Doeschka Meijsing wins AKO Literature Prize 2008
For her novel Over de liefde (About Love) Doeschka Meijsing has been awarded the AKO Literature Prize 2008. The prize is one of the most important literary prizes in the Dutch-language area and consists of € 50,000.
From the jury report:
Meijsing has written an impressive novel which is remarkable from the first page for its pace, excitement and originality. Sidetracks are convincingly traced, the past is surprisingly topical and the characters come alive beautifully. The story is not only cleverly constructed, it is also convincing through its apposite style. Sentence by sentence, word by word, the irony is cherished, the choice of words leading the reader to shiver in sympathy, but also with nostalgia. The Japanese commandant, the lonely swim through the canal, but also the sunny schoolgirls at the grammar school, the blue of Ticino, all of them elements which both touch and stay with you. Doeschka Meijsing’s About Love is a book to love.
Also nominated were Machiel Bosman for Elisabeth de Flines, Tomas Lieske for Dünya, Bianca Stigter for De ontsproten Picasso, Chris de Stoop for Het complot van België and Leon de Winter for Het recht op terugkeer (The Right of Return).
photo Leo van der Noort