Herman Koch (; born 5 September 1953) is a Dutch writer and actor. He has written

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, novels, and columns. His best-selling novel '' The Dinner'' (2009) has been translated into 21 languages. He has acted for radio, television, and film. He co-created the long-running TV series '' Jiskefet'' (1990–2005).

Early life and education

Herman Koch was born on 5 September 1953 in

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

, Netherlands. His family moved to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

when he was two years old.Radio Books – 'A Brief History of Deceit' by Herman Koch
, ''

Radio Netherlands Worldwide Radio Netherlands (RNW; nl, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep) was a public radio and television network based in Hilversum, producing and transmitting programmes for international audiences outside the Netherlands from 1947 to 2012. Its services i ...

'', 2009. Retrieved on 14 October 2012. He went to the Montessori Lyceum Amsterdam from which he was expelled. G.J. van Bork
Koch, Herman
''Schrijvers en dichters'', 2006. Retrieved on 29 May 2013.

Acting

Koch is an actor for radio, television, and film. He contributed to the comedy show ''Borát'' (1984–1989) for radio. Together with Kees Prins and Michiel Romeyn, Koch created the long-running absurdist and

satiric Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

series '' Jiskefet'' (1990–2005; ''Trash Can'') for television, in which he also acted. And he played minor roles in the movies ''

The Flying Liftboy ''The Flying Liftboy'' ( nl, Abeltje) is a 1998 Dutch film directed by Ben Sombogaart. The film was based on the 1953 Dutch children's book '' Abeltje'' by Annie M. G. Schmidt. It won the Golden Calf for Best Feature Film. Plot summary Lift boy ...

'' (1998) and ''Hè, Gezellig'' (2014; Hey, Cosy), and the TV series ''The Flying Liftboy'' (2000) and ''Voetbalvrouwen'' (2007; ''Footballers' Wives'').

Writing

Koch is the author of short stories, novels, and columns. His debut was ''De voorbijganger'' (1985; ''The Passerby'') with short stories. His first novel was ''Red ons, Maria Montanelli'' (1989; ''Save Us, Maria Montanelli''). In 2005, Koch wrote the text for the

Grand Dictation of the Dutch Language The Grand Dictation of the Dutch Language ( nl, Groot Dictee der Nederlandse Taal) was a televised spelling test for adults organized by the Belgian newspaper ''De Morgen'', the Dutch newspaper '' de Volkskrant'' and the Dutch public broadcaster N ...

. His sixth novel was ''

Het diner ''The Dinner'' (Dutch: ''Het diner'') is a novel by the Dutch author Herman Koch. The book was first published by Ambo Anthos in 2009. It was translated into English by Sam Garrett, published in Great Britain in 2012, and the United States in 20 ...

'' (2009; ''The Dinner''), which was translated into 21 languages including English,Author: Herman Koch
Dutch Foundation for Literature. Retrieved on 2012-10-14. had sold over one million copies throughout Europe, and won the 2009 NS

Audience award An audience award is typically an award at a film festival (or some other type of cultural festival or similar competition) which is selected by the audience attending the festival, rather than by the festival jury or a group of critics. Example ...

(Dutch: ''NS Publieksprijs''). A Dutch play of ''The Dinner'' was in theaters in 2012 and a Dutch movie of the book was released in 2013. An Italian movie adaptation, '' The Dinner'' (Italian: ''I Nostri Ragazzi''), was released in 2014. An English-language film adaptation, '' The Dinner'', was released in 2017. Koch's characters are usually highly disagreeable, distrusting and violent, and they often defend questionable morals and extreme views. Underlying themes in their narratives include happiness, mediocrity, disgust, the right to live, cynicism, violence, beauty, and the ugly. Koch's writing style is easy to follow and straightforward.

Personal life

Koch is married to Amalia, and they have a son. Herman Koch (interview)
Interview: Herman Koch
''Margriet'', 2011. Retrieved on 14 July 2013. Koch is a half-brother of writer

Els Pelgrom Els Pelgrom (born 2 April 1934, Arnhem), pseudonym of Else Koch, is a Dutch writer of children's literature. Biography Career For some time she worked on the children's section of the ''Winschoter Courant''. She also worked for a short pe ...

Bibliography

;Short stories * (1985) ''De voorbijganger'' (The Passerby) * (1991) ''Hansaplast voor een opstandige'' (Hansaplast for a Rebel), under the pseudonym Menno Voorhof * (1998) ''Geen agenda'' (No Agenda) * (2001) ''Schrijven & drinken'' (Writing & Drinking) * (2001) ''Dingetje'' (Thingy) * (2003) ''Alle verhalen'' (All Stories) * (2012) ''Korte geschiedenis van het bedrog'' (Brief History of Deceit) ;Novels * (1989) ''Red ons, Maria Montanelli'' (Save Us, Maria Montanelli) * (1996) ''Eindelijk oorlog'' (War at Last) * (2000) ''Eten met Emma'' (Eating With Emma) * (2003) ''Odessa Star'' (Odessa Star) * (2005) ''Denken aan Bruce Kennedy'' (Thinking About Bruce Kennedy) * (2009) ''Het diner''; English translation: '' The Dinner'' (2012) * (2011) ''Zomerhuis met zwembad''; English translation: ''Summer House with Swimming Pool'' (2014) * (2014) ''Geachte heer M.'' (Dear Mr. M.) * (2016) ''De greppel'' (The Ditch) * (2020) ''Finse dagen'' (Finnish Days) * (2021) ''Een film met Sophia'' ;Columns * (1999) ''Het evangelie volgens Jodocus'' (The Gospel According To Judoc) * (2010) ''De ideale schoonzoon'' (The Ideal Son-in-law)

References

External links

Herman Koch
official website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Herman 1953 births 20th-century Dutch novelists 20th-century Dutch male writers 20th-century Dutch short story writers 21st-century Dutch novelists 21st-century Dutch short story writers Dutch columnists Dutch humorists Dutch male film actors Dutch male novelists Dutch male radio actors Dutch male short story writers Dutch male television actors Dutch surrealist artists Living people Writers from Amsterdam People from Arnhem 21st-century Dutch male writers Male actors from Amsterdam