Toine Heijmans (b. 1969) is a journalist for de Volkskrant. After writing the non-fiction book La Vie Vinex (2007), he made his mark with his debut novel Op Zee (At Sea, 2011). The book was lauded by reviewers and booksellers alike, and has been translated into German, French, Danish and Hungarian. The French translation was honoured with the Prix Médicis étranger in 2013.
(L.J. Veen, 2011, 192 pages)
A slate-grey sky full of clouds, the tension of a sailing trip with an uncertain outcome, and every parent’s fear of losing a child: these are the ingredients of this incredibly gripping story. Op zee (At Sea) is a book that does not let go. The story is about Donald, a middle-aged man who has reached a dead end at work. Heijmans presents a perfect sketch of modern office life with its sales figures, mileage allowances, assessment procedures and pointless discussions with clients.
(Atlas Contact, 2014, 347 pages)
In this intricately structured novel, Heijmans delivers a compelling examination of the relative nature of our roots and the loneliness of the asylum seeker, for whom home has become an abstract concept. He contrasts this with the rigidity of a clinical system that masquerades as humane.
(Pluim, 2021, 336 pages)
The day that Walter Welzenbach climbs his first mountain marks the rest of his life: he never wants to do anything else. Now he is at his final peak, a dizzying 8188 meters high, looking down at his loneliness.
