Tommy Wieringa has won the prestigious Libris Literature Prize 2013 for his novel These Are the Names (De Bezige Bij). This book is highlighted in our Spring 2013-publication, 10 Books from Holland, and was partially written by Wieringa, on invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature, as a writer in residence at the NIAS in Wassenaar.
The Libris-jury praised These Are the Names for “its stylistic bravura, its philosophical depth, its aphoristic power, its tightly constructed composition and its creative imagery”.
In the Dutch television programme Nieuwsuur (News Hour), Wieringa said that he wrote the novel with the question ‘what is the origin of religion’ as a starting point. “96 per cent of the world population believes in a supreme being; that is unbelievable. How come? That’s what I wanted to investigate.”
Each year, the Libris Literature Prize is awarded to the best Dutch literary fiction title of the previous year. Last year, Tonio by A.F.TH. van der Heijden won the prize and the accompanying sum of 50.000 euro.
More information:
- 10 Books From Holland, Spring 2013
- Tommy Wieringa in our Authors and translators database
- A.F.Th. van der Heijden in our Authors and translators database
- website Tommy Wieringa
- website Libris Literature Prize (Dutch)
- On the NIAS and other writer’s residences (Dutch)
