MARIËT MEESTER
After working for a while as a visual artist and free-lance journalist, she
published in 1990 her first literary novel Sevillana, situated in Andalusia,
Spain. A young woman, longing for spiritual deepening, submerges herself
in Sevilla's Holy Week.
The same year she went for the first time to Romania, where she stayed with
Roma (gypsies). In 1991 she stayed again with her Roma-friends, which led in
1992 to the book De stilte voor het vuur (The calm before the fire). In this
non-fiction book her compassion is visible on every page.
In 1994 Bokkezang (Bucksong) was published. This poetical novel tells the
story of two lovers, one of them representing art, the other nature.
Bokkezang has been translated into Russian by Irina Michailova and was
published by Amphora, St. Petersburg. Passages of this book have been
translated into English, German, Spanish and Portuguese.
In 1997 the novel De eerste zonde (The First Sin) appeared. The main
character, a girl of twelve, lives in the Dutch prison village Veenhuizen.
Because of her concern with an escapee, she inevitably loses her innocence.
This bright and colourful novel has been reprinted five times.
In 2000 Meester was invited to participate in the Literaturexpress, a train
journey from Lisbon via St. Petersburg to Berlin, with more than a hundred
European authors as passengers. After the Literaturexpress she wrote a
short story which has been translated into German and Spanish. (Photo:
Mariët Meester with Flemish author Kamiel Vanhole. © Oliver Möst)
In the same year the author collected travel stories about Romania, Mali and
India in De verdwaalde nomade (The Nomad Who Got Lost). Read an
interview about one of these stories.
Being a special guest at the World PEN-congress 2002 in Ohrid, Macedonia,
she wrote the essay Oblomov as a woman (translation Alissa Leigh). It was
published in the Macedonian literary magazine Blesok, both in English and
Macedonian.
In 2003 the novel De overstroming (The Flood) was published. This strong
and touching book deals with a young woman who survives a big flood in
modern Holland together with five other people. They are all living on a
man-made hill in the typical Dutch polder landscape. In her diary the
woman describes how their mutual relations are changing. A sample of this
novel has been translated into English, German and Spanish.
Mariët Meesters novel De volmaakte man (The Perfect Man) appeared in
November 2005. Two young people buy an apartment in Amsterdam. The
owner (and their neighbour) is an eccentric old Jewish lady who has
survived World War II in Veenhuizen, the secluded prison village where they
both come from. Watch the video (English subtitled).
In May 2006 Mariët Meester finished a non-fiction volume in which she
included everything she has written about Roma in Romania, Sla een
spijker in mijn hart - Roemeense Roma na de revolutie (Drive a Nail through
my Heart - Romanian Roma after the Revolution). This book was reprinted in
2007. Watch the video (English spoken). For Italian readers a passage of the
book has been translated. See: Piantami un chiodo nel cuore - I Rom
Rumeni dopo la rivoluzione.
October 2009 a new novel has been published, Liefdeslied van een reiziger
(A Traveller's Love Song). Watch the English video on YouTube.
In January 2012 De mythische oom (The Mythical Uncle) appeared. The
American uncle of Mariët Meester suffered from leukemia, but survived
thanks to a stem cell transplant, of which his brother – the father of the
writer – was the donor. In De mythische oom she immerges herself in the
pioneer life of her uncle in the U.S., his religious ideas and his extraordinary
healing. A bilingual essay about the misunderstandings that arose around
this book appeared in Asymptote Journal.
In 2011 Mariët returned for sixteen months to the prison colony where she
grew up, and stayed in a historic rectory. It resulted in two books: Koloniekak.
Leven in een gevangenisdorp, 2012 (Colony Posh, Life in a prison village) and
the novel Hollands Siberië, 2014 (Dutch Siberia). Both books found a large
audience.
Together with visual artist Jaap de Ruig Mariët Meester lives in Amsterdam
and in a wooden caravan in the polder. They also spend a lot of time in the
Spanish city of Málaga. Meesters non-fiction book De tribune van de armen,
2017 (The Tribune Of The Poor) is set in this city. She examines in a personal
way the annual release of a detainee during an Easter procession. The book
was translated into Spanish by Inge Luken en appeared in January 2019 as
La Tribuna de los Pobres.
Motivated by a personal wish for a different way of dealing with materials
and in accordance with the theme of the book, Meester decided to publish
her latest novel ‘Pingping’ (Shiners) in an edition of only a thousand
numbered and signed copies. The carefully designed book was published as
a hardcover with dust jacket and ribbon at publishing house Caprae in 2020.
The website 'Literair Nederland' called it 'a small work of art'.
In 2022, the long-awaited memoir about the author's childhood in the prison
village of Veenhuizen, Koloniekind (Colony Child), was published. During her
childhood the lives of the residents and the inmates were so intertwined,
that little Mariet went to kindergarten in a bus with barred windows.
Mariët Meester spent her
childhood in Veenhuizen, a
secluded prison village in the
north of Holland, nicknamed
Dutch Siberia. She studied at
the Minerva Academy of Fine
Arts in Groningen. During the
internship year she traveled
in a self-built gypsy caravan
through France, together
with Jaap de Ruig.
For an overview of the books, click here.
Mariët Meester spent her
childhood in Veenhuizen,
a secluded prison village
in the north of Holland,
nicknamed Dutch Siberia.
She studied at the
Minerva Academy of Fine
Arts in Groningen.
After working for a while
as a visual artist and free-lance journalist,
she published in 1990 her first literary novel
‘Sevillana’, situated in Andalusia, Spain. A
young woman, longing for spiritual
deepening, submerges herself in Sevilla's
Holy Week.
The same year she went
for the first time to
Romania, where she
stayed with Roma
(gypsies). In 1991 she
stayed again with her
Roma-friends, which led
in 1992 to the book ‘De
stilte voor het vuur’ (The
Calm Before The Fire). In
this non-fiction book her
compassion is visible on every page..
In 1994 ‘Bokkezang’ (Bucksong) was
published. This poetical novel tells the story
of two lovers, one of them representing art,
the other nature. Bokkezang has been
translated into Russian by Irina Michailova
and was published by Amphora, St.
Petersburg. Passages of this book have been
translated into English, German, Spanish and
Portuguese.
In 1997 the novel ‘De eerste zonde’ (The First
Sin) appeared. The main character, a girl of
twelve, lives in the Dutch prison village
Veenhuizen. Because of her concern with an
escapee, she inevitably loses her innocence.
This bright and colourful novel has been
reprinted five times.
In 2000 Meester was invited to participate in
the Literaturexpress, a train journey from
Lisbon via St. Petersburg to Berlin, with more
than a hundred European authors as
passengers. After the Literaturexpress she
wrote a short story which has been
translated into German and Spanish. (Photo:
Mariët Meester with Flemish author Kamiel
Vanhole. © Oliver Möst)
In the same year the author collected travel
stories about Romania, Mali and India in ‘De
verdwaalde nomade’ (The Nomad Who Got
Lost). Read an interview about one of these
stories.
Being a special guest at the World PEN-
congress 2002 in Ohrid, Macedonia, she
wrote the essay Oblomov as a woman
(translation Alissa Leigh). It was published in
the Macedonian literary magazine Blesok,
both in English and Macedonian.
In 2003 the novel ‘De overstroming’ (The
Flood) was published. This strong and
touching book deals with a young woman
who survives a big flood in modern Holland
together with five other people. They are all
living on a man-made hill in the typical
Dutch polder landscape. In her diary the
woman describes how their mutual relations
are changing. A sample of this novel has
been translated into English, German and
Spanish.
Mariët Meesters novel ‘De volmaakte man’
(The Perfect Man) appeared in November
2005. Two young people buy an apartment
in Amsterdam. The owner (and their
neighbour) is an eccentric old Jewish lady
who has survived World War II in
Veenhuizen, the secluded prison village
where they both come from. Watch the
video (English subtitled).
In May 2006 Mariët Meester finished a non-
fiction volume in which she included
everything she has written about Roma in
Romania, ‘Sla een spijker in mijn hart -
Roemeense Roma na de revolutie’ (Drive a
Nail through my Heart - Romanian Roma
after the Revolution). This book was
reprinted in 2007. Watch the video (English
spoken). For Italian readers a passage of the
book has been translated. See: Piantami un
chiodo nel cuore - I Rom Rumeni dopo la
rivoluzione.
October 2009 a new novel has been
published, ‘Liefdeslied van een reiziger’ (A
Traveller's Love Song). Watch the English
video on YouTube.
In January 2012 ‘De
mythische oom’ (The
Mythical Uncle)
appeared. The
American uncle of
Mariët Meester
suffered from
leukemia, but survived
thanks to a stem cell
transplant, of which
his brother – the father of the writer – was
the donor. In De mythische oom she
immerges herself in the pioneer life of her
uncle in the U.S., his religious ideas and his
extraordinary healing. A bilingual essay
about the misunderstandings that arose
around this book appeared in Asymptote
Journal.
In 2011 Mariët returned for sixteen months to
the prison colony where she grew up, and
stayed in a historic rectory. It resulted in two
books: ‘Koloniekak. Leven in een
gevangenisdorp’, 2012 (Colony Posh, Life in a
prison village.) and the novel Hollands
Siberië, 2014 (Dutch Siberia). Both books
found a large audience.
Together with visual artist Jaap de Ruig
Mariët Meester lives in Amsterdam and in a
wooden caravan in the polder. They also
spend a lot of time in the Spanish city of
Málaga. Meesters non-fiction book De
tribune van de armen, 2017 (The Tribune Of
The Poor) is set in this city. She examines in a
personal way the annual release of a
detainee during an Easter procession. The
book was translated into Spanish by Inge
Luken en appeared in January 2019 as La
Tribuna de los Pobres.
Motivated by a personal wish for a different
way of dealing with materials and in
accordance with the theme of the book,
Meester decided to publish her latest novel
‘Pingping’ (Shiners) in an edition of only a
thousand numbered and signed copies. The
carefully designed book was published as a
hardcover with dust jacket and ribbon at
publishing house Caprae in 2020. The
website 'Literair Nederland' called it 'a small
work of art'.
In 2022, the long-
awaited memoir
about the author's
childhood in the
prison village of
Veenhuizen,
Koloniekind (Colony
Child), was published.
During her childhood
the lives of the
residents and the
inmates were so
intertwined, that little Mariët went to
kindergarten in a bus with barred windows.
MARIËT MEESTER
For an overview of the books, click here.