B007P4V3G4 EBOK (64 page)

Arnold Aletrino (1858-1916), doctor and lecturer in criminal anthropology, campaigner on behalf of prostitutes and homosexuals,
author of naturalist prose. 'In het Donker' ('In the Dark'), written in
1885, was included in Novellen of 1895.

Jan Arends (1925-1974) wrote short stories and poetry, often with
a psychologically disturbed slant. In 1974, on the day of publication
of his latest collection of poetry, he ended his life by leaping from
his apartment window. 'Het Ontbijt' ('Breakfast'), first published in
1969, appeared in the collection Keefrnan of 1972.

Maarten Asscher (*1957) is a lawyer and publisher. 'Het Geheim
van Dr Raoul Sarrazin' ('The Secret of Dr Raoul Sarrazin) can be
found under the title 'De Brief' in his first published collection,
Dodeneiland (1992).

Belcampo (H.P. Schonfeld Wichers; 1902-1990) was a doctor and
the prolific author of often fantastic tales. 'Uitvaart' ('Funeral Rites')
was taken from Tussen Hemel en Afgrond (1959).

Huub Beurskens (*1950) is the author of poetry, prose and criticism.
'Hoogste Onderscheiding' ('Highest Honours') appeared in his
1991 collection of short stories Sensibilimente.

J.M.A. Biesheuvel (*1939) writes short stories, often autobiographical, at times capricious, imbued with a sense of dark, brooding
melancholy, chilling irony and wry humour. 'Brommer op Zee'
('Biker at Sea') has been taken from his first collection In de
Bovenkooi (1972).

Willem Brakman (*1922), a former company doctor and prize winning
author, writes stories and novels often described as 'baroque' with
regard to style and content. 'Het Evangelie naar Chabot' ('The Gospel
according to Chabot') can be found in Een Familiedrama of 1984.

Remco Campert ('1929), is the author of austere and often melancholy poetry, short stories and novels. 'De Verdwijning van Bertje
S.' ('The Disappearance of Bertje S.') appeared in 1954 in the
collection Alle Dagen Feest.

Louis Couperus (1863-1923), one of the great masters of Dutch
prose, whose classic novels such as 'Van Oude Menschen, de
Dingen die Voorbijgaan' ('Of Old People, the Things that Pass')
and the great tetralogy 'De Boeken der Kleine Zielen' ('The
Chronicles of Small Souls') have become part of the national
heritage. 'Blauwbaards Dochter' ('Bluebeard's Daughter') and 'De
Zoon van Don Juan' ('The Son of Don Juan'), first published in the
daily paper Het Vaderland in Autumn 1915, were collected in
Legende, Mythe en Fantazie of 1918.

Johan Andreas Der Mouw (1862-1919) was a philosopher and poet
who, in late middle age, adopted the new identity of Adwaita. 'De
Heilige Vlinder' ('The Sacred Butterfly'), taken from among his
juvenilia, was published for the first time only in 1962, by Ms.
A.M. Cram-Magre in her thesis on the author.

Lodewijk van Deyssel (K.J.L. Alberdingk Thijm; 1864-1952) was a
critic and author of naturalist and sensitivist prose. 'Zonderlinge
Dingen op de Vlakte' ('Curious Things on the Plain') is the first
part of a review, taken from Verzamelde Opstellen. Zevende Bundel
(1904).

Inez van Dullemen ('1925) writes novels, short stories and travel
books. Na de Orkaan' ('After the Hurricane') appeared in 1983 in a
collection going by the same name, but was revised for the
anthology of her work Een Kamer op de Himalaya (1990).

Jacob Israel de Haan (1881-1924) was a Law scholar and the author
of naturalist and decadent novels, journalism and poetry. In circumstances never quite adequately explained, he was murdered in
Palestine in 1924 when posted there as correspondent for the daily
paper Het Handelsblad. 'Over de Ervaringen van Helens Marie
Golesco' (Concerning the Experiences of Helenus Marie Golesco';
1907) is one of the so-called Nerveuze Vertellingen which only
appeared in book form in 1981.

Fritzi Harmsen van Beek (*1927) published a number of collections
of exquisite poetry and short stories tending towards the bizarre
and the absurd. Her story 'Het Taxivarken' ('The Taxi Pig') was
taken from Wat Knaagt? (1968).

Marcus Heeresma (1936-1991) wrote poetry, novels and short
stories, some with a touch of the grotesque to them. 'Stortplaats'
('Dumping Ground') appeared in Robert-Henk Zuidinga's anthology of original horror stories Uit den Boze of 1984.

A.F. Th. van der Heijden (*1951), published his early work under the
pseudonym Patrizio Canaponi. He is currently at work on a huge
cycle of novels known by its overall title of De Tandeloze Tijd. Like
almost all Van der Heijden's work, 'Pompeii Funebri' enjoys kinship
with the novel cycle and can be pencilled into its ground plan as
sketch material distantly related to the as yet uncompleted volume
III of the larger work. 'Pompeii Funebri', too, was first published in
the anthology Uit den Boze (1984).

Jan Hofker (1864-1945), like Trollope, was employed by the Post
Office for most of his working life. He wrote sketches and short
stories of which 'Koediefje' ('Rustler'; 1892) has been included here.
His stories were collected in Gedachten en Verbeeldingen of 1906.

Frans Kellendonk (1951-1990) was one of the most formidable
talents among the generation of Dutch writers bom in the early
1950s. An English scholar and an exceptional stylist of Dutch, he
wrote essays, novels, a novella, criticism and short stories, as well
as a number of literary translations from English, the last of which,
Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, which he managed to see through
the presses while battling with Aids, must be ranked among the
most sensitive and finely crafted renderings of that work ever to
be achieved in any language. His 'Dood en Leven van Thomas
Chatterton' ('Death and Life of Thomas Chatterton') was taken
from Namen en Gezichten (1983).

Anton Koolhaas (1912-1992), was a critic and the author of novels,
film scenarios and superlative tales of animals which have become
classics of Dutch literature. 'Balder D. Quorg, Spin' ('Baldur D.
Quorg, Spider') appeared in 1958 in the collection Er zit geen Spek
in de Val.

Frans Kusters (*1949) is a writer of short stories. 'De Volledige
Diagnose' ('The Full Diagnosis') has been taken from Het Chaplinconcours of 1980.

Harry Mulisch (*1927) is one of the most exceptional authors of his
generation as well as one of the most versatile, with major works
in almost all forms of literary creation: fiction, critical and scholarly
prose, drama and philosophy. A deeply thoughtful writer of finely
honed, incisive yet quite austere prose, his voice is painfully well
suited to address the issues surrounding World War II, its essence
and nature as well as its consequences, as demonstrated in probably
his most widely known novel at home and abroad, 'De Aanslag'
('The Assault') of 1982. 'De Versierde Mens' ('Decorated Man')
was taken from a collection of the same name, published in 1957.

Carel van Nievelt (1843-1913) was a civil servant, a journalist and
the writer of sketches and tales. 'Dolende Zielen' ('Souls Errant')
can be found in the collection Ahasverus of 1889.

Helene Nolthenius (*1920) has been a professor of music history and
writes novels and short stories. 'Omzien als Wapen' ('Looking
back: the Weapon') has been taken from De Steeneik (1984).

Gerard Reve (*1923) describes himself as a Romantic-Decadent
writer. A unique voice in Western European literature as a whole,
who may prove the greatest stylist the Dutch language has yet
seen this century. Several of his novels, such as 'De Avonden'
('The Evenings'; 1947), 'Nader tot U ('Nearer to Thee'; 1966) and
'De Taal der Liefde' ('The Language of Love'; 1972) have become
widely acknowledged classics in his own lifetime, while concepts
and sayings from his work have gone into the language as
'Revian', in a manner similar to the way things 'Dickensian' or
'Shavian' have gone into English. Never one to shy from controversy, his work and public pronouncements have probably garnered
him as much opprobrium as fame. His latest novel, 'Bezorgde
Ouders' (1988), appeared in English under the title 'Parents Worry'
in 1990. The novella Werther Nieland was first published in 1949.

Arthur van Schendel (1874-1946) was a writer of religious, historical
and naturalist fiction. Attracted to symbolism in his early work, in
his mature novels he turns to a very personal form of naturalist fiction as exemplified in 'Een Hollands Drama' ('A Dutch Drama';
1935) and the two related novels that followed, 'De Rijke Man'
('The Rich Man') and 'De Grauwe Vogels' ('The Ashen Birds'):
three penetrating, dour studies of the relentless ordinariness of life
for ordinary people, their existence ruled and confounded by
unanswerable questions of fate, heredity, sin, free will and God's
grace. 'De Witte Vrouw' ('The White Woman') was included in the
collection Nachtgedaanten of 1938.

Willem Schurmann (Willem Fredrik; 1876-1915), Rotterdam-born
playwright, son of a wealthy merchant. Author of five plays which
enjoyed a degree of success, and of a number of works in prose,
among which a two volume, part-autobiographical novel 'De
Berkelmans' (1906). 'De Onevenwichtige Koning' ('The Unbalanced
King') can be found in the collection De Beul of 1910.

Jan Siebelink (*1938) is a writer of novels and stories with at first a
decadent and later on a more realist slant. 'Genegenheid' ('Affection') appeared in 1978 in the collection Weerloos.

P.F. Thomese (*1958) made his debut in 1990 with the collection of
extended short stories called Zuidland for which he received the
coveted AKO Prize. 'Leviathan' is the first from this collection.

Simon Vestdijk (1898-1971) was a ship's doctor for a short time
before embarking on a lifetime of literary endeavour. Prolific
author of essays, criticism, poetry, short stories, and novels such as
'De Koperen Tuin' (recently re-issued in English as 'The Garden
where the Brass Band Played') and the extended cycle of 'Anton
Wachter' novels. 'Het Stenen Gezicht' ('The Stone Face') was taken
from De Dood Betrapt of 1935.

Jan Wolkers (*1925), as well as being a respected visual artist and
sculptor, is a prolific writer of novels such as 'Turks Fruit' ('Turkish
Delight') and 'Terug naar Oegstgeest' ('Return to Oegstgeest'),
and of short stories. 'Gevederde Vrienden' ('Feathered Friends';
1958) forms part of the collection Gesponnen Suiker.

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