Tonke Dragt

Tonke Dragt, born in Batavia in 1930, writes adventure books that explore the boundaries of space and time. As a child, Dragt found herself in a Japanese concentration camp. Inspired by Jules Verne, Dragt wrote her first ‘book’ while in captivity. In 1948, back in the Netherlands, Dragt became an art teacher. Several of her books are self-illustrated. She debuted in 1961 with the fairytale-style Verhalen van de tweelingbroers (Tales of the Twin Brothers). Dragt’s oeuvre could be described as literature with a philosophical slant for readers of all ages. Her collection of work is varied and, in addition to numerous fantasy and fairytale stories, also contains exciting adventures such as De Zevensprong (adapted into a successful TV series), mysterious novels about the future (Torenhoog en mijlen breed) and daring literary experiments such as Aan de andere kant van de deur.

In 1976 she was awarded the Dutch State Prize for Children’s and Youth Literature for her collected works. She is a unique voice in the world of Dutch literature.

De goudsmid en de meesterdief

(Leopold, 1961, 352 pagina's)

In some respects, twin brothers could hardly be more different than Jiacomo and Laurenzo. One of them is a goldsmith and loves his work. The other is a clever adventurer with a casual attitude towards the law.

De brief voor de koning

(Leopold, 1962, 454 pagina's)

Wie Tonke Dragt zegt, zegt ridders. Ridders en futuristische werelden. Slechts twee van haar lijvige jeugdromans, De zevensprong (1966) en De torens van februari (1973), spelen zich af in onze tijd, maar ook daarin lopen fantasie en werkelijkheid in elkaar over.

De zevensprong

(Leopold, 1966, 304 pagina's)

A group of schoolchildren helps a young aristocrat to search for a treasure. Their teacher is also involved, becoming the boy’s private tutor.

Torenhoog en mijlen breed

(Leopold, 1969, 304 pagina's)

Science fiction from 1969 – does it still stand up? Anyone reading The Forests of Venus would have to conclude that it does. Tonke Dragt foresaw many developments, and her futuristic account of life on Venus remains a convincing and captivating read.

De torens van februari

(Lemniscaat, 1973, 201 pagina's)

In 2004, Tonke Dragt won an award for the best children’s book of the previous five decades: De brief voor de koning (The Letter for the King, 1962). However, she received most fan mail for De torens van februari (The Towers of February, 1973), the incomparable sciencefiction story that according to Dragt herself is perhaps her ‘best’ book.

Ogen van tijgers

(Leopold, 1982, 464 pagina's)

Jock Martijn is an artist and former planetary researcher. He lives on Earth among the tall buildings, where there is no nature left and the tigers are extinct.

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