Jan Wolkers

Jan Wolkers
Holland's most illustrious writer, modern classics

Author, Sculptor and One of the 'Great Four' writers of Dutch literature.

In over forty years Jan Wolkers (1925-2007) wrote a great number of novels, stories and essays. He also worked as painter and a sculptor. The Auschwitz Monument in Wertheimpark in Amsterdam is one of his works.

With his novels and stories he liberated himself and his readers from religion and the stifling and oppressive atmosphere of post war Holland. Turks fruit (Turkish Delight), 1969, also represented the sexual revolution of the sixties. Among the Protestant community his work aroused much resistance, but his success was not to be stopped.

With works like Kort Amerikaans (Crew Cut), Turks fruit (Turkish Delight), Terug naar Oegstgeest(Return to Oegstgeest) and De walgvogel (The Dodo) Jan Wolkers belongs to the most widely translated Dutch authors.

Represented by 2 Seas Agency.

Books

Jan Wolkers debut novel from 1962 is situated during the last two years of the Second World War.

An eighteen-year-old boy has been summoned to work for the Germans. When he refuses, he has to go into hiding in an art academy in Leiden. He is fighting against his fears and his erotic obsessions. His girlfriend does not yet want to have sex with him, but a jewish girl that is also hiding in the academy is less reserved. Then a third woman enters the stage: a torso of the goddess Venus, made out of plaster, which is used as a model by the artists.

Crew Cut has been translated in Swedish, and in 2004 a comic adaption has been published as well.

RETURN TO OEGSTGEEST is an autobiographical novel about the author's youth in Oegstgeest.

Wolkers tries to recollect the world of his childhood in the current of the nineteen sixtees. Memories of his calvinistic parents and the death of his brother are accompanied by stories of his nascent sexuality.

Return to Oegstgeest has been translated into English, French, Hungarian, Polish, Swedish and Turkish.

This autobiographical novel was first published in 1969. Jan Wolkers describes the passionate love of a sculptor for a young woman. This successful novel was made into a movie by Paul Verhoeven in 1972 starring Rutger Hauer and Monique van de Ven in the leading roles. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for the best Foreign Language Film and won in 1999 the award for the Best Dutch Film of the Century.

Turkish Delight has been translated into Bulgarian, Croatian, English, Finnish, French, Frysian, German, Italian, Japanese, Latvian, Polish, Portugese, Servian, Slovanian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

The classic masterpiece by Jan Wolkers, Turkish Delight, is now cast in a graphic novel Dick Matena, the most acclaimed drawing artist from The Netherlands.

Turkish Delight is Jan Wolkers' most read and most translated book. This autobiographical novel was published in 1969, resulted in dozens of reprints and is considered to be a classic masterpiece. Turkish Delight describes the intense love of young sculptor Erik and his great love Olga. They experience a grandiose, romantic summer and decide to marry against the wishes of Olga's wealthy parents. But then Olga starts acting very strange, suddenly breaks up with Erik and returns to her parents.

With his sophisticated style and his fascination and respect for Jan Wolkers, Dick Matena is the artist par excellence to translate Turkish Delight to an impressive graphic novel.