Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature celebrates Friendship

To mark International Friendship Day on 30 July 2022, Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature highlighted the exceptional writing career to date of Swapna Haddow, who has just completed her tenure as University of Otago College of Education/Creative New Zealand Children’s Writer in Residence.

International Friendship Day strives to promote friendship by reducing barriers to inclusivity and tolerance. Established in 2011 by the United Nations with the aim of building supportive communities, this special Day encourages events, activities and programmes that promote dialogue, acceptance and understanding with a view to building a worldwide culture of peace.

Swapna’s book Torn Apart: The Partition of India 1947 (Scholastic UK, 2021) is a magnificent embodiment of these goals. It tells the story of two boys caught up in a nightmare not of their own making who, in order to survive, learn that friendship over prejudice rules supreme.

The team at Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature are thrilled Swapna and her whānau have chosen Ōtepoti as their home, and thank Swapna for taking the time to provide wonderful insights into her extensive catalogue of captivating titles and her writing practice.

Read more here.