Arthur Japin

Biography

Arthur Japin (b. 1956) has written for the stage as well as for radio and television. In 1996 he published his first book, the collection of short fiction Magonische verhalen (Magonian Stories). He made his breakthrough a year later with the novel De zwarte met het witte hart (The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi), which sold over 150,000 copies and was awarded the Van der Hoogt Prize (1998) and the ECI Prize (1999). In 1998 Japin published another story collection, De vierde wand (The Fourth Wall), followed in 2002 by the novel De droom van de leeuw (Director’s Cut) and in 2003 by Een schitterend gebrek (In Lucia’s Eyes), which won him the Libris Literature Prize. Japin’s work has been translated into more than 15 languages.

Titles

The Fourth Wall

(De vierde wand, 1998)

The publication of De zwarte met het witte hart (The Two Hearts of Kwasi Boachi) in 1997 established Arthur Japin’s name as a writer. This voluminous, bestselling novel about the tragic story of two Ashanti princes Kwasi and Kwame, who were offered as a gift to King William I in 1837, can compete with the work of writers like Marguerite Yourcenar and Hella Haasse. In a beautiful, polished style, Japin blended fiction and historic fact into a striking whole. Continued...

Cover Een schitterend gebrek

In Lucia’s Eyes

(Een schitterend gebrek, 2003)

Arthur Japin found his inspiration for In Lucia’s Eyes in an episode in the life of Giacomo Casanova, philanderer and bon vivant. In his memoirs Casanova tells of being invited to the country estate of Pasiano as a sixteen-year-old and falling hopelessly in love with the breathtaking Lucia, two years his junior. She has only one splendid flaw: ‘She is too young.’ Because of Lucia’s genuine innocence he does not bed her, promising instead to return in six months to ask for her hand in marriage. Continued...

Cover De overgave

Surrender

(De overgave, 2007)

In De overgave (Surrender), Arthur Japin tells the heartbreaking, horrific and cruel story of Sallie ‘Granny’ Parker, a devout white colonist who moves further and further West with her husband, daughters and grandchildren in order to build a new life. Arthur Japin has set his new novel in the ‘New World’ of early and mid-nineteenth century America, basing it on historical facts, moulded to his own ends. Continued...

Arthur Japin

photo Thom Hoffman

Website author

More information can be found at:
www.arthurjapin.nl

Authors & Titles


Translated Titles

  • Løven drømmer (De droom van de leeuw). Oslo: Gyldendal, 2004
  • (De droom van de leeuw) (De droom van de leeuw). København: Tiderne Skifter,
  • [(De droom van de leeuw)] (De droom van de leeuw). St. Petersburg: Limbus Press,
  • Director's cut (De droom van de leeuw). New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010
  • Der Schwarze mit dem weißen Herzen (De zwarte met het witte hart). München: List Taschenbuch, 2001
  • [Or sjachor, lev lavan] (De zwarte met het witte hart). Jerusalem: Keter, 2005
  • O preto de coração branco (De zwarte met het witte hart). Lisboa: Teorema, 2003
  • [Ho mauros me tè leukè kardia] (De zwarte met het witte hart). Athéna: Kastaniotis, 2003
  • The two hearts of Kwasi Boachi (De zwarte met het witte hart). London etc.: Vintage, 2001
  • Le noir au coeur blanc (De zwarte met het witte hart). Paris: Gallimard, 2000
  • Der Schwarze mit dem weißen Herzen (De zwarte met het witte hart). München: Claassen, 1999
  • The two hearts of Kwasi Boachi (De zwarte met het witte hart). London: Chatto & Windus, 2000
  • Den sorte med det hvide hjerte (De zwarte met het witte hart). København: Tiderne Skifter, 2000
  • Den svarte med det hvite hjertet (De zwarte met het witte hart). Oslo: Gyldendal, 1999
  • El negro que tenía un corazón blanco (De zwarte met het witte hart). Madrid: Debate, 2000
  • The two hearts of Kwasi Boachi (De zwarte met het witte hart). New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000
  • Il nero dal cuore bianco (De zwarte met het witte hart). Parma: Ugo Guanda, 2000
  • (Een schitterend gebrek) (Een schitterend gebrek). Lisboa: Teorema,
  • In Lucia’s eyes (Een schitterend gebrek). New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005
  • Nádherná vada (Een schitterend gebrek). Praha: Paseka, 2006
  • I Lucias øjne (Een schitterend gebrek). København: Tiderne Skifter, 2006
  • Un charmant défaut (Een schitterend gebrek). Paris: Héloïse d'Ormesson, 2006
  • Die Verführung (Een schitterend gebrek). Frankfurt am Main: Schöffling & Co., 2006
  • Casanova (Een schitterend gebrek). Warszawa: Prószynski i S-ka, 2006
  • [Ena uperocho elattōma (Een schitterend gebrek). Athéna: Ellinika Grammata, 2006
  • Os olhos de Lucia (Een schitterend gebrek). São Paulo: Schwarcz / Companhia das Letras, 2007
  • U Lucijinim ocima (Een schitterend gebrek). Beograd: Laguna, 2007
  • Në sytë e Luçias (Een schitterend gebrek). Tirana; Utrecht: Skanderbeg books,
  • El primer amor de Casanova (Een schitterend gebrek). Barcelona: Martínez Roca, 2006
  • [Edin prekrasen nedostatak] (Een schitterend gebrek). Plovdiv: Lettera, 2008
  • In Lucia’s eyes (Een schitterend gebrek). London: Chatto & Windus, 2005
  • In Lucia’s eyes (Een schitterend gebrek). London etc.: Vintage, 2006
  • [Be-enej Lucia] (Een schitterend gebrek). Jerusalem: Keter, 2008
  • Lucia's eyes (Een schitterend gebrek). Tallinn: Ilo, 2007
  • [Pervaja ljubov' Kazanov'i] (Een schitterend gebrek). Moskva: Mir Knigi, 2007
  • În ochii Luciei (Een schitterend gebrek). Bucuresti: Humanitas, 2008
  • (Een schitterend gebrek) (Een schitterend gebrek). Budapest: Európa,
  • Die Verführung (Een schitterend gebrek). München; Zürich: Diana, 2007
  • In Lucia's eyes (Een schitterend gebrek). New York: Vintage, 2007
  • (De grote wereld) (De grote wereld). New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
  • La donna che non voleva arrendersi (De overgave). Milano: Bompiani, 2009