Cissy van Marxveldt
Encyclopedia
Setske de Haan better known by her pen name
Cissy van Marxveldt, was a Dutch
writer
of children's books
. She is the author of the series of Joop ter Heul
novels.
in the province Friesland
in the Netherlands
. She was the daughter of IJnze de Haan, a headmaster and history teacher, and Froukje de Groot.
In 1914, she met Leo Beek, a department store manager as well as a reserve infantry officer. They married on 2 February 1916 and had two sons, Leo and IJnze. Her husband was arrested and later executed at Westerbork transit camp in 1944, though it was 1946 before she learned of his fate. She died on 31 October 1948 in Bussum
, Netherlands.
De Haan began her literary career by writing articles and stories for Dutch magazines. In the year she married, she published the first book in her sequence of novels about the headstrong Joop ter Heul
. The books, similar in theme to Louisa May Alcott
's Little Women
, take the form of diary notes and letters, following the fortunes of Joop and her friends from girlhood to marriage in five volumes:
Her Joop ter Heul novels for teenage girls had a notable influence on the writings of Anne Frank
, who addressed her diary letters to an imaginary friend, whom all of Anne's researchers - and Anne's friend Kitty Egyedi herself - believe was based on one of Marxveldt's characters whom Joop was constantly writing to: Kitty Francken.
Marxveldt also wrote many other books for young people, "Een Zomerzotheid" ("A Crazy Summer") being particularly popular.
She dedicated her last book She Suffered Too to her husband, after she learned of his death.
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
Cissy van Marxveldt, was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of children's books
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
. She is the author of the series of Joop ter Heul
Joop ter Heul
Joop ter Heul was a fictional character in a series of five books written for teenage girls by Dutch novelist Setske de Haan , who wrote under the pen name Cissy van Marxveldt. Joop was high-spirited, headstrong and stubborn. The first four books, published over a six-year period deal with her...
novels.
Biography
Setske de Haan was born on 24 November 1889 in the village OranjewoudOranjewoud
Oranjewoud is a small village in Heerenveen in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around the 1062 citizens . It is known for Oranjewoud Palace. The village had one museum called Belvédère.-History:...
in the province Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. She was the daughter of IJnze de Haan, a headmaster and history teacher, and Froukje de Groot.
In 1914, she met Leo Beek, a department store manager as well as a reserve infantry officer. They married on 2 February 1916 and had two sons, Leo and IJnze. Her husband was arrested and later executed at Westerbork transit camp in 1944, though it was 1946 before she learned of his fate. She died on 31 October 1948 in Bussum
Bussum
Bussum is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.-History:Bussum was first mentioned in 1306. In this time, Bussum was a large heathland with many small farms, sheep pens and forests as is shown on old maps. Since Bussum is situated near the fortified town...
, Netherlands.
Career in writing
Joop ter Heul
Joop ter Heul was a fictional character in a series of five books written for teenage girls by Dutch novelist Setske de Haan , who wrote under the pen name Cissy van Marxveldt. Joop was high-spirited, headstrong and stubborn. The first four books, published over a six-year period deal with her...
. The books, similar in theme to Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
's Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
, take the form of diary notes and letters, following the fortunes of Joop and her friends from girlhood to marriage in five volumes:
- The High School Years of Joop ter Heul (1919)
- Joop ter Heul's Problems (1921)
- Joop ter Heul gets Married (1923)
- Joop and her Boys (1925)
- Joop ter Heul's Daughter (1946)
Her Joop ter Heul novels for teenage girls had a notable influence on the writings of Anne Frank
Anne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
, who addressed her diary letters to an imaginary friend, whom all of Anne's researchers - and Anne's friend Kitty Egyedi herself - believe was based on one of Marxveldt's characters whom Joop was constantly writing to: Kitty Francken.
Marxveldt also wrote many other books for young people, "Een Zomerzotheid" ("A Crazy Summer") being particularly popular.
She dedicated her last book She Suffered Too to her husband, after she learned of his death.