Jacoba van Velde
Encyclopedia
Jacoba van Velde was a Dutch
writer
. Her novel debut "De grote zaal" (The Great Hall) appeared in 1953 and was within ten years translated into thirteen languages. During her life around 75,000 copies of "De grote zaal" were sold. In 2010, in a national campaign, the book was given away for free to members of all the public libraries in The Netherlands.
to attend dance training. In 1924, she married the violinist Harry Polah; they performed in Berlin
. Later, she formed with a male partner the dance duo Pola Maslowa & Rabanoff. Together they went along cabarets and music halls in a large number of European countries. In 1937, she married the writer Bob Clercx. Both marriages remained childless.
Van Velde lived a great part of her life in Paris, just like her brothers Geer van Velde
and Bram van Velde
, who after World War II
would make a name for themselves as painters. Just after the war, she was under the name Tonny Clerx, while being a literary agent for the French work of the Irish author
and poet
Samuel Beckett
, but gave up this function in 1947 to focus on her own writing.
Van Velde's oeuvre remained small; mostly she was working as translator and dramaturge
. She translated inter alia plays by Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco
and Jean Genet
from French to Dutch.
Her second and final novel, Een blad in de wind (A Leaf in the Wind) (1961), received less critical acclaim. Jacoba van Velde began still a third novel, De verliezers (The Losers), but never completed it.
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....
. Her novel debut "De grote zaal" (The Great Hall) appeared in 1953 and was within ten years translated into thirteen languages. During her life around 75,000 copies of "De grote zaal" were sold. In 2010, in a national campaign, the book was given away for free to members of all the public libraries in The Netherlands.
Biography
Jacoba was the youngest of four children, with an older sister and two older brothers. Her father was often absent during her youth and her mother was a washerwoman. She only went to school until she was ten, but taught herself different languages. Already when she was seventeen she went to ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to attend dance training. In 1924, she married the violinist Harry Polah; they performed in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Later, she formed with a male partner the dance duo Pola Maslowa & Rabanoff. Together they went along cabarets and music halls in a large number of European countries. In 1937, she married the writer Bob Clercx. Both marriages remained childless.
Van Velde lived a great part of her life in Paris, just like her brothers Geer van Velde
Geer van Velde
Gerardus van Velde, or Geer van Velde was a Dutch painter.- Early life :Van Velde was the second son of Willem Adriaan van Velde, then owner of a small case of inland waterway transport fuelwood and charcoal on the Rhine and Hendrika Catharina von der Voorst, illegitimate daughter of an earl...
and Bram van Velde
Bram van Velde
Bram van Velde was a Dutch painter known for an intensely colored and geometric semi-representational painting style related to Tachisme, and Lyrical Abstraction...
, who after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
would make a name for themselves as painters. Just after the war, she was under the name Tonny Clerx, while being a literary agent for the French work of the Irish author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett was an Irish avant-garde novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet. He wrote both in English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black comedy and gallows humour.Beckett is widely regarded as among the most...
, but gave up this function in 1947 to focus on her own writing.
Van Velde's oeuvre remained small; mostly she was working as translator and dramaturge
Dramaturge
A dramaturge or dramaturg is a professional position within a theatre or opera company that deals mainly with research and development of plays or operas...
. She translated inter alia plays by Samuel Beckett, Eugène Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco
Eugène Ionesco was a Romanian and French playwright and dramatist, and one of the foremost playwrights of the Theatre of the Absurd...
and Jean Genet
Jean Genet
Jean Genet was a prominent and controversial French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. Early in his life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but later took to writing...
from French to Dutch.
Her second and final novel, Een blad in de wind (A Leaf in the Wind) (1961), received less critical acclaim. Jacoba van Velde began still a third novel, De verliezers (The Losers), but never completed it.