Manja Croiset (5 July 1946, Amsterdam – January 2022, Hoogland (Amersfoort)) is a Dutch poet, writer and recitation artist. Croiset was born on 5 July 1946, in Amsterdam. She is a second generation Shoah victim, the daughter of Shoah survivors, and youngest of three daughters. The family members of her mother, Paula Kool (March 11, 1918 – May 11, 2012), were murdered in

The Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

. Her father, (April 24, 1915 – November 18, 2011), son of Hijman Croiset, survived several

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as concen ...

because of illegal printing practices including printing of ''

Het Parool ''Het Parool'' () is an Amsterdam-based daily newspaper. It was first published on 10 February 1941 as a resistance paper during the German occupation of the Netherlands (1940–1945). In English, its name means ''The Password'' or ''The Motto' ...

''. Manja is also a cousin of and

Jules Croiset Jules Croiset (born 9 October 1937) is a Dutch actor. He has appeared in more than 40 films and television shows since 1960. He is also known for having staged his own abduction by neo-Nazis in 1987. Selected filmography * ''Help! The Doctor Is ...

Early life and education

After

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

Manja attended

Barlaeus Gymnasium The Barlaeus Gymnasium is a secondary school in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It is one of the five categorial gymnasia in Amsterdam, the other four being Vossius Gymnasium, Ignatius Gymnasium, Het 4e gymnasium and Cygnus Gymnasium. It offers a ...

, but was admitted into a psychiatric hospital at an early age. She worked at the ''

Leidsch Dagblad The ''Leidsch Dagblad'' (Dutch: Leiden Daily) is a Dutch regional newspaper that is published since March 1, 1860.

Writing career

Croiset started her career later in life, but wrote numerous books in a short period. Her work has some philosophical aspect. She also creates 'Manjaphorisms and other puns. The reoccurring subject lines in her books are about being a second generation Shoah victim and her life in the many different psychiatric institutions. In 2009 she received the Elikser award and certificate from her publisher. This was the first time the prize was awarded.

Bibliography

* 1956: ''Pietje en Sjaantje Deel I''. Jeugdwerk met eigen gemaakte tekeningen (no ISBN available) * 1956: '' Mier en Kabouter Deel II''. Jeugdwerk met eigen gemaakte tekeningen * 2006: ''Dissonante Symfonie''. Verzameld werk, uitgeverij Gopher. * 2007: ''Mijn leven achter onzichtbare tralies'',

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

, * 2007: ''Uit de spelonken van mijn ziel'', gedichten, * 2007: ''Out of the caves from my soul / my life a kind of a prison'', * 2008: ''Croisade van een Croiset: elke droom een nachtmerrie'', , uitgeverij Elikser * 2008: ''Mijn leven achter onzichtbare tralies'', heruitgave, . Er zijn ook 2 cd's van het boek. Dit beschrijft dezelfde wereld als de debuutroman ''Blauwe Maandagen'' van

Arnon Grunberg Arnon Yasha Yves Grunberg (; born 22 February 1971) is a Dutch writer of novels, essays, and columns, as well as a journalist. He published some of his work under the heteronym Marek van der Jagt. He lives in New York. His work has been transla ...

, namelijk de problematiek van de Joodse tweede generatie * 2009: ''Toeschouwer of deelnemer: filosoof of zonderling'', gedichten/gedachten. bloemlezing, * 2009: ''Knipoog in de duisternis'', * 2011: ''Een hart van bloedkoraal'', , een vervolg op de autobiografie ''Mijn leven achter onzichtbare tralies'' * 2011: ''Traan met een kwinkslag'', bestaande uit deze titel, ''gedichten of gedachten'', ''bedelares voor eeuwig'', ''de tijdloze tijd'', ''borrelnootjes'', ''Manjaforismen'' en ''Manjafiques'', * 2012: ''Zieleroerselen van een getormenteerd mens'', naar het gelijknamige weblog. Subtitel: ''Living on my isle of fear and loneliness''. * 2012: ''Wie is de vrouw in de spiegel... bloemlezing of rouwkrans'', * 2013: ''MC (de alleszeggende stilte/eenzame wolf)'', . Inclusief het boekje AGONIE * 2013: ''Spelen met taal''. Bestaande uit: Eigen-wijsheden, Eigen-aardigheden, Manja-fiques, Ver-zin-sels. Manj-aforismen * 2014: ''Over de Shoah die nooit voorbij gaat'', (familie)historie, * 2014: ''Spelen met taal'', Grotere uitgave * 2014: '' WOORDKUNSTENAAR niet bij letters alleen.'' Met eigen gemaakte illustraties. * 2014: ''Over de Shoah die nooit voorbij gaat'', (familie)historie, * 2014: ''Fotoboek over dans, van de schoonheid en de troost naar de VPRO serie.'' * 2015: ''Over de Shoah die nooit voorbij gaat'', (familie)historie, * 2015: ''Over de Shoah die nooit voorbij gaat'', (familie)historie, * 2015: ''Manja en Klinieken of de Grote Miskenning'', met foto's * 2015: ''AUTHENTIEKE VERTELLINGEN door generaties heen'', met foto's, Eigen beheer. * 2015: ''Manja en Klinieken of de grote Miskenning'', hardcover, met foto's * 2015: ''My life a kind of prison with a wink in the darkness,poems and prose together her autobiography in English. A resume from the authors Dutch books.'', with illustrations * 2015: Sprookje. Heruitgave 1956 Pietje Mier en Sjaantje Kabouter. Hardcover Eigen beheer * 2015: RariteitenkabineT van manja croiseT. Met veel illustraties. Eigen beheer.

Documentary

Dutch documentary maker

Willy Lindwer Willy Lindwer (born Wolf Lindwer, 18 March 1946) is a Dutch documentary film producer, director, photographer and author. Biography Willy Lindwer was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where he studied at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy. ...

made a 60-minute documentary about Manja Croiset's life, ''Manja – A Life Behind Invisible Bars''. The movie made its debut in 2013 at the

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam. Over a period of twelve days, it has screened more than 300 films and sold more than 250,000 tic ...

. After its debut, it was translated into English and released in the United States. Showed on Nationaal Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam April 2018 and is also in the collection of Yad Vashemhttps://library.yadvashem.org/index.html?language=en&strSearch=Manjia%20croiset&searchIn=library&mov=1 included the autobiography with a Wink in the darkness. Introduced by a speech from the author.

References

External links