honorable Mention ‘Stockholmer of the Year’ for the Astrid Lindgren Landscape in Junibacken
1996 Silver Stylus for Small story about love, the Netherlands
1992 Prize for the best book cover of the year, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
A selection of illustrated work by authors:
Astrid Lindgren, Hans & Monique Hagen, Toon Tellegen, Sjoerd Kuijper, Jujja Wieslander, Ulf Stark, Jef Aerts, Annie Makkink, Klaas van Assen, Leendert Witvliet and H.C. Andersen
Translations:
Marit Törnqvist’s books have been translated into Swedish, Dutch, German, French, Norwegian, Finnish, Danish, Spanish, English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Catalan, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Italian, Estonian, Faroese, Macedonian, Croatian, Papiamento, Papiamentu, Polish, Frisian, Tigrynia, Somali and Kurdish