Anke de Vries : ARTlauranke

Books » Anke de Vries

“What fascinates me most in books are human relationships and how they -sometimes for unexpected reasons- get out of hand”

Anke de Vries (1936) is a Dutch writer for children and young adults. As a child she lived on “the Veluwe” in Holland where she went to secondary school in Ede. “I learned little,” Anke says. “I fully enjoyed writing essays. When I started writing, I found out that my Dutch teacher had kept all my texts!” Anke de Vries was 17 years old when she met her husband, the Frenchman Laurent Félix-Faure, and three years later they got married. Laurent traveled extensively for his work and the family lived in Pakistan, Greece and France. They settled down in The Hague in Holland where they resided for many years with their 3 children before moving permanently to France in 2002. “Laurent saw a writer in me and has always encouraged me to go on. I had never thought of taking this direction in my life until one day I saw an advertisement for a creative writing course. I signed up and that’s how it all started. I wrote and I wrote one exercise after the other and after a while I got a letter from my teachers asking me to slow down – they couldn’t keep up! It was during the writing course that I wrote a story about a boy who wanted to fly. I sent the manuscript to the publishing house “Lemniscaat” and they immediately accepted it.”

As a child, what did you want to become?

“I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I had many interests. For a while I wanted nothing more than to be a competitive diver, but I was afraid of heights. I also wanted to become a ballet dancer, but this was not a realistic option either. I also dreamt of going to art school. Nowadays, I make collages so in some sense that dream has come true. As a writer, I have been able to put a lot of my dreams into my books.”

Where do you get the ideas for your books?

“I write about my experiences, and about what I happen to hear or read. Laurent has given me a French family, a different culture and that enriches your life. I know certain parts of France very well and I am familiar with the atmosphere, the sounds, even the smells in some villages. I try to capture these impressions in my books that take place in France. But there are also events that inspire me. That’s how I came up with the idea for “Belledonne room 16″ in the neighborhood of Grenoble: my son had found an old travel notebook in the library of his French grandfather and I decided to use it as the subject of a book.”

Anke looks chooses her subjects and characters close to home. The events that I describe in my stories must be familiar , in order for me to feel part of the story. I could never write a book about a space explorer or about a country I have never visited. Readers are immediately aware whether an author is connected with what he or she is writing about.

Injustice plays a major role in Anke de Vries’ books. “That’s right,” she says, “there is quite a bit of injustice at various levels in the world!” Her book “Bruises” tells the story of Judith, who is abused by her mother. Anke was reluctant to engage in such a heavy topic but one day she came across an article in a magazine about a mother who mistreated her child. The reason for my decision was that I wanted to understand what had driven the woman to act in such a manner. I have always been fascinated by human relationships and why they sometimes get out of hand for unaccountable reasons.”

Do you know in advance exactly how a book will turn out?

“No, I don’t usually have a clear plan in mind, but before writing I do think a lot about the subject. By the time I get hold of my pen or get behind the computer, I know who the main character will be, what he or she looks like, what kind of personality he or she has .During the writing process, all kinds of things happen: unexpected situations arise, people suddenly appear without me knowing where they come from. When I took up “The Secret of Mories Besjoer,” all I knew was that I wanted to write a book about a Frenchman with a secret who lived in the Netherlands. The book developed while writing. It is different for picture books. “My elephant can do almost anything” was based on paintings of the artist Ilja Walraven. Anke’s books have always had a large readership. They have received many rewards and there are translations in 19 languages.

Besides children’s books and books for young adults Anke has written many textbooks for schools published by the leading Dutch publisher in primary education, Zwijsen. “They require a different approach when the writer can only use 2 or 3 syllables for instance. It is wonderful to see that you can even craft nice little stories around so few letters!” Anke de Vries also wrote textbooks for dyslectic children.

Below, Anke’s books. Some of them are not longer in print as they were written a long time ago, but if no longer available in bookstores or libraries, most of them can still be found through the Internet.

Littekens

Lemniscaat, 2016

Scars.
With a view to mentally recovering from having had a tumor removed from his leg, Paul decides to cycle on his own from The Netherlands where he lives to the south of France to spend the summer with his aunt Martine and her family. On the way he spends a night at Monsieur Martin’s place where…

De rode handschoen

Lemniscaat, 2000

The Red Glove – Isabelle, a Jewish girl from Paris, is missing. Patrick, a teenager who is in love with her, finds her red glove; a sure sign that the girl is in danger. Patrick suspects that Isabelle and her mother have been arrested by the Milice , who are collaborators with the Germans. Feeling powerless he enlists the help of his uncle who is a notary and often helps people in hiding.

Blauwe plekken

Lemniscaat, 1992

Bruises
They are unlikely friends – Michael, who is carefree and lives with his aunt and uncle in Holland, and Judith who is withdrawn and conceals a secret of abuse by her unmarried mother. This heart wrenching book by Anke de Vries has won national and international acclaim. Michael is also struggling to build up his relationship with his father so both he and Judith can help each other overcome the difficulties in their lives. This disturbing but at the same time uplifting book is written with a great feeling of empathy with its characters and their vulnerability. Some young readers may need adult guidance to cope with the contents, but ultimately the message is optimistic.

Translated in English, Danish, Spanish, Korean, Italian, Swedish, and German

1993 – Double Prize of the Dutch Children’s Jury for 10-12 and 13-16 years

Opstand!

Lemniscaat, 1988

Rebellion! A Historical Youth Novel
In 1907, Marcelin Albert who was the owner of a café in Argeliers, a small village in the south of France, was to become the leader and the hero of a widespread historical rebellion. The economy of the region he lived in was dependent on wine and there was a crisis because the government failed to put a stop to the import of cheap wines from abroad. Winegrowers were going bankrupt and there was widespread poverty and hardship. Marcellin Albert and Robert a sixteen year old boy with very few means at their disposal managed to instigate a uprising in which hundreds of thousands took part. Notwithstanding the intervention of the army and other setbacks the rebellion finally succeeded and the government took the necessary measures to save the region from total ruin.

1989 Prize of the Dutch Children’s Jury 13-16 years

Medeplichtig

Lemniscaat, 1984

Accomplice.

25 years ago there was a murder in a French village. The offenders were found and convicted. But were they guilty? Marcella’s father was one of them. Marcella is convinced that her father is innocent, and she is determined to prove it.

Translated into Spanish, Catalan, Icelandic, and German

1986 Prize of the Children’s and Youth jury Limburg 12 years and older

Weg uit het verleden

Lemniscaat, 1982

Leaving the Past Behind

Mark leaves The Netherlands behind, haunted by the memory of his girlfriend who was killed in a car accident. Worse still: he has panic attacks. Fears he can’t share with anybody. In France he is given the chance to renovate a house that has been empty for years. But Mark soon notices that there is something wrong about the house. The village keeps silent about it. He makes friends with Juliette, from whom he is unable to hide his fears. The house also progressively reveals its secret. With Juliette’s help, Mark finds a way out of his past.

Translated in Catalan, Spanish, and Icelandic

Belledonne kamer 16

Lemniscaat, 1977

The Secret of Belledonne Room 16

A few cryptic sentences in a notebook and a bullet found among his grandfather’s affairs in Paris after his death triggers off a quest by Robert, a teenager, that leads to an event that happened 17 years earlier in the French Alps.

Translated into Spanish, German, Icelandic, English, Italian, African, and Finnish

Antonia

Lemniscaat, 2016

With illustrations by Piet Grobler. An anniversary picture book, published in honor of the eightieth birthday of the author.

Translated in Portuguese, English, Chinese, and German

Antonia thinks she can sing beautifully and she does so from early in the morning until late at night. But she drives the animals around her to despair. Antonia feels badly offended and leaves the forest. Then the animals find out they actually miss her … until a strange bird appears in the forest.

Het grote boek van Florien

Lemniscaat, 2006

3 books in a bundle: “Down our Street,” “I Dare You!” and “The Blue Giant.” A compilation of stories from the aforementioned books. Florien and her mother have moved to another place. At first Florien doesn’t like it, but she soon makes friends. Pieter’s home is cozy and there is always something going on. Together with Pieter Florien visits the neighborhood witch, her mother’s friend Herman gives her rollerblades that she can try out in the middle of the night and she camps in the garden with her classmate Femke. There are other adventures with Femke’s brother: he takes her to a secret place where “the blue giant” stands, it is a huge truck, in which they travel all over the world together.

Dumper

Zwijsen, 2011

First published by “Olga Kinderboeken” in 2008
Dumper is lost in the dunes of Kijkduin. From a distance you can clearly see that he is a stray dog. Skin and bones, and dirty. Then he sees Lucas and goes up and sits down in front of him. Dumper could not have done better at finding a home. But when Lucas’s parents’ divorce, life quickly changes.

Raf

Lemniscaat, 2008

Picture book with illustrations by Charlotte Dematons

Translated in German, Chinese, Italian, French, English, Korean, and Chinese

When Ben loses his cuddly friend Raf, he is desperate. A few days later, Ben receives a postcard-from Raf and each week he gets a new one describing Raf’s journeys through Africa. Will the two ever meet again?

Grijsje

Lemniscaat, 2001

Gray mouse – Picture book with illustrations by Willemien Min

Translated in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Catalan, Portuguese, Basque, Gallic, and Chinese

In this twist in old tale, it is not the leopard who wants to change its spots, it’s a lonely grey mouse who craves for more color and excitement in her life. To make herself liked by friends, she takes on various disguises: green to charm a frog, zippy stripes to appeal to a zebra, polka dots to lure a ladybug.

Lang zal ik leven

Lemniscaat, 1997

Picture book with illustrations by Jung-Hee Spetter

Translated in Frisian, Korean, French, Spanish, Danish, English, Italian, German, and Chinese

This little pig who is called Albertine is so shy that she doesn’t dare invite anyone to her birthday…

Memo zwijgt

Lemniscaat, 1996

Translated in Spanish and German

Memo says a word – Memo is a Kurdish boy who lives in Eastern Turkey with his mother and sister. His father is a worker in a Dutch port, and when war threatens Memo’s village, he decides to bring the family The Netherlands. Memo doesn’t want to go and he protests by not talking anymore. However, he makes friends with Jeroen who is a real bookworm who in his own way is also an outsider and the only one who accepts that Memo remains silent. One day, Memo sees Kemal, a Kurdish friend, being beaten up, and in a panic kills one of his aggressors.

This book was written based on a the following movie

Mijn olifant kan bijna alles

Lemniscaat, 1995

My elephant can do almost anything – Picture book with paintings by Ilja Walraven

Translated in Korean, German, English, Italian, and French

A little boy uses his imagination to create a special companion for himself, a full-size elephant, and the book describes the many things his friend can do.

Fausto Koppie

Lemniscaat, 1994

Children’s book commissioned as the gift for the Dutch “Children’s Book Week”

Translated in German and Korean

Stijn loves cycling. He dreams of a racing bike, but they are expensive, extremely expensive. When a bicycle maker settles in his neighborhood, Stijn soon makes friends with him. They talk a lot about cycling and especially about Fausto Coppie, who is mister Roeleveld the bicycle maker’s idol. Stijn dreams about owning a bicycle, and he is saving up to buy one. In Mr Roeleveld’s shop there are many striking racing bikes, and among them in a corner Stijn discovers a real beauty. Unfortunately it is not for sale. There is something strange about the bike and Mr Roeleveld, and it all has to do with Fausto Coppie …

Kladwerk

Lemniscaat, 1990

One day Jerry, Bram, Linda and Hassan go to school and don’t believe their eyes when they see how the walls are all covered with racist slogans. The classroom is also a mess: plants have been overturned and drawings have been torn from the walls. Everyone is shocked: who is behind the havoc? With the help of parents and friends, the walls are repainted, and the room is cleaned up, but a few weeks later it happens all over again: hateful graffiti on the walls, an aquarium has also been smashed to pieces and the tame rabbits have been killed. Nobody knows who did it, until Linda finds something that… Will that help to catch the culprits?

1991 Award by the Dutch Children’s Jury 10 t/m 12 years

1991 Tip of the Dutch Children’s Jury 13-16 years

1992 Award by the Children’s and
youth jury in Limburg 10-12 years

Het keteldier

Lemniscaat, 1988

The Magic Kettel

Collection of edited folk tales from different countries with beautiful black-white-gray pencil drawings.

De blauwe reus

Lemniscaat, 1986

The Blue Giant

Florien’s makes friends with Femke at her new school. She also gets to know Bas, Femke’s brother who tells her a secret: he has discovered a blue car at the junkyard which he calls the Blue Giant. He takes her to see it. They climb in together and travel all around the world. Life at Bas and Femke’s home is not always easy. Her parents quarrel a lot. After the umpteenth fight at home, Bas has had enough, and he runs away. Where did he go to? Everyone is terribly worried. Florien skips school the next day to look for him…

Wedden dat ik durf!

Lemniscaat, 1979

I dare you!

Is it possible to really have fun when there are three of you? Florien is not sure. But when Pieter, Kees’s friend joins them it only gets more exciting. Especially when Floriens musters enough courage to visit the “witch” who lives down the street. The witch turns out to be a kind old woman who becomes a new grandmother for the whole street.

Bij ons in de straat

Lemniscaat, 1978

Down our street

Florien and her mother move to a new house during the summer holidays. Florien is unhappy. She doesn’t know a soul and playing by herself isn’t any fun. She makes friends with Kees who lives down the street. Florien can play and argue with Kees for hours. They are often together at aunt Geertje’s place who has many children and where everything is allowed; she is also expecting a baby and Florien hopes that it will be a little girl. They have a lot of crazy adventures and heaps of fun together and Florien now decides that she never wants to leave the street.

Translated into Spanish and French

Het geheim van Mories Besjoer

Lemniscaat, 1975

The Secret of Mories Besjoer

Mories is the hero of the children in the neighborhood. He is a window cleaner and comes from France, but he has lived in The Netherlands for years. It’s always fun at Moriesplace for he is a wonderful storyteller, there is plenty to do and you can share your problems with him. Brigit, the eldest of the children, discovers that Mories has a secret – a well-kept secret that could mean that there was something wrong about him. She’s tries to find out more about it. Ultimately, the children find out what the secret is and why he has kept it for such a long time.

Translated into German

1976 Silver Pen prize

De vleugels van Wouter Pannekoek

Lemniscaat, 1972

Wouter Pannekoek’s Wings

Would you like to be able to fly? With real wings? That is what Wouter Pannekoek would like to do above everything else. He is bored living in a flat where everything is the same and he doesn’t know anybody. When the doctor prescribes real wings, a new life begins for him. He makes many friends and has all kinds of adventures which involve a police officer and a burglar, an eccentric painter, a Spanish guest worker and a circus director. Wouter keeps his wings for six months until he doesn’t need them anymore, but in that time so much has happened that it changes Wouter’s whole life for good.