Arthur Japin
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Arthur Japin | |
|---|---|
 Arthur Japin | |
| Born | 26 July 1956 Haarlem,Netherlands |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Partner | Benjamin Moser |
Arthur Valentijn Japin(b. Haarlem, 26 July 1956) is a Dutch novelist. He has won almost every prestigious prize in Dutch literature, including the Libris Prize for his 2005 novelEen Schitterend Gebrek.
Biography
[edit]Arthur Japin, son of a teacher and detective novelist, experienced a difficult childhood marked by his father's suicide at twelve. He later trained as an actor at theKleinkunstacademiein Amsterdam and briefly sang opera at De Nederlandse Opera.
His first novel,De zwarte met het witte hart(1997), translated asThe Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi,was the story of twoAshantiprinces, Kwame Poku and Kwasi Boachi, who were taken from today's Ghana and taken to the court of the Dutch kingWillem Iin 1837. The book became a bestseller and is considered a classic of modern Dutch literature. In November 2007, an opera based on the novel premiered in Rotterdam, with an English libretto by Arthur Japin and music by the British composerJonathan Dove.
His second book,De droom van de leeuw(2002), is a novelized version of his relationship with the Dutch actress and novelist Rosita Steenbeek in Rome, where Steenbeek became the last lover of the Italian directorFederico Fellini.His third novel,Een schitterend gebrek,translated asIn Lucia's Eyes(2003), was a return to the historical novel, aboutCasanova's first lover, Lucia, who, he reports in his memoirs, inexplicably abandoned him in his youth, only to resurface years later as a hideous prostitute in an Amsterdam brothel. Japin was hailed as a great writer after his first couple of novels already, a status confirmed when he was asked to write the 2006Boekenweekgeschenk:De grote wereldis a novella about a pair of circus-performing dwarves caught in Nazi Germany, which had a record first printing of 813,000 copies.[1][2]
His 2007 novelDe overgave,to be translated asSomeone Found,takes the subject of the 19th-centuryTexas–Indian wars,dramatizing the story of theFort Parker Massacreof 1836, in which a white girl, Cynthia Ann Parker, was taken as aComanchehostage, later becoming the mother of the famous Comanche chiefQuanah Parker.
Japin has also published several volumes of stories. The first two,Magonische verhalenandDe vierde wand,were gathered into the omnibusAlle verhalen(2005).Magonische verhalenwas made into the filmMagoniaby the Dutch director Ineke Smits. He has won almost every prestigious prize in Dutch literature, including theLibris PrizeforEen schitterend gebrek.
Personal life
[edit]Japin lives inUtrechtwith his publicist Lex Jansen and his partnerBenjamin Moser,an American writer.[3]
Bibliography
[edit]- 1991:Heijermans!,a play, published by Het Nederlands Volkstoneel
- 1996:Magonische verhalen
- 1997:De zwarte met het witte hart,novel, translated asThe Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi
- 1998:De vierde wand,travel stories
- 2001:Magonia,screenplay (based upon several of the ‘Magonische verhalen’)
- 2002:De droom van de leeuw,novel
- 2002:De vrouwen van Lemnos,choreographical screenplay
- 2003:Een schitterend gebrek,novel, translated asIn Lucia's Eyes
- 2004:Dooi & Zeep,two stories illustrated by Arthur Japin, published by Uitgeverij Brokaat
- 2006:De klank van sneeuw,two stories
- 2006:De grote wereld,Book Week Gift
- 2007:De overgave,novel, winner of the 2008 NS Publieksprijs,[4]translated asSomeone Found
- 2010:Vaslav,novel
- 2012:Maar buiten is het feest,novel
- 2013:De man van je leven,novel
- 2015:De gevleugelde,novel
- 2017:Kolja,novel
- 2020:Mrs. Degas,novel
(except as noted, all published byDe Arbeiderspers,Amsterdam)
Japin has also written several screenplays, radio plays, songs, and theater pieces. His songs have appeared on the CDsVol verlangenandNuances van Liefde,sung by Astrid Seriese.
Prizes
[edit]- 1990 - Gorcumse Literatuurprijs forDe klap van Ediep Koning
- 1995 - LIRA-prijs forDe roering van het kielzog
- 1995 - Literaire prijs van de provincie Gelderland forDe draden van Anansi
- 1998 - Lucy B. en C.W. van der Hoogtprijs forDe zwarte met het witte hart
- 1998 - Halewijn-literatuurprijs van de stad Roermond for his body of work
- 1999 - ECI-prijs voor Schrijvers van Nu forDe zwarte met het witte hart
- 2004 - Libris literatuurprijs forEen schitterend gebrek
- 2005 - De Inktaap forEen schitterend gebrek
- 2008 - NS Publieksprijs forDe overgave[4]
Film
[edit]- 1996:Hoerenpreek,a television film by Ineke Smits
- 1996:De Wolkenfabriek,a television film by Ineke Smits
- 2000:Magonia,film version ofMagonische verhalenby Ineke Smits, starring Dirk Roofthooft, Willem Voogd, Jack Wouterse, Linda van Dyck and Ramsey Nasr; also on DVD.
Television
[edit]Japin hosted the Dutch adaptation of the Britishpanel gameQI.The first episode was broadcast on 27 December 2008 but the series was discontinued after only six episodes.[5][6]
References
[edit]- ^Anon.,"Book week gift"Archived2016-10-26 at theWayback Machine,transportticket.com, 2006.
- ^Otje,"De zwarte met het witte hart"Archived2017-09-17 at theWayback Machine,Otje blogt cultuur, Oct. 21, 2012.
- ^Foreman, Liza (23 January 2008)."Living in a Dutch Town House".The New York Times.
- ^ab"Arthur Japin wint NS Publieksprijs 2008".Brabants Dagblad.28 October 2008.
- ^"Q.I."(in Dutch).VARA.Archived fromthe originalon 19 December 2008.Retrieved2008-12-18.
- ^"QI goes Dutch".Chortle.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 23 December 2008.Retrieved2008-12-19.
