On September 12, 2025, Slovakia Post issued a postage stamp dedicated to the  Biennial of Illustration in Bratislava.

The Biennial of Illustration in Bratislava (BIB) is an international children's book illustration competition. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious international events for illustrators, held in Slovakia every two years since 1967. Its main goal is to discover and showcase the best examples of original children's illustration, support professional networking among illustrators, and explore contemporary trends in children's book design. The Biennial is held under the auspices of UNESCO and the International Alliance for Young People's Books (IBBY) with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, with BIBIANA serving as its main organizer.

2025 marked the 30th anniversary of the Bratislava Biennial of Illustration, and the new postage stamp is dedicated to it. The stamp features a work by Chilean artist Paloma Valdivia. She won the Grand Prix at the 2023 Biennial for her illustrations to "The Book of Questions" by the renowned Chilean writer and Nobel Prize laureate in Literature Pablo Neruda.

"The Book of Questions" is one of Pablo Neruda's most unusual works, written in the final years of his life. The book is a collection of over 100 poetic questions, arranged in miniature compositions. In his poems, the author poses enigmatic, often metaphysical and paradoxical questions.

"Who cried for joy when the color blue was born? How do oranges share the sun? What is the name of the flower that flies from bird to bird?"

The reader is not asked to search for answers to the questions posed; these questions require no answers at all. They generate ideas and thoughts, urge one to notice the beauty of the incomprehensible, and open the way to the imagination. Pablo Neruda's poems are an integral part of the cultural identity of Latin America, especially Chile. "The Book of Questions" is a striking combination of childish naivety and profound wisdom, captivating both adults and children.

Chilean illustrator Paloma Valdivia was the first to attempt to visualize Pablo Neruda's enigmatic questions. Valdivia graduated with a degree in graphic design from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and completed a postgraduate program in creative illustration at the EINA School of Art and Design in Barcelona, ​​Spain. As a teacher, she heads the "Illustration and Autobiographical Narrative" department, and her work has been translated into 12 languages. Her main passion, however, is children's illustrated books. In her own words: "I am fascinated by drawing and storytelling, but most of all, I am fascinated by childhood, both today and our own, long ago..."

"Where does the stuff of dreams go? Does it pass into the dreams of others?"

In 2022, Enchanted Lion Books published Pablo Neruda's "The Book of Questions" in a bilingual edition (in Spanish and English). Editor Claudia Bedrick and translator Sarah Lissa Paulson selected 74 questions, primarily related to nature and animals, for the book, primarily intended for children. Paloma Valdivia worked on their visual embodiment for over five years. "These illustrations are some of the most challenging of my life," Valdivia admitted in an interview. During her work, she returned to her childhood in Chile and visited three of Neruda's homes for inspiration. The result is these extraordinary illustrations, which are not simply the author's graphic interpretation of the questions posed, but a unique form of visual poetry.

The book, featuring Valdivia's original illustrations, has received several awards worldwide, including the title of "Best Children's Book of 2022" by the New York Times.

Source: postoveznamky.sk, dennikn.sk