Sonia Garmers (9 January 1933 – 18 March 2025) was a writer from
Curaçao
Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela.
Curaçao includ ...
.
Life and career
Garmers wrote various books both in
Papiamento
Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; ) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao ( ABC Islands).
The language, spelled in Aruba and in Bonaire and ...
and in
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
.
Garmers published her first book in Papiamento in 1955.
Her first book written in Dutch ''Lieve koningin, hierbij stuur ik U mijn dochter'' ("Dear Queen, I hereby send you my daughter") was published in 1976.
This book addresses
Juliana of the Netherlands
Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980.
Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Duke Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...
, who was
Queen of the Netherlands
The monarchy of the Netherlands is governed by the country's charter and constitution, roughly a third of which explains the mechanics of succession, accession, and abdication; the roles and duties of the monarch; the formalities of communica ...
at the time, with regard to Garmers sending each of her four daughters to the Netherlands for study.
This, coincidentally, is the same number of daughters as Juliana. Juliana also received a copy of the book.
Garmers first met
Miep Diekmann in 1958.
Diekmann started coaching Garmers and taught her, among other things, how to best structure a book.
Diekmann coached Garmers when she was writing her first Dutch book ''Lieve koningin, hierbij stuur ik U mijn dochter'' (1976).
In 1973, she published a collection of poems in collaboration with
Nydia Ecury
Nydia Ecury (2 February 19262 March 2012) was an Aruban-Dutch writer, translator and actress. She published five collections of poetry and translated plays of major European and American playwrights into the Papiamentu language, helping to devel ...
and
Mila Palm.
In 1981, she won the
Nienke van Hichtum-prijs
The Nienke van Hichtum-prijs (Dutch language, Dutch for Nienke van Hichtum Prize) is a biennial Dutch literary award for children's literature awarded by the Jan Campert-Stichting. The award is named after children's author Nienke van Hichtum and ...
for her book ''Orkaan en Mayra'' (1980).
The book is a sequel to her first Dutch language children's book ''Orkaan'' which was published in 1977 and illustrated by
Thé Tjong-Khing
Thé Tjong-Khing (; born August 4, 1933) is a children's book illustrator based in the Netherlands.
He was born in Purworedjo, Java, Dutch East Indies to a large Chinese Indonesian family. As a child he was interested in the Tarzan comic strips ...
.
In 1983, she won the
Cola Debrotprijs for her contributions to literature.
Garmers died on 18 March 2025, at the age of 92.
Awards
* 1981:
Nienke van Hichtum-prijs
The Nienke van Hichtum-prijs (Dutch language, Dutch for Nienke van Hichtum Prize) is a biennial Dutch literary award for children's literature awarded by the Jan Campert-Stichting. The award is named after children's author Nienke van Hichtum and ...
, ''Orkaan en Mayra''
* 1983:
Cola Debrotprijs
References
External links
Sonia Garmers(in Dutch),
Digital Library for Dutch Literature
Sonia Garmers(in Dutch), jeugdliteratuur.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garmers, Sonia
1933 births
2025 deaths
Curaçao writers
Curaçao women children's writers
20th-century women writers
Papiamento-language writers
Nienke van Hichtum Prize winners