Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren
Encyclopedia
The Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren (Dutch Literature Prize) is awarded every three years to an author from the Netherlands
, Belgium
or, since 2005, Suriname
writing in Dutch. It is considered the most prestigious literary award in the Dutch-speaking world, and the award is presented alternately by the reigning Dutch and Belgian monarchs.
The €40,000 prize is administered by the Taalunie. The jury comprises three Dutch members, three Flemish members and one from Suriname
. The chair alternates between a Flemish and Dutch jury member.
Until 2001 the prize was awarded alternately to a Flemish and a Dutch author. Subsequently, the four winners since 2001 have all been 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...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
or, since 2005, Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
writing in Dutch. It is considered the most prestigious literary award in the Dutch-speaking world, and the award is presented alternately by the reigning Dutch and Belgian monarchs.
The €40,000 prize is administered by the Taalunie. The jury comprises three Dutch members, three Flemish members and one from Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
. The chair alternates between a Flemish and Dutch jury member.
Until 2001 the prize was awarded alternately to a Flemish and a Dutch author. Subsequently, the four winners since 2001 have all been Dutch.
List of winners
- 1956: Herman TeirlinckHerman TeirlinckHerman Louis Cesar Teirlinck Herman Louis Cesar Teirlinck Herman Louis Cesar Teirlinck (Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, 24 February 1879- Beersel-Lot, 4 February 1967, was a Belgian writer. He was the fifth child and only son of Isidoor Teirlinck and Oda van Nieuwenhove, who were both teachers in Brussels...
- 1959: Adriaan Roland HolstAdriaan Roland HolstAdriaan Roland Holst was a Dutch writer, nicknamed the "Prince of Dutch Poets". He was the second winner, in 1948, of the Constantijn Huygens Prize...
- 1962: Stijn StreuvelsStijn StreuvelsStijn Streuvels, born Franciscus Petrus Maria Lateur, is a Flemish writer. He was born on 3 October 1871 in Heule, Kortrijk, and died in Ingooigem, Anzegem on 15 August 1969 at the age of 98. In 1905 he married Alida Staelens. They had 4 children: Paula , Paul , Dina and Isa...
- 1965: J.C. BloemJ.C. BloemJakobus Cornelis Bloem was a Dutch poet and essayist. Between 1921 and 1958 he published fourteen volumes of poetry. In 1949 he won the Constantijn Huygensprijs, one of the country's highest literary awards, and in 1952 the P. C. Hooft Award award for his literary oeuvre...
- 1968: Gerard WalschapGerard WalschapJacob Lodewijk Gerard, Baron Walschap , was a Belgian writer.-Early life:He went to highschool at the Klein seminarie in Hoogstraten, and later in Asse. His Flemish awareness was in these days encouraged by the priest and poet Jan Hammenecker...
- 1971: Simon VestdijkSimon VestdijkSimon Vestdijk was a Dutch writer.Born in the small town of Harlingen, Vestdijk studied medicine in Amsterdam, but turned to literature after a few years as a doctor. He became one of the most important 20th-century writers in the Netherlands. His prolificness as a novelist was legendary, but he...
- 1974: Marnix GijsenMarnix GijsenMarnix Gijsen 20 October 1899 - 29 September 1984) was a Flemish writer. His real name was Joannes Alphonsius Albertus Goris, his pseudonym relates to Marnix van Sint Aldegonde and the surname of his mother .-Early years:...
- 1977: Willem Frederik HermansWillem Frederik HermansWillem Frederik Hermans was a Dutch author. He is considered one of the three most important authors in the Netherlands in the postwar period, along with Harry Mulisch and Gerard Reve...
- 1980: Maurice GilliamsMaurice GilliamsMaurice, Baron Gilliams was a Flemish writer and poet. He was the son of printer Frans Gilliams, and he learned to be a typographer. On 27 August 1935, he married Gabriëlle Baelemans, but they separated soon thereafter, although a divorce would not take place until 1976 due to the resistance of...
- 1983: LucebertLucebertLucebert was a Dutch artist who first became known as the poet of the COBRA movement.He was born in Amsterdam in 1924...
- 1986: Hugo ClausHugo ClausHugo Maurice Julien Claus was a leading Belgian author who published under his own name as well as various pseudonyms. Claus' literary contributions spanned the genres of drama, the novel, and poetry; he also left a legacy as a painter and film director...
- 1989: Gerrit Kouwenaar
- 1992: Christine D'HaenChristine D'HaenChristine D'haen was a Flemish author and poet. She was born in Sint-Amandsberg and died at Bruges....
- 1995: Harry MulischHarry MulischHarry Kurt Victor Mulisch was a Dutch author. He wrote more than 80 novels, plays, essays, poems and philosophical reflections. These have been translated into more than 20 languages....
- 1998: Paul De WispelaerePaul De WispelaerePaul de Wispelaere is a Flemish writer.Born in Bruges, he attended high school at the Sint-Lodewijkscollege in Brussels, where he graduated in Greek-Latin. He studied Germanic philology at the University of Ghent and obtained a PhD in 1974...
- 2001: Gerard ReveGerard ReveGerard Kornelis van het Reve was a Dutch writer. He adopted a shortened version of his name, Gerard Reve in 1973, and that is how he is known today. Together with Willem Frederik Hermans and Harry Mulisch, he is considered one of the "Great Three" of Dutch post-war literature...
(King Albert II of BelgiumAlbert II of BelgiumAlbert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
refused to present the prize to Reve because his partner was suspected of pedophilia) - 2004: Hella S. Haasse
- 2007: Jeroen BrouwersJeroen BrouwersJeroen Godfried Marie Brouwers is a Dutch journalist and writer. From 1964 to 1976 Brouwers worked as an editor at Manteau publishers in Brussels...
(refused the award) - 2009: Cees NooteboomCees NooteboomCees Nooteboom is a Dutch author. He has won numerous literary awards and has been mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in literature.-Life:...