Thomas Rosenboom (born 8 January 1956, in

Doetinchem Doetinchem (; Low Saxon: ) is a city and municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the Oude IJssel (Old IJssel) river in a part of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek. The municipality had a population of in ...

), is a Dutch author of novels and short stories. His novels ''Gewassen vlees'' and ''Publieke werken'' won him the

Libris Prize The Libris Literature Award or Libris Prize (Dutch: Libris Literatuur Prijs) is a prize for novels originally written in Dutch. Established in 1993, it is awarded annually since 1994 by Libris, an association of independent Dutch booksellers, an ...

in 1995 and 2000; he is the only author to have won it twice.

Career

Rosenboom received his secondary education 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 banks of ...

and then studied psychology in

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

, but after three years switched to Dutch literature and linguistics, gaining his degree ''cum laude'' in 1983. His authorial debut was a novella, ''Bedenkingen'', which he published in the literary magazine ''De Revisor''. His 1983 collection ''De mensen thuis'', which included ''Bedenkingen'', won him the Lucy B. en C.W. van der Hoogtprijs. His first novel was the 1985 thriller ''Vriend van verdienste''. In 2004 Rosenboom wrote the

Boekenweek In the Netherlands, the Boekenweek (; English: Book Week) is an annual "week" of ten days dedicated to Dutch literature. It has been held in March annually since 1932. Each Boekenweek has a theme. The beginning of the Boekenweek is marked by the ' ...

geschenk, ''Spitzen''. He has taught at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, and has given classes in prose fiction writing in Amsterdam.

Novels

Rosenboom's novels are often historical, containing recognizable, universal characters who are often unable to avoid their fate. His novel ''Gewassen vlees'' is set during the eighteenth century, at the time of the

Pachtersoproer The pachtersoproer was a Dutch rebellion in the 18th century. The origin of the uprising was to be found in the economic malaise of the 1740s as a result of the Austrian War of Succession. It was the system of commercial tax-collection called ''pac ...

. His ''Publieke werken'' features a pharmacist in

Drenthe Drenthe () is a province of the Netherlands located in the northeastern part of the country. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and the German state of Lower Saxony to the east. As of Nov ...

and his nephew, a violin luthier in Amsterdam, and takes place between 1880 and 1889 against the backdrop of the

peat bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

s in Drenthe and the late-nineteenth century wealth and expansion of Amsterdam. The novel was contracted for movie adaptation in 2008. After 2003 he took a break from novel writing and did not publish one until 2009, when ''Zoete mond'' appeared, a novel which combines autobiographical elements and historical events. Its publication was notable enough to be mentioned on the national news, the

NOS Journaal NOS Journaal is the umbrella name for the news broadcasts of the Dutch public broadcaster NOS on radio and television. The division of the NOS responsible for gathering and broadcasting the news is known as ''NOS Nieuws'', and is based at the Med ...

Bibliography

*1982 - ''Bedenkingen'' (novella) *1983 - ''De mensen thuis'' (stories) *1985 - ''Vriend van verdienste'' (novel) *1994 - ''Gewassen vlees'' (novel) *1999 - ''Publieke werken'' (novel) *2003 - ''De nieuwe man'' (novel) *2004 - ''Spitzen'' (novel) *2006 - ''Hoog aan de wind'' (stories) *2009 - ''Zoete mond'' (novel) *2012 - ''De rode loper'' (novel)

References

External links

Official website
1956 births Living people 20th-century Dutch novelists 20th-century Dutch male writers 21st-century Dutch novelists Dutch male novelists Libris Prize winners People from Doetinchem Radboud University Nijmegen alumni University of Michigan staff 21st-century Dutch male writers {{Netherlands-writer-stub