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 of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

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 opposin ...

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

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 ''De Kameleon'' * 2001 -

Jeroen Brouwers Jeroen Godfried Marie Brouwers (30 April 1940 – 11 May 2022) was a Dutch writer. From 1964 to 1976 Brouwers worked as an editor at Manteau publishers in Brussels. In 1964 he made his literary debut with ''Het mes op de keel'' (''The Knife ...

''Geheime Kamers'' * 2000 - Kees 't Hart ''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 ''The Discovery of Heaven'' () is a 1992 novel by Dutch writer Harry Mulisch. It is considered Mulisch's masterpiece and was voted best book in the Dutch language in a 2007 poll among the readers of '' NRC Handelsblad''. A 2001 film adaptation ...

'' * 1992 - Dirk van Weelden ''Mobilhome'' * 1991 -

Marita Mathijsen Marita Theodora Catharina Mathijsen-Verkooijen (born 8 August 1944 in Belfeld) is professor of modern Dutch literature at the University of Amsterdam, with her speciality as the literature of the nineteenth century in the Netherlands. Mathijsen g ...

''De geest van de dichter'' * 1990 - Marjolijn Februari ''De zonen van het uitzicht'' * 1989 -

Armando Armando may refer to: * Armando (given name) * Armando (artist) (1929–2018), the name used by Dutch artist Herman Dirk van Dodeweerd * Armando (producer) Armando Gallop (sometimes written as Armando Gallup) (February 12, 1970 – December 17, ...

''De straat en het struikgewas'' * 1988 -

Stefan Hertmans Stefan Hertmans (born 1951 in Ghent, Belgium) is a Flemish Belgian writer. He was head of a study centre at University College Ghent and affiliated researcher of the Ghent University. He won the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs in 2002 for the novel '' ...

''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 -

''Machthebbers'' * 1983 -

K. Schippers Gerard Stigter (6 November 1936 – 12 August 2021), known by the pseudonym K. Schippers, was a Dutch poet, prose writer and art critic. Credited with having introduced the readymade as a poetic form, the whole of his work is dedicated to looking ...

''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 ''Opperlandse taal- & letterkunde'' (written in 1981) is a book dedicated to peculiarities of the Dutch language. It was written by "Battus", one of many pseudonyms used by Hugo Brandt Corstius. The title means "Upperlandic Language and Linguisti ...

'' * 1981 -

Doeschka Meijsing Maria Johanna Meijsing (21 October 1947 – 30 January 2012) was a Dutch novelist. She won the AKO Literatuurprijs in 2000 for her novel '' De tweede man'', and in 2008 the Ferdinand Bordewijk Prijs for her novel '' Over de liefde''. Doeschka Mei ...

''Tijger'' * 1980 -

''Het verzonkene'' * 1979 -

Renate Rubinstein Renate Ida Rubinstein (November 16, 1929 in Berlin – November 23, 1990 in Amsterdam) was a German-Dutch writer, journalist and columnist. Biography Rubinstein was born in Berlin, Germany, to a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother. Followi ...

''Niets te verliezen en toch bang'' * 1978 - Gerrit Krol ''De weg naar Sacramento'' * 1977 - Louis Ferron ''De keisnijder van Fichtenwald'' * 1976 -

Bob den Uyl Jacob (Bob) den Uyl (27 March 1930, Rotterdam – 13/14 February, 1992 Rotterdam) was a Dutch writer of mostly short stories. His writing style is mostly ironic and observant. The most prominent theme in his work is the purposelessness and absurd ...

''Gods wegen zijn duister en zelden aangenaam'' * 1975 - Maarten 't Hart ''Het vrome volk'' * 1974 -

Anton Koolhaas Anthonie "Anton" Koolhaas (16 November 1912 – 16 December 1992) was a Dutch journalist, novelist, and scenario writer. Biography Anthonie Koolhaas was born on 16 November 1912 in Utrecht, Netherlands. He was the son of Teunis Koolhaas and Trij ...

''Vanwege een tere huid'' * 1973 -

Jan Arends Jan Arends (11 September 1738, in Dordrecht – 22 April 1805, in Dordrecht) was a Dutch painter. He was the brother of the poet Roelof Arends. He was a pupil of J. Ponse, and painted landscapes and marine subjects. He laboured many years at Ams ...

* 1972 - Louis Paul Boon '' 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