In the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, the Boekenweek (; English: Book Week) is an annual "week" of ten days dedicated to

Dutch literature Dutch language literature () comprises all writings of literary merit written through the ages in the Dutch language, a language which currently has around 23 million native speakers. Dutch-language literature is the product of the Netherlands, Be ...

. It has been held in March annually since 1932. Each Boekenweek has a theme. The beginning of the Boekenweek is marked by the ''Boekenbal'' (''book ball''), a gathering that is attended by writers and publishers. Events are held across the country during the Boekenweek, such as

book signing Book signing is the affixing of a signature to the title page or flyleaf of a book by its author. Book signings are events, usually at a bookstore or library, where an author sits and signs books for a period. Book signing Book signing is popu ...

sessions,

literary festival A literary festival, also known as a book festival or writers' festival, is a regular gathering of writers and readers, typically on an annual basis in a particular city. A literary festival usually features a variety of presentations and readings ...

s and

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

Publications

Each year a well-known writer, usually Dutch or

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

, is asked to write a book, usually a novella, called the ''Boekenweekgeschenk'' (''book week gift''), which is to be given away during the festival.

Book shops Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librar ...

give a copy of the Boekenweekgeschenk when a customer buys a book in the

Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-Europea ...

; libraries also give copies of these books when a new person becomes a member. The Boekenweekgeschenk is published by the

Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek The Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek (CPNB, "Collective Promotion for the Dutch Book") is a Dutch organization that includes representatives of bookstores and publishers, whose goal is to promote Dutch literature. History and activi ...

(''CPNB'', ''Collective Promotion for the Dutch Book''). Some authors invited to write for this event have included

Maarten 't Hart Maarten 't Hart (born 25 November 1944 in Maassluis) is a Dutch writer. Trained as a biologist in zoology and ethology at the Leiden University, he taught that subject before becoming a full-time writer in the 1980s, having made his debut as a ...

(1984),

Hugo Claus Hugo Maurice Julien Claus (; 5 April 1929 – 19 March 2008) was a leading Belgian author who published under his own name as well as various pseudonyms. Claus' literary contributions spanned the genres of drama, the novel, and poetry; he also l ...

(1989),

Cees Nooteboom Cees Nooteboom (; born 31 July 1933) is a Dutch novelist, poet and journalist. After the attention received by his novel ''Rituelen'' (''Rituals'', 1980), which received the Pegasus Prize, it was the first of his novels to be translated into an ...

, and

Harry Mulisch Harry Kurt Victor Mulisch ( ; 29 July 1927 – 30 October 2010) was a Dutch writer. He wrote more than 80 novels, plays, essays, poems, and philosophical reflections. Mulisch's works have been translated into over thirty languages. Along with Wi ...

(2000).Boekenweekuitgaven en thema's vanaf 1930
, Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek In 2001, the Boekenweekgeschenk was originally written in English by

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Wes ...

and later translated into Dutch. In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, the Boekenweekgeschenk was sometimes published anonymously, with a list of possible authors inside the book.Geschiedenis van de Boekenweek
Historiek, 10 March 2010 As a competition, readers could submit their guess by postcard as to who the author was. Since 2002, the Boekenweekgeschenk can be used as a ticket to travel for free by train with the

Nederlandse Spoorwegen Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; ; en, "Dutch Railways") is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest in the European Union, and the ...

on the final Sunday of the Boekenweek. Since 1987, an essay, the ''Boekenweekessay,'' has been written in addition to the Boekenweekgeschenk. The Boekenweekessay can be purchased in book shops. Some authors include

Jan Wolkers Jan Hendrik Wolkers (26 October 1925 – 19 October 2007) was a Dutch author, sculptor and painter. Wolkers is considered by some to be one of the "Great Four" writers of post-World War II Dutch literature, alongside Willem Frederik Hermans, Har ...

(1995),

Gerrit Komrij Gerrit Jan Komrij (30 March 1944 – 5 July 2012) was a Dutch poet, novelist, translator, critic, polemic journalist and playwright. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s writing poetry that sharply contrasted with the free-form poetry of his ...

(1997) and

Adriaan van Dis Adriaan van Dis (Bergen aan Zee, 16 December 1946) is a Dutch author. He debuted in 1983 with the novella ''Nathan Sid''. In 1995 his book ''Indische Duinen'' (''My Father's War''), which in its narrative is a follow up to his debut novella, wa ...

(2004). The

curriculum vitae In English, a curriculum vitae (,

of the author of the Boekenweekgeschenk – called the ''Boekenweek-cv'' – is distributed by

public libraries A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also civil servants. There are five fundamenta ...

among their members.

History

On 15 November 1930, the ''Dag van het Boek'' (''Day of the Book'') was held to protect books from new media, such as radio and cinema.Onderzoek Het boek in Nederland 2005
, Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek, 14 November 2005, press release The book ''De uitgever en zijn bedrijf'' by Johan Tersteeg was published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ''Nederlandsche Uitgeversbond''. Publishers, booksellers and others interested in supporting books organized a longer event to promote Dutch literature. In 1932, the first Boekenweek was held and the first Boekenweekgeschenk was published. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the Boekenweek was not held in the years 1942 till 1945. In 1941, a Boekenweekgeschenk was published but it was withdrawn from the stores due to German occupation of the country. Despite competition from other media, including new technology since 1932, the Boekenweekgeschenk has grown in popularity over the years. In 2010, during the 75th Boekenweek, 958.000 copies of the Boekenweekgeschenk were produced.

Boekenbal

First held in 1947, the Boekenbal (''book ball'') is an invitation-only event, with the Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek (CPNB) deciding the guest list. It is traditionally held in the

Stadsschouwburg The Stadsschouwburg (; Dutch: ''Municipal Theatre'') of Amsterdam is the name of a theatre building at the Leidseplein in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The building is in the neo-Renaissance style dating back to 1894, and is the former home of the Na ...

in Amsterdam. The invitation policy of CPNB has sparked some controversy, and another group has organized the independent event called the ''Bal der Geweigerden'' (''Ball of the Refused'').Bal der geweigerden voor álle schrijvers

de Volkskrant ''de Volkskrant'' (; ''The People's Paper'') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium-sized c ...

It was first held in 2002 in Paradiso, which is nearby the location of the official Boekenbal, and it can be attended by anyone.

Kinderboekenweek

Since 1955, a book week for children has been held, called the ''Kinderboekenweek''. It is held in October and it also lasts ten days. It opens with a social gathering, called the ''Kinderboekenbal''. Similar to the Boekenweek, a ''Kinderboekenweekgeschenk'' is written and published to be given away by book shops to clients purchasing literature for children. Some of the authors include

Paul Biegel Paulus Johannes "Paul" Biegel (; 25 March 1925 – 21 October 2006) was a successful and prolific Dutch writer of children's literature. Biography Paul Biegel was born in Bussum in 1925. His father, Hermann Biegel, was of German descent, and own ...

(1977), Annie M.G. Schmidt (1990) and

Thea Beckman Theodora Beckmann (née Petie; 23 July 1923 – 5 May 2004), better known by her pen name Thea Beckman, was a Dutch author of children's books. Biography At a young age, Beckman knew she wanted to be a writer. As a teenager, she would write num ...

(1991). Since 1986, a

picture book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

is published for

toddler A toddler is a child approximately 12 to 36 months old, though definitions vary. The toddler years are a time of great cognitive, emotional and social development. The word is derived from "to toddle", which means to walk unsteadily, like a child ...

List of publications

References

External links

Boekenweek website

Collectieve Propaganda van het Nederlandse Boek
{{in lang, nl Dutch literature Dutch words and phrases Festivals in the Netherlands Literary festivals in the Netherlands March events Recurring events established in 1932 Festivals established in 1932 Annual events in the Netherlands 1932 establishments in the Netherlands Spring (season) events in the Netherlands