Crime fiction started in 1841 with the publication of Edgar Allan Poe's
story 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue'. From there it gradually spread over the
United States, Great Britain and France. By the turn of the century crime
fiction was generally acknowledged as a new and special kind of literature. In
the Netherlands it took much longer before its authors made a substantial
contribution, though it cannot be said the Dutch were unfamiliar with the genre.
Many translations of stories and novels by authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle,
Eile Gaboriau and others were available. Towards the end of the century and in
the beginning of the 20th century a few attempts were made by Dutch authors, but
production soon petered out and finally came to a full stop. By 1905 barely a
dozen novelettes and novels had been published. It looked as if all Dutch
writers were of the opinion that they were no match for their foreign colleagues,
and had better stay put.
This regrettable situation experienced a sudden and fortunate change
towards the end of the Great War. In 1917 Jacob van Schevichaven (1860-1935),
using the pseudonym Ivans, published a detective novel called 'The Man
from France' (De man uit Frankrijk). For some inexplicable reason the book
became a huge success, and one could say that 1917 was the real birth year of
the Dutch crime novel.
Like many others Ivans borrowed the Holmes-Watson formula. His main
character was an English private detective, called Geoffrey Gill, whose friend,
the Dutch lawyer Willy Hendriks, acted as companion and narrator. Because of its
success the publisher asked Ivans for a second novel. 'The Ghost of Voroshegy'
(Het spook van Voroshegy) was published in the same year. It sold as well as its
predecessor. The story was set in Hungary, a country Ivans had visited more than
once. Most of his novels were set in some European country.
Ivans showed nearly unbridled energy: he wrote forty eight crime novels,
mostly about G.G., though also half a dozen about May O'Neill, a female
detective. In between he wrote serials for all kinds of magazines. Even though
today he is not much more than a memory, he as a real pioneer, who made the
point that Dutch crime fiction had a right of its own. Ivans's success
encouraged other writers to follow in his footsteps, but in most cases the
result was mediocre if not worse. Many of the books lacked the necessary skill
needed for a good crime story and were often written in a stuffy, even
melodramatic way.
In the thirties things improved considerably. Between 1935 and 1938 Jan
de Hartog (1915-2002) published five novels filled to the brim with uncut
Amsterdam humor. Far more serious was Willy Corsari (Wilhelmina Angela
Douwes-Schmidt; 1897-1998), who made her debut in 1927 with 'The faultless
Crime' (De misdaad zonder fouten). She made a name for herself with 'The Mystery
of the Moonlight Sonata' (Het mysterie van de Mondscheinsonate; 1934). Until
1983 Corsari wrote thirteen carefully plotted whodunits and thrillers, but she
considered them only a sideline, her main field being the psychological novel.
In 1935 Ivans died suddenly and his Publishing House Bruna started
scouting for a successor. Finally they opted for Hendrikus Franciskus van der
Kallen (1904-1964), a beginning author they had first refused. On second
thoughts Bruna decided to accept his manuscript, which proved to be a lucky hit.
'The Mystery of St. Eustache' (Het mysterie van St.Eustache; 1935), published
under the pseudonym Havank, was an immediate success. In no time Havank
obtained immense popularity. He set his stories for the greater part in France,
a country he loved. The main character in all his books is Charles Carlier,
nicknamed the Shadow, because of his ability to follow someone like a shadow.
Soon his character was as famous as the Saint in England! With his fame the
Charles Carlies rose through the ranks of the police force. He started as a
sergeant, but in later books (Havank wrote thirty novels and collections of
short stories until 1959) the Shadow was no less than Head of Interpol! Havank's
novels struck a completely new tone. In his prose there is othing to be found of
the stuffiness so annoyingly present in many of the novels of his contemporaries.
It is fresh, full of jokes and puns. Precarious situations are no exception.
Sometimes it seems as if Havank rejected all that was inclined to the ordinary.
Titles such as 'Polka Mazurka' (1939) and 'The Widow in the Willows' (De weduwe
in de wilgen; 1950) reflect this. It made him inimitable and unique, whatever is
said about him today.
After World War Two nothing much changed. Havank had spent the war in
England and returned with a novel appropiately called 'The Shadow is back' (De
Schaduw is terug; 1946). During the thirties nobody so much as glanced at the
United States, where authors like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler were
introducing a very different kind of crime fiction. Dutch writers reveled in
their own complacency. Understandably so, to a certain degree, because the
Netherlands were a quiet country, not to be associated with gangs and gangsters.
Nevertheless, sooner or later the hardboiled story would reach the Dutch shores.
In the first half of the fifties this moment arrived. Bruna, apparently
not satisfied with the supply and quality of new manuscripts, organized a
competition for original crime novels. 'Pearls for Nadra' (Parels voor Nadra;
1953), written by reporter Joop van den Broek (1926-1997), became the
unexpected winner. The author had spent many years in Indonesia and used this
country’s background for a really tough novel, full of sex and brutal violence.
Critics were stunned, the conservative part of the Netherlands condemned the
book and called it pernicious. It was all to no avail. The spell was broken and
authors heaved a sigh of relief, though only a handful of them wrote novels of
the same kind. Joop van den Broek himself turned into a prolific (25 novels) and
versatile writer. He published more hardboiled novels as well as psychological
thrillers and police procedurals. These books were published under the pseudonym
Jan van Gent.
In spite of all this the overall situation hardly changed. Barriers had
fallen, but it would take about a decade before consequences really became
visible. In 1951 two elderly sisters from The Hague, using the pen-name Martin
Mons, started a series of very traditional detective novels. It was all tidy
and cozy, and their stories breathed the atmosphere of the not too exciting
Dutch thirties. Nevertheless they went on unperturbedly and by 1964, the year in
which both sisters died, they had published 31 books.
W.H. van Eemlandt
(Willem Hendrik Haasse; 1888-1955) began a series of
police procedural novels, starting in 1953. Aart van Houthem, head of the
Amsterdam C.I.D., was the main characters in over a dozen books, which did bring
a new genre, but were not very innovative in themselves> The author was a
fierce defender of traditional values.
A real novelty were the stories of Robert Hans van Gulik
(1910-1967) about the Chinese judge Dee (in Dutch ‘Tie’, pronounced tee).
The author was a renowned sinologist and based his stories on a historical
figure who lived in the 7th century A.D. Van Gulik illustrated the
books himself with simple drawings in which women showed naked breasts, but
never naked feet. In the Netherlands the series started with ‘Labyrinth in
Lanfang’ and ended posthumously in 1969.
The fifties had been relatively uneventful. Tradition reigned, but now
real changes were near. A new genre was introduced: espionage. In 1964 secret
agent McGregor, a creation of Ted Viking (Jan Louwen 1924-2000) made his
appearance in 'McGregor and the dead Village' (McGregor en het dode dorp).
McGregor represented a new phenomenon, and as such is worth mentioning.
Notwithstanding his adventures and narrow escapes he remained too respectable to
be convincing.
In 1966 all readers who longed for real excitement were finally served.
With ‘A poisoned Cup for a Metropolis' (Gifbeker voor een wereldstad)
journalist Henk Oolbekkink introduced a very different kind of secret
agent. His name was Glotz, and he was as ruthless as they come. Consequently his
adventures don’t lack sex, violence and strong language. Still, underneath it
all there is a feeling that the reader shouldn’t take matters too seriously,
and that the author is making fun of the sordid business of espionage.
Oolbekkink wrote eight books about Glotz, and ten about Tim Spender, a fixer for
hire by anyone who is willing to pay for his services. Spender’s sex and
violence are much milder, because Spender is the archetype of the antihero.
More tough novels were published by Rinus Ferdinandusse (b. 1931).
He called his books srillers, warning readers to expect an unorthodox
sense of humor. His books, only five, are full of black humor and witty
aphorisms, but offer a reflection of the times in the Netherlands. That was a
real novelty in the genre. The Netherlands were no longer the quiet country they
used to be and Ferdinandusse portrayed them with irony. His first novel,
‘Naked over the Fence’ (Naakt over the schutting; 1966), one of the
provoking titles he used, deals with a pornographic conspiracy. His second,
‘That Night she wore a purple Corset’ (Ze droeg die nacht een paars korset;
1967) tells about a right wing intrigue concerning the marriage of Princess (now
Queen) Beatrix. In the turbulent year 1968 Ferdinandusse published ‘The broad
Back of the Dutch Maiden’, the Dutch Maiden being the national symbol, (De
brede rug van de Nederlandse maagd), a diabolical satire about a possible coup
d’état by a political party. One might say that Ferdinandusse anticipated a
genre that later became known as faction, which underlines his special
place in Dutch crime fiction.
Gerben Hellinga, sometimes using the pseudonym Hellinger (b.
1937), aimed at a more serious crime story in an elegant and reserved style,
relying less on comedy than Oolbekkink and Ferdinandusse. Hellinga’s principal
character Sid Stefan, is a non-conformist, who does odd jobs for a living. He
likes money, women and tailor-made suits. Sid Stefan first appears in
Hellinga’s debut ‘Dollars’ (1966), being the first part of a trilogy.
Readers had to wait until 1989 before Sid Stefan appeared again in ‘Sid Stefan
returns’ (De terugkeer van Sid Stefan), which won the Golden Noose, the most
important crime fiction award in The Netherlands and Belgium.
Along with all this a new figure appeared: Jurjen de Cock, an elderly
detective sergeant stationed in the inner city of Amsterdam, close to the Red
Light District. His creator Albert Cornelis Baantjer (b. 1923) was at the
time an active sergeant himself. His first book 'De Cock and the Sunday
Strangler' (De Cock en de wurger op zondag; 1965) remained almost unnoticed, but
after a few years things changed. Baantjer kept publishing and gradually
gathered a wide circle of readers. From the eighties on his output was two books
a year, and in 2003 his sixtieth book was published. By now he is by far the
most popular Dutch author, with estimated sales of more than 6.000.000 copies!
Baantjer's formula is simplicity. His language is simple, the number of pages is
never more than 140, the habits of his characters never change. In 2003 Baantjer
was awarded a special prize for his merits for the Dutch crime novel.
In the meantime there were bad tidings. Ferdinandusse and Oolbekkink
stopped in 1971. Successors were nowhere in sight. Until then an average of
twenty novels were published each year, but in the beginning of the seventies
this dropped dramatically. A crisis was on hand!
Two authors came to the rescue: Janwillem van de Wetering (b.
1931) and Jackie Lourens (b. 1920-2000). Van de Wetering had traveled the
world. He was attracted to Zen Buddhism, spent some years in a Japanese
monastery, and finally joined a Buddhist community in Maine (U.S.). In 1966 he
returned to Amsterdam. There he wrote, in English, four police procedural novels,
and had them published in the U.S. Soon afterwards he translated them, but Dutch
publishers looked somewhat awkwardly at the far from ordinary inspector Henk
Grijpstra and his side-kick sergeant Rinus de Gier. Yet they were published:
'Outsider in Amsterdam' (Het lijk in de Haarlemmer Houttuinen) in 1975, the
other novels in the next years. Initially critics and readers reacted positively,
but after later books the mood changed. During the eighties Van de Wetering was
accused of incoherence as well as writing too many absurdities. In 1985 the
author had enough and stopped. In the nineties he tried a comeback, but the
critics were severe and the readers no longer interested. After 'A small guy of
forty' (Een ventje van veertig; 1996) he stopped again. Van de Wetering was
never fully understood, which is a pity, for he gave the Dutch crime novel a
decisive push upward during those dreary seventies.
Jackie Lourens, a fifty five year old housewife and mother, also
wrote police procedural novels, situated in a fictitious small town on the river
Rhine. Her books, starting with ‘They cannot leave off’ (Ze kunnen het niet
laten; 1975), are well plotted and straightforward. She wrote 24 books, the last
of which was published in 1998. Her stories offer nothing spectacular, but with
her steady production she undoubtedly helped the Dutch crime novel back on its
feet.
Towards the end of the seventies things slowly improved. New and younger
authors made their appearance and, better still, new genres were introduced. But
there is always a snag. Young authors start well, write a few books and then,
for one reason of the other, they quit. It had happened in the past, it will
happen in the eighties.
One of the promising newcomers was Koos van Zomeren (b. 1946), who
made his debut with the rather conventional novel 'The murder of colleague Vink'
(Collega Vink vermoord; 1977). His next four novels showed increasingly
political tendencies, which reached their peak in 1981. At the time there was a
political row in the Netherlands. A cabinet minister had been accused of a faux
pas during the war. Van Zomeren loosely based his next two novels on this
incident. 'The Hague Spring' (Haagse lente) tells the story in general terms. In
its sequel, called 'Minister behind bars' (Minister achter de tralies), the
minister himself gives his opinion about events. It was an outstanding twin, but
also Van Zomeren's penultimate contribution. After one more novel he turned his
attention to other things and never looked back.
Meanwhile 1980 proved to be a historical year. It marked the successful
return of Joop van den Broek with 'Homesick for Dutch India' (Heimwee
naar Indië) and the entry of four new authors, almost all in their thirties.
Jestingly they were called the new wave, probably because they all
published their first crime novel in the same year.
Theo Capel
(b. 1944) created an employee of a credit bank, who
acts as a kind of private eye. Capel had a dry, ironic style. His books have
short, biting titles. ‘Spoiled Money' (Weggegooid geld) was his debut, rapidly
followed by six more books. In the nineties his tempo slowed down, but he keeps
on writing. His latest, ‘Die fast’ (Sterf snel) dates from 2002.
Jacques Post
(b. 1951) was clearly influenced by the American
hardboiled school. Consequently his novels were tough and violent. They are set
in Rotterdam and are about a criminal and his adversary, a detective sergeant.
They make an odd couple. 'Measure for measure' (Leer om leer) was their first
confrontation. Like Capel, Post was prolific in the eighties, but then lost
interest. 'Killroy' (1991) was his latest.
Felix Thijssen
(b. 1931), already known as writer of sf novels, was of
the opinion that crime novels should tell about criminals, so he presented a
small gang of three criminals on the run. In 'Wildschut', the name of a
forester's house, they take the inhabitants hostage. Later books feature only
Charlie Mann, the leader of the gang. 'Ultimate Test' (Vuurproef; 1990) was the
last of the series.
The fourth, Tomas Ross (Willem Hogendoorn; b. 1944), was
predestined to become one of the most versatile and important Dutch crime
writers. His first book 'The 'Dogs of the Betrayal' (De honden van het verraad)
tells about a coup against the Indonesian president Suharto. It was pure fiction,
but soon thereafter Ross turned to faction. 'The Betrayal of '42’ (Het
verraad van '42; 1983) is about the England spiel; Greenpeace is the subject in
'The Warriors of the Rainbow' (De strijders van de regenboog; 1986); the
catastrophic events around Srebenica are retold in 'Courier for Sarajevo'
(Koerier voor Sarajevo; 1996). Past or present, Ross always succeeds in
inventing a plot and solution of his own. In that field he is a real virtuoso.
During the eighties the Dutch crime novel bloomed, and Ross founded The Dutch
and Flemish Crime Writers Association (1986), as well as the annual award for
best crime novel, called the ‘Golden Noose’ (de Gouden Strop), a tribute to
Joop van den Broek, who wrote a book by that title in 1982.
In 1997 the Shadow prize was added for best first novel (a tribute to
Havank). Ross himself won The Golden Noose three times, the last time in 2003
with 'The sixth of May' (De zesde mei; 2003), on that day in 2002 a Dutch
politician was brutally murdered.
In 1985 Ina Bouman (b. 1936) was first in a sub genre related to
the feminist movement. Between 1986 and 1997 she wrote four novels in which
women, most of them lesbian, have the upper hand. A few female writers went
along, but in the end it was an interesting, but short-lived development.
Another was a sudden nostalgia for the past, even as far back as the
middle ages. Regrettably only some of those books were based on a Dutch historic
subject, but Ashe Stil (b. 1953) stayed close to home. He chose the Dutch
Golden Age (17th century) as his setting and launched a long series about an
Amsterdam water-bailiff. From 1993 on this bailiff has now solved fourteen
cases.
Even closer to our time are the novels of Martin Koomen (b. 1939).
In 'Import, Export, Manslaughter, Murder' (Import, export, doodslag, moord;
1986) we meet Robert Portland, a Dutch secret agent. He operates during the
years prior to the World War II. In 'Portland, our man in The Hague' (Portland,
onze man in Den Haag; 2003) he accomplished his thirteenth assignment.
One of the most prolific and prominent authors is René Appel (b.
1945). He is a master of the psychological thriller, with a sophisticated style.
His novels are full of suspense, fear and helplessness, and give the reader a
continuous feeling of uneasiness. His debut was 'Handicap’ (1987). His third
book, accidentally or deliberately called 'The third person' (De derde persoon;
1990) earned Appel the Golden Noose. For 'Pointless violence' (Zinloos geweld;
2001) he was awarded a second time.
Jacob Vis
(b. 1944) initially turned his attention to political
affairs and faction; his first novel, 'Prince Desi' (Prins Desi; 1987) concerns
the struggle for political power in Suriname. He now writes tough crime novels,
set in the small town Ijsselmonde, a quiet place, but murder, blackmail, drugs,
prostitution and other crimes keep the police busy. Vis confronts his readers
with the unpleasant reality of contemporary society, and does so very
convincingly.
A very different kind of author is Chris Rippen (b. 1940). In his
books tension slowly builds up until the inevitable outcome. 'Playback’ (1991)
his second novel, won the Golden Noose. Rippen distinguishes himself with
meticulous prose. So far he has written five novels and a collection of shorts,
this in contrast to Appel and Vis, who have an average of a book every year.
Peter de Zwaan (b. 1944) re-introduced the hardboiled novel. 'Dietz'
(1992) is about a small time criminal in an anonymous, dangerous city, where his
main aim is survival. His books provide real entertainment, full of action and
hilarious dialogue. For 'The Alibi Bureau' (Het alibibureau; 2000) he received
the Golden Noose.
Another author to present himself in the nineties is Jac. Toes (b.
1950). His books deal with al kinds of excesses, mostly gathered from real facts.
His first novel 'Double Track' (Dubbelspoor; 1993) takes the reader back to the
eighties and the activist movement. 'Photo finish' (Fotofinish; 1998) is a
fascinating and disturbing story about a cross-country runner, who runs head on
into an ugly trap. The Golden Noose was its well deserved reward.
Charles den Tex (b. 1953) concentrates on all sorts of swindles in the
industrial world. His debut 'Dump' (1995) was about the illegal dumping of
chemical waste, 'Claim' (1996) turned on the insurance claim for a ship that
went down. For 'Chance in hell' (Schijn van kans; 2002), about a dangerous deal
between two cable production companies with all its unsavory details, he was
awarded the Golden Noose.
In the last years of the twentieth century there were two pleasant
surprises. The female author Gerry Sajet (b. 1933) published 'Clean Sweep'
(Schoon schip; 1999), a crime novel in which once more the question suicide or
murder has to be answered. It earned her the Shadow prize, and since then she
has published three more crime novels.
Last but not least there was the unexpected comeback of Felix Thijssen,
who started a series about a private eye, called Max Winter. In all these highly
entertaining books a woman is in some sort of distress or worse. 'Cleopatra'
(1998), 'Isabelle' (1999), 'Tiffany' (2000) are the first of so far seven novels.
'Cleopatra’ was awarded the Golden Noose!
Without exaggeration it can be said that the Dutch crime novel is
flourishing. To promote it, June is proclaimed 'Month of the thriller'. During
that month everyone who buys a book receives a present in the form of a
novelette. It stimulates reading and that in turn stimulates authors to go on
writing.
Jan C. Roosendaal, an expert on Dutch crime literature, published a.o. ‘Moorden met woorden’ (Murder with words; 2000), a comprehensive history and bibliography of Dutch crime fiction in the twentieth century.
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