Maarten Biesheuvel (23 May 1939 in

Schiedam Schiedam () is a large town and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of the city Rotterdam, east of the town Vlaardingen and south of the city Delft. In the south, Schi ...

– 30 July 2020 in

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

) was a Dutch writer of short stories and novellas. He made his literary debut in 1972 with the

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

collection ''In de bovenkooi''. He received the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prize in 1984 for ''Reis door mijn kamer''. In 2007 he received the

P. C. Hooft Award The P.C. Hooft Award (in Dutch: P.C. Hooft-prijs), inaugurated in 1948, is a Dutch-language literary lifetime-achievement award named after 17th-century Dutch poet and playwright Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft. The award is made annually. Background ...

. The Dutch was named after him and is awarded to the author of the best collection of short stories that has appeared in the Dutch language during the previous year. From 1990 Biesheuvel's literary production slowed significantly due to a

writer's block Writer's block is a non-medical condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown. Writer's block has various degrees of severity, from difficulty in coming ...

and manic-depressive phases. He died in July 2020.

Selected works

*''In de bovenkooi'' (1972) *''Reis door mijn kamer'' (1984) *''Godencirkel'' (1986)

Awards

*1985: The Ferdinand Bordewijk Prize for ''Reis door mijn kamer'' *2007: The

*2008: Knight of the

Order of the Netherlands Lion The Order of the Netherlands Lion, also known as the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands (, ) is a Dutch honours system, Dutch order of chivalry founded by William I of the Netherlands on 29 September 1815. The Order of the Netherlands Lion wa ...

References

External links

1939 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Dutch novelists 20th-century Dutch male writers People from Schiedam People with bipolar disorder Ferdinand Bordewijk Prize winners P. C. Hooft Award winners Dutch male novelists {{Netherlands-writer-stub