The P.C. Hooft Award (in Dutch: P.C. Hooft-prijs), inaugurated in 1948, is a

Dutch-language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language and is the List of languages by total number of speak ...

literary lifetime-achievement award named after 17th-century Dutch poet and playwright

Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft (; 16 March 158121 May 1647) - Knight in the Order of Saint Michael - was a Dutch historian, poet and playwright who lived during the Dutch Golden Age in literature. Life Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft, often abbreviated ...

. The award is made annually.

Background

Established in 1948, initially as an award of the state, winners are selected from alternating categories: prose (fiction), essays (non-fiction) and poetry. Winners of the prize receive . In 1984, the relationship between the State of the Netherlands and the independent Foundation that puts forward the winner came under pressure when the jury nominated columnist

Hugo Brandt Corstius Hugo Brandt Corstius (29 August 1935 – 28 February 2014) was a Dutch author, known for his achievements in both literature and science. In 1970, he was awarded a PhD on the subject of computational linguistics. He was employed at the Mathemat ...

. The Minister of Culture at the time,

Elco Brinkman Leendert Cornelis "Elco" Brinkman (born 5 February 1948) is a retired Dutch politician and businessman who served as List of Ministers of Health of the Netherlands, Minister of Welfare, Health and Culture from 1982 to 1989 and Leader of the Chr ...

, refused to award the prize to Corstius because of Corstius' perceived inappropriate comments against the government and the then Prime Minister

Ruud Lubbers Rudolphus Franciscus Marie "Ruud" Lubbers (; 7 May 1939 – 14 February 2018) was a Dutch politician, diplomat and businessman who served as prime minister of the Netherlands from 1982 to 1994, and as United Nations High Commissioner for Refug ...

. As a result of the uproar, the prize was not awarded in 1984, 1985 and 1986. In 1987, with a re-established fully independent committee, the prize was as yet awarded to Corstius.

Award winners

* 1947 – Amoene van Haersolte * 1947 – Arthur van Schendel * 1948 – A. M. Hammacher * 1949 –

Gerrit Achterberg Gerrit Achterberg (20 May 1905 – 17 January 1962) was a Dutch poet. His early poetry concerned a desire to be united with a beloved in death. Achterberg was born in Nederlangbroek in the Netherlands as the third son of a family of eight ch ...

* 1950 –

Simon Vestdijk Simon Vestdijk (; 17 October 1898 – 23 March 1971) was a Dutch writer. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature fifteen times. Life Born in the small Frisian town of Harlingen, Vestdijk studied medicine in Amsterdam, but turned t ...

* 1951 – E. J. Dijksterhuis * 1952 –

J. C. Bloem Jakobus Cornelis (Jacques) Bloem (10 May 1887, Oudshoorn – 10 August 1966, Kalenberg) 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 ...

* 1953 –

Ferdinand Bordewijk Ferdinand Bordewijk (10 October 1884 – 28 April 1965) was a Dutch author. His style, which is terse and symbolic, is considered to belong to New Objectivity and magic realism. He was awarded the P.C. Hooft Award, P. C. Hooft Award in 1953 and ...

* 1954 – L. J. Rogier * 1955 –

Adriaan Roland Holst Adriaan Roland Holst (Amsterdam, 23 May 1888 – Bergen, North Holland, 5 August 1976) was a Dutch writer, nicknamed the "Prince of Dutch Poets". He was the second winner, in 1948, of the Constantijn Huygens Prize. He was nominated for t ...

* 1956 –

Anna Blaman Anna Blaman, pseudonym of Johanna Petronella Vrugt, (31 January 1905 – 13 July 1960) was a Dutch writer and poet. She was a recipient of the P. C. Hooft Award. The literary award Anna Blaman Prijs is named after her. Biography The daughter ...

* 1957 –

Pieter Geyl Pieter Catharinus Arie Geyl (15 December 1887, Dordrecht – 31 December 1966, Utrecht) was a Dutch historian, well known for his studies in early modern Dutch history and in historiography. Background Geyl was born in Dordrecht and graduated ...

* 1958 –

Pierre Kemp Pierre Kemp (1 December 1886 – 21 July 1967) was a Dutch poet and painter, the recipient of the Constantijn Huygens Prize in 1956 and the P. C. Hooft Award in 1958. His younger brother was the writer Mathias Kemp. Kemp was born in Maastricht ...

* 1959 – not awarded * 1960 –

Victor E. van Vriesland Victor Emanuel van Vriesland (27 October 1892, Haarlem – 29 October 1974, Amsterdam) was a Dutch Jewish writer and critic. Biography He studied at the gymnasium in The Hague and then at the University of Dijon. He was literary and artisti ...

* 1961 – H. W. J. M. Keuls * 1962 –

Theun de Vries Theunis Uilke (Theun) de Vries (26 April 1907 – 21 January 2005), was a Dutch writer and poet. Life De Vries was born in the Frisian town of Feanwâlden. His parents moved to Apeldoorn in 1920. In 1936 he joined the Communist Party of the N ...

* 1963 – F. G. L. van der Meer * 1964 –

Leo Vroman Leo Vroman (April 10, 1915 – February 22, 2014) was a Dutch-American hematologist, a prolific poet mainly in Dutch and an illustrator. Life and work Vroman, who was Jewish, was born in Gouda, South Holland, Gouda and studied biology in Utrech ...

* 1965 – not awarded * 1966 –

Anton van Duinkerken Wilhelmus Johannes Maria Antonius Asselbergs (2 January 1903 in Bergen op Zoom – 27 June 1968 in Nijmegen), better known under his pseudonym Anton van Duinkerken, was a Dutch poet, essayist, and academic. Asselbergs considered a career as a pr ...

* 1967 –

Lucebert Lubertus Jacobus Swaanswijk (15 September 1924 – 10 May 1994), known professionally as Lucebert (), was a Dutch artist who first became known as the poet of the COBRA movement. He was born in Amsterdam in 1924. He entered the Institute f ...

* 1968 – Gerard Kornelis van het Reve * 1969 – not awarded * 1970 –

Gerrit Kouwenaar Gerrit Kouwenaar (9 August 1923 – 4 September 2014) was a Dutch journalist, translator, poet and prose writer. Biography Kouwenaar was born in Amsterdam, North Holland. In the early 1940s, during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, he wr ...

* 1971 –

Willem Frederik Hermans Willem Frederik Hermans (; 1 September 192127 April 1995) was a Dutch author of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, as well as book-length studies, essays, and literary criticism. His most famous works are ''The House of Refuge'' (novella, 195 ...

(award refused) * 1972 – Abel J. Herzberg * 1973 –

Hendrik de Vries Hendrik (Henry) de Vries (17 August 1896 – 18 November 1989) was a significant Netherlands, Dutch poet and Painting, painter who was born in Groningen (city), Groningen, Netherlands and died in Haren (Groningen), Haren, Netherlands. He was ...

* 1974 –

Simon Carmiggelt Simon Carmiggelt (; 7 October 191330 November 1987) was a Dutch writer, journalist, and poet who became a well known public figure in the Netherlands because of his daily newspaper columns and his television appearances. Biography Simon Johannes ...

* 1975 – Rudy Kousbroek * 1976 –

Remco Campert Remco Campert (28 July 1929 – 4 July 2022) was a Dutch author, poet and columnist. Early years Remco Wouter Campert was born in The Hague, son of writer and poet Jan Campert, author of the poem ''De achttien dooden'', and actress Joekie Bro ...

* 1977 –

Harry Mulisch Harry Kurt Victor Mulisch (; 29 July 192730 October 2010) was a Dutch writer. He wrote more than 80 novels, plays, essays, poems, and philosophical reflections. Mulisch's works have been translated into 38 languages so far. Along with Willem Fre ...

* 1978 – Cornelis Verhoeven * 1979 –

Ida Gerhardt Ida Gerhardt (11 May 1905 in Gorinchem – 15 August 1997 in Warnsveld) was a classicist and Dutch poet of a post-symbolist tradition. Life In her hometown Rotterdam Ida Gerhardt attended the Erasmus Gymnasium, where the poet J.H. Leopold was h ...

* 1980 – Willem Brakman * 1981 –

Karel van het Reve Karel van het Reve (19 May 1921 – 4 March 1999) was a Dutch writer, translator and literary historian, teaching and writing on Russian literature. He was born in Amsterdam and was raised as a communist. He lost his 'faith' in his twenties ...

* 1982 – M. Vasalis * 1983 –

Hella S. Haasse Hélène "Hella" Serafia Haasse (2 February 1918 – 29 September 2011) was a Dutch writer, often referred to as the "Grande Dame" of Dutch literature, and whose novel '' Oeroeg'' (1948) was a staple for generations of Dutch schoolchildren. Her ...

* 1984 – not awarded * 1985 – not awarded * 1986 – not awarded * 1987 –

* 1988 –

Rutger Kopland Rutger Kopland (born Rudi van den Hoofdakker) (4 August 1934, Goor Goor () is a city in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is located about west of Enschede. Goor received city rights in 1263. Goor was a separate municipality until 2001, ...

* 1989 –

Jan Wolkers Jan Hendrik Wolkers (26 October 1925 – 19 October 2007) was a Dutch author, sculptor and painter. Wolkers is considered by some to be one of the "Great Four" writers of post-World War II Dutch literature, alongside Willem Frederik Hermans, H ...

(award refused) * 1990 –

Kees Fens Kees Fens (18 October 1929 in Amsterdam – 14 June 2008) was a Dutch writer, essayist and literary critic.Elisabeth Eybers Elisabeth Françoise Eybers (26 February 1915 – 1 December 2007) was a South African poet. Her poetry was mainly in Afrikaans, although she translated some of her own work (and those of others) into English. Eybers was born in Klerksdorp ...

* 1992 –

Anton Koolhaas Anthonie "Anton" Koolhaas (16 November 1912 – 16 December 1992) was a Dutch journalist, novelist, and scenario writer. Biography Anthonie Koolhaas was born on 16 November 1912 in Utrecht, Netherlands. He was the son of Teunis Koolhaas and Tri ...

* 1993 –

Gerrit Komrij Gerrit Jan Komrij (30 March 1944 – 5 July 2012) was a Dutch poet, novelist, translator, critic, polemic journalist and playwright. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s, writing poetry that sharply contrasted with the free form poetry, free- ...

* 1994 –

J. Bernlef Hendrik Jan Marsman (14 January 1937 – 29 October 2012), better known by his pen name, J. Bernlef, was a Dutch writer, poet, novelist and translator, much of whose work centres on mental perception of reality and its expression. He won numerou ...

* 1995 – A. Alberts * 1996 – K. Schippers * 1997 –

Judith Herzberg Judith Frieda Lina Herzberg (born 4 November 1934) is a Dutch poet and writer. Life and work Judith Herzberg is the daughter of lawyer and writer Abel Herzberg. During World War II Herzberg went into hiding on various locations. Since 1983 Herz ...

* 1998 – F. B. Hotz * 1999 –

Arthur Lehning Paul Arthur Müller-Lehning (23 October 1899 – 1 January 2000) was a Dutch author, historian and anarchist. Biography Arthur Lehning was born in the Dutch city of Utrecht on 23 October 1899. He studied in Berlin, where he was first introduc ...

* 2000 – Eva Gerlach * 2001 –

Gerrit Krol Gerrit Krol (1 August 1934 − 24 November 2013) was a Dutch author, essayist and writer. Krol was born in Groningen. He studied mathematics and worked with Royal Dutch Shell and some of its operating units as computer programmer and system des ...

* 2002 – Sem Dresden * 2003 – H. H. ter Balkt * 2004 –

Cees Nooteboom Cornelis Johannes Jacobus Maria "Cees" Nooteboom (; born 31 July 1933) is a Dutch novelist, poet and journalist. After the attention received by his novel '' Rituals'' (''Rituelen'', 1980), which won the Pegasus Prize, it was the first of his n ...

* 2005 – Frédéric Bastet * 2006 – H. C. ten Berge * 2007 –

Maarten Biesheuvel Maarten Biesheuvel (23 May 1939 in Schiedam – 30 July 2020 in Leiden) was a Dutch writer of short stories and novellas. He made his literary debut in 1972 with the short story collection ''In de bovenkooi''. He received the Ferdinand Bordewijk ...

* 2008 – Abram de Swaan * 2009 –

Hans Verhagen Hans Verhagen (3 March 1939 – 10 April 2020) was a Dutch journalist, poet, painter and filmmaker, born in Vlissingen. He gained the P. C. Hooft Award in 2009 "for his humour, his engagement, his poetic daring and whimsy."Charlotte Mutsaers * 2011 – H. J. A. Hofland * 2012 –

Tonnus Oosterhoff Tonnus Oosterhoff (Leiden, 18 March 1953) is a Dutch poet and writer. Biography Born in Leiden, Tonnus Oosterhoff spent most of life in the Dutch province of Groningen. He studied Dutch literature and linguistics at the University of Groningen. ...

* 2013 – A. F. Th. van der Heijden * 2014 –

Willem Jan Otten Willem Jan Otten (October 4, 1951-) is a Dutch prose writer, playwright and poet, who in 2014 won the P. C. Hooft Award for lifetime literary achievement. Biography Otten was born in Amsterdam as the son of the musicians Marijke Ferguson and Kees ...

* 2015 –

Anneke Brassinga Anneke Brassinga (born 20 August 1948, in Schaarsbergen, Gelderland) is a Dutch writer and translator. She was awarded the Constantijn Huygens Prize in 2008, and has received numerous other prizes as well. Life and career Brassinga studied Tran ...

* 2016 – Astrid Roemer * 2017 – Bas Heijne * 2018 -

Nachoem Wijnberg Nachoem Mesoelam (Nachoem) Wijnberg (Amsterdam, 13 April 1961) is a poet and author from the Netherlands. He studied at the University of Amsterdam and received his Ph.D. at the Rotterdam School of Management. Since 2005 he is lecturing business a ...

* 2019 -

Marga Minco Marga Minco (; born Sara Menco; 31 March 192010 July 2023), for some time known as Marga Faes, was a Dutch journalist and writer, and a Holocaust survivor. She married Dutch poet Bert Voeten. Early life and education mag Minco was born Sar ...

* 2020 - Maxim Februari * 2021 - Alfred Schaffer * 2022 -

Arnon Grunberg Arnon Yasha Yves Grünberg (; born 22 February 1971) is a Dutch writer of novels, essays, and columns, as well as a journalist. He published some of his work under the heteronym Marek van der Jagt. He lives in New York. His work has been transl ...

Schrijver Arnon Grunberg wint P.C. Hooftprijs
(in Dutch), RTL Nieuws, 13 December 2021. Uitreiking van de Staatsprijs voor Letterkunde in het Muiderslot Weeknummer 54-22 - Open Beelden - 30893.ogv, F. Bordewijk (1953) (short film) BlamanPCHooft.jpg,

(1956) KlompeVanDuinkerken.jpg,

(1966) KlompeReve.jpg,

Gerard Reve Gerard Kornelis van het Reve (14 December 1923 – 8 April 2006) was a Dutch writer. He started writing as Simon Gerard van het Reve and adopted the shorter Gerard Reve in 1973. Together with Willem Frederik Hermans and Harry Mulisch, he i ...

(1968) Prof. Karel van het Reve ontvangt PC Hooftprijs op Muiderslot Karel van het Rev, Bestanddeelnr 932-1722.jpg,

(1981) Hugo Brandt Corstius ontvangt PC Hooftprijs 1987 uit handen prof. Dresden (l) vo, Bestanddeelnr 934-2598.jpg,

(1987)

References

External links

Website of the P.C. Hooft Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hooft Award 1947 establishments in the Netherlands Articles containing video clips Awards established in 1947 Dutch literary awards Literary awards honoring lifetime achievement