Dirk Johannes Hendrik "Dick" Dreux (27 May 1913 – 6 December 1978) was a Dutch writer of historical literature.

Biography

Dick Dreux was born in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

as a child of Hendrik Johannes Wilhelm Dreux and Cornelia Hendrika Johanna Lucke who divorced in 1921. He grew up with his grandparents from his mother's side. He attended the Hogere Burger School and in 1929, at age 16, joined the merchant navy. His adventurous life led him around the world and finally to Spain, where he fought against Franco's fascists in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. He returned to the Netherlands just before the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

in order to fulfill his military duty and keep his Dutch citizenship. He was interned in

Amersfoort concentration camp Kamp Amersfoort (, ) was a Nazi concentration camp near the city of Amersfoort, the Netherlands. The official name was "Polizeiliches Durchgangslager Amersfoort", P.D.A. or Amersfoort Police Transit Camp. 47,000 prisoners were held there between ...

, and then labored in a work camp on the German island of

Borkum Borkum (; ) is an island and a municipality in the Leer District in Lower Saxony, northwestern Germany. It is situated east of Rottumeroog and west of Juist. Geography Borkum is bordered to the west by the Westerems strait (which forms the ...

. After the end of the war, he became an author, writing historical literature from a critical point of view, many of it published by the

Arbeiderspers Singel Uitgeverijen is a Dutch publishing group, headquartered in Amsterdam. Its subsidiaries are Nijgh & Van Ditmar, Querido Verlag, De Arbeiderspers, Athenaeum, Polak & Van Gennep, De Geus, and Volt. Books are also published directly by Singel Ui ...

, then a socialist publishing house. Notable publications include ''De Grote Leugen'' (The Big Lie) (1966) in which he exposed militarism and the hidden agenda of the ruling class. Dreux was also active as an editorial cartoonist and wrote and drew a sciencefiction comic strip, ''Raket-Ridders'' (1950-1951), published in ''De Week in Beeld''. https://www.lambiek.net/artists/d/dreux_dick.htm Dreux and his wife lived in Amsterdam, and later moved to a houseboat in

Bussum Bussum () is a commuter town and former municipality in the Gooi region in the south east of the province of North Holland in the Netherlands near Hilversum. Since 2016, Bussum has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Meren. Bussum had a ...

. He free-lanced for magazines and newspapers and then worked for VARA, writing over 450

radio play Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

s between 1959 and 1970. He also wrote serial stories for children's magazines like ''

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shirt and cap with ...

'' starting in the 1950s, and a number of his stories were illustrated by Hans Kresse and published as comic books. His style was accessible and conversational, for which he credited his grandfather, a "born storyteller". Dreux died on 6 December 1978 in hospital in

Naarden Naarden () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and former List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Gooi region in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It has been part ...

, and was buried in

References

External links

Lambiek Comiclopedia biography.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dreux, Dick 20th-century Dutch novelists 20th-century Dutch dramatists and playwrights Dutch comics artists Dutch comics writers Dutch editorial cartoonists 1913 births 1978 deaths 20th-century Dutch male writers Amersfoort concentration camp survivors People from Bussum Writers from Amsterdam Dutch people of the Spanish Civil War Dutch military personnel of World War II International Brigades personnel