Albert Alberts, writing as A. Alberts (1911–1995) was a Dutch writer, translator, and journalist. He won numerous awards throughout his career, among them the 1975
Constantijn Huygens Prize
The Constantijn Huygens Prize (Dutch: ''Constantijn Huygens-prijs'') is a Dutch literary award.Haarlem. He studied
Indology
Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies.
The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is of ...
at the
Utrecht University
Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollm ...
and worked after his graduation (1936) for several years as a
civil servant
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
for the Colonialministry in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
. In 1939 he received his doctorate in literature and philosophy with a thesis about the conflict from 1847 to 1851 between
Jean Chrétien Baud
Jean Chrétien, Baron Baud (1789–1859) was Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies from 1833 until 1836.J.Ch. Ba ...
and
Johan Rudolf Thorbecke
Johan Rudolph Thorbecke (14 January 1798 – 4 June 1872) was a Dutch liberal statesman, one of the most important Dutch politicians of the 19th century. Thorbecke is best known for heading the commission that drafted the revision of the Const ...
, two Dutch politicians (respectively, a colonial governor turned Conservative parliamentarian and a major Liberal reformer). In the same year he embarked on ''MS Johan van Oldenbarnevelt'' and went to the Dutch East Indies to stay there as a civil servant. After the
Battle of Java (1942)
The Battle of Java (Invasion of Java, Operation J) was a battle of the Pacific theatre of World War II. It occurred on the island of Java from 28 February – 12 March 1942. It involved forces from the Empire of Japan, which invaded on 28 Fe ...
and his internment by the Japanese on Java from April 1942 to September 1945, he returned 1946 to the Netherlands. Here he worked first as a civil servant, then he starting 1953 as
Contributing editor
A contributing editor is a newspaper, magazine or online job title that varies in its responsibilities. Often, but not always, a contributing editor is a "high-end" freelancer, consultant, or expert who has proven ability and has readership d ...
. In 1953 he published his first book, ''The Island''- a collection of short stories about his Daily life in the colonies. Albert Alberts died in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
on 16 December 1995.
Works
Books
* 1938 Baud und Thorbecke 1847-1851
* 1953 De eilanden (The island)
* 1954 De bomen (The trees)
* 1962 Namen noemen (Mention names)
* 1963 ''De Franse slag'' (The French battle) or ''Aan Frankrijk uitgeleverd'' (Extradited to France)
* 1963 Wilhelmina, Koningin der Nederlanden (Wilhelmina, Queen of Netherlands)
* 1964 Koning Willem II
* 1964 Koning Willem III
* 1965 Johan Rudolf Thorbecke
* 1967 Laten we vrede sluiten (Let's conclude peace)
* 1968 Het einde van een verhouding (The end of relationship)
* 1973 De huzaren van Castricum (see Jean Antoine de Collaert#Batavian Republic: 1795–1805)
* 1973 Leven op de rand (Living on the border)
* 1974 De vergaderzaal (The conference room)
* 1975 De Hollanders komen ons vermoorden (The Hollanders are coming, to assassinate us)
* 1976 Een koning die van geen née wil horen (A king who no wants to hear by no one)
* 1976 Haast hebben in September (Hurry in the September)
* 1978 De vergaderzaal (vierde druk)
* 1979 De honden jagen niet meer (The dogs are hunting no more)
* 1979 Per mailboot naar de Oost (By
mail boat
Mail boats or postal boats are a boat or ship used for the delivery of mail and sometimes transportation of goods, people and vehicles in communities where bodies of water commonly separate or separated settlements, towns or cities often where b ...
to the East)
* 1981 Maar geel en glanzend blijft het goud (But yellow and glossy remains the gold)
* 1982 Het zand voor de kust van Aveiro (The sand for the coast of Aveiro)
* 1983 De Utrechtse herinneringen van A. Alberts (A. Alberts Utrecht memories)
* 1984 De zilveren kogel
* 1986 Inleiding tot de kennis van de ambtenaar (Introduction to the knowledge of the civil servants)
* 1987 Een venster op het Buitenhof
* 1989 Een kolonie is ook maar een mens (A colony is also only a person)
* 1990 Op weg naar het zoveelste Reich (On the way to the nth Reich)
* 1991 De vrouw met de parasol (The woman with the sunshade)
* 1992 Libretto voor een gewezen koningin ( Libretto for a former queen)
* 1992 Twee jaargetijden minder (Two seasons less)
Films
* 1977 De vergaderzaal (The conference room) director: Kees van Iersel
* 2008 The Swamp (based on A. Alberts story ''Het moeras'')filmfestival rotterdam: het moeras 2.2.2011 director: BarBara Hanlo
Digital library for Dutch literature
The Digital Library for Dutch Literature (Dutch: Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren or DBNL) is a website (showing the abbreviation as dbnl) about Dutch language and Dutch literature. It contains thousands of literary texts, second ...