The Multatuli Prize (in Dutch: Multatuliprijs) is a Dutch literary prize that is given every year to an author for exemplary writing in

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 ...

Background

The prizes were started in

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 ...

after the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. The prize is named after the acclaimed Dutch author

Eduard Douwes Dekker Eduard Douwes Dekker (2 March 182019 February 1887), better known by his pen name Multatuli (from Latin ''multa tulī'', "I have suffered much"), was a Dutch writer best known for his satirical novel ''Max Havelaar'' (1860), which denounced the a ...

(better known by his pen name

Multatuli Eduard Douwes Dekker (2 March 182019 February 1887), better known by his pen name Multatuli (from Latin ''multa tulī'', "I have suffered much"), was a Dutch writer best known for his satirical novel '' Max Havelaar'' (1860), which denounced the ...

) and is considered to be one of the most prestigious prizes in

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 ...

Eligibility

The nominated books must have been published between May 1 of the previous year and April 30 of the entry year.

Notable winners

Past winners of the prize include: * 2002 -

Paul Claes Paul Claes (born 30 October 1943) is a Flemish scholar, writer, poet and translator. Born in Leuven, Claes graduated in classical literature and Germanic philology (Dutch and English). He obtained a PhD in 1981, with a dissertation ''De mot zit i ...

''De Kameleon'' * 2001 - Jeroen Brouwers ''Geheime Kamers'' * 2000 -

Kees 't Hart Kees or KEES may refer to: * Kees (given name) * Kees (surname) * KEES, an American AM radio station licensed to Gladewater, Texas See also

* Cees (disambiguation) {{disambiguation ...

''De revue'' * 1999 -

Marie Kessels Marie Kessels (born Nederweert, 11 December 1954) is a Dutch poet and prose writer. She received the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs in 2009 for ''Ruw''. In 1999, she received the Multatuli Prize. ReferencesProfileat the Digital library for Dutch ...

''Ongemakkelijke portretten'' * 1998 - Dirkje Kuik ''Broholm'' * 1997 - Maria Stahlie ''Honderd deuren'' * 1996 - Rascha Peper ''Russisch blauw'' * 1995 - Tonnus Oosterhoff ''Het dikke hart'' * 1994 - Nelleke Noordervliet ''De naam van de vader'' * 1993 -

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 ...

'' De ontdekking van de hemel'' * 1992 - Dirk van Weelden ''Mobilhome'' * 1991 - Marita Mathijsen ''De geest van de dichter'' * 1990 - Marjolijn Februari ''De zonen van het uitzicht'' * 1989 - Armando ''De straat en het struikgewas'' * 1988 - Stefan Hertmans ''Gestolde wolken'' * 1987 - H.C. ten Berge ''Het geheim van een opgewekt humeur'' * 1986 - A.F.Th. van der Heijden ''De gevarendriehoek'' * 1985 -

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 ...

''In Nederland'' * 1984 - Armando ''Machthebbers'' * 1983 - K. Schippers ''Beweegredenen'' * 1982 -

Hugo Brandt Corstius Hugo Brandt Corstius (29 August 1935 – 28 February 2014) was a Dutch author, known for his achievements in both literature and science. In 1970, he was awarded a PhD on the subject of computational linguistics. He was employed at the Mathemat ...

'' Opperlandse taal- & letterkunde'' * 1981 - Doeschka Meijsing ''Tijger'' * 1980 - Jeroen Brouwers ''Het verzonkene'' * 1979 - Renate Rubinstein ''Niets te verliezen en toch bang'' * 1978 -

Gerrit Krol Gerrit Krol (1 August 1934 − 24 November 2013) was a Dutch author, essayist and writer. Krol was born in Groningen. He studied mathematics and worked with Royal Dutch Shell and some of its operating units as computer programmer and system des ...

''De weg naar Sacramento'' * 1977 -

Louis Ferron Louis Ferron (born Karl Heinz Beckering; 4 February 1942 – 26 August 2005) was a Dutch novelist and poet. Biography Louis Ferron was born in Leiden out of an adulterous relationship between a married German soldier and a waitress from Haarlem ...

''De keisnijder van Fichtenwald'' * 1976 - Bob den Uyl ''Gods wegen zijn duister en zelden aangenaam'' * 1975 -

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 ...

''Het vrome volk'' * 1974 - Anton Koolhaas ''Vanwege een tere huid'' * 1973 - Jan Arends * 1972 -

Louis Paul Boon Louis Paul Boon (15 March 1912, in Aalst – 10 May 1979, in Erembodegem) was a Belgian writer of novels, poetry, pornography, columns and art criticism. He was also a painter. He is best known for the novels ''My Little War'' (1947), the diptych ...

'' Pieter Daens''

References

{{reflist Academic awards Dutch literary awards Awards established in 1972 1972 establishments in the Netherlands Awards disestablished in 2003 2003 disestablishments in the Netherlands