Own rules and conventions

Toon Tellegen, who also writes poetry for adults, is one of those unusual writers who - when writing for children - does not have to twist himself into knots to enter a child’s world. His animal stories, collected in the volume Misschien wisten zij alles (Perhaps They Knew Everything, 1995) float on an invigorating island within Dutch-language children’s literature, an oasis with its own rules and conventions: the stories are never longer than two pages, and there is only one for each animal or tree. The ant, the squirrel, the elephant and the beetle reveal evidence of a considerable intellectual capacity that allows them to ponder extensively about the beech or the oak, about falling out of a tree, about writing letters (collected in the enchanting Brieven aan niemand anders; Letters to No-one Else, 1996) or celebrating birthdays. In Tellegen’s stories hardly anything ever happens. The animals hold long conversations and sink into a meditative silence at the end of the day. No suspenseful intrigues, no cute animals taking on human form, no explicit social criticism. Instead we get a peculiar philosophising, moving but comical situations, virtuoso word games, ethereal amazing poetry and eternal yearning.

Illustration by Rotraut Susanne Berner (from: Mijn vader by Toon Tellegen)

Tellegen has successfully and carefully preserved a childlike uninhibitedness, amazement and seriousness. This is evident in his stories about people: Juffrouw Kachel (Miss Stove, 1991), Jannes (1993), and Mijn vader (My Father, 1994). In Mijn vader Jozef, the young narrator, tells about his father with exaggeration. The argumentation and anecdotes are funny, bizarre and moving. This makes Tellegen one of Dutch literature’s most original and talented authors, an opinion shared by many adults.