Celebrated Dutch writer of the postwar generation.
Van der Heijden studied psychology and philosophy in Nijmegen. After moving to Amsterdam, he started writing under the penn-name Patrizio Canaponi. For his debut, the short story collection “Een gondel in de Herengracht” (A Gondola in the Herengracht”, 1978), he got the Anton Wachter Prize (10 Oct 1979). The novel “De draaideur” (The Revolving Door, 1979) appeared the same year.
Van der Heijden began publishing under his own name in the 80s. Van der Heijden has won many awards, including all the big Dutch literary awards: the 2013 P. C. Hooft Award for his entire oeuvre,the 2012 Libris Literatuur Prijs for Tonio, and the 2007 AKO Literatuurprijs for “Het schervengericht” and the 1997 AKO Literatuurprijs for “Onder het plaveisel het moeras”. Some of his books have been translated into German, Russian, Finnish, Swedish, Spanish and Bulgarian.
Van der Heijden or A.F.Th. is most known for his multi-novel saga “De tandeloze tijd” (The Toothless Time) about his alter-ego Albert Egberts. The saga describes his youth in Geldrop, his student days in Nijmegen and his life afterward in Amsterdam in the seventies and eighties. The cycle, inspired by Marcel Proust’s “À la recherche du temps perdu” started end 1983 with the prologue of “De slag om de Blauwbrug” (Battle at the Blue Bridge), describing events on 30 April 1980 when Queen Beatrix was crowned. In 2016 three more novels were announced.
In 2003 Van der Heijden started a new saga: Homo Duplex, based on characters of the Greek tragedies in a contemporary setting.
Personal
Since 1987 Van der Heijden is married to the writer Mirjam Mathilde Rotenstreich (20 November 1959, Amsterdam).
On 15 June 1988 they got their only son, Tonio. In the early morning of 23 May 2010, Tonio had an accident near the Vondelpark. He died the same day in the Amsterdam Medical Centre. His father withdrew from social life and started writing, day and knight. On 23 (Wiki 26) May 2011 the novel Tonio, a requiem was released.
Link to Wikipedia