Céline Linssen (b. 1958) studied philosophy as well as film and the performing arts. She has been editorin- chief of the film magazines Skrien and Versus. Linssen also writes screenplays and stage scripts, and works as a translator. She is currently writing the screenplay for Boven is het stil (It Is Silent Up There), Gerbrand Bakker’s successful debut novel.
(Augustus, 2007, 190 pages)
Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, better known as Mata Hari, continues to inspire historians, journalists and artists, even though she died almost 100 years ago. The mystery and speculation surrounding her turbulent love life, her sensational performances as a naked dancer and her career as a spy have stirred countless imaginations – not least that of director Céline Linssen, who wrote the screenplay, Mata Hari’s Last Love. Filming was delayed – insufficient funding – for several years but that led, happily, to her adapting her script into a stirringly sensual novel, Duet.
