World Cup Reading--The Netherlands

Here is the third installment of World Cup reading.  This time I'm featuring Dutch authors.  The Netherlands is the 11th most populous country in Europe with an estimated population of 16,500,000. Soccer is the most popular Dutch sport and The Netherlands National football team was first assembled in 1905. Unfortunately the Dutch hold the record of losing the most World Cup finals without a single win.  They were runners-up in 1974, 1978, and this year 2010.  However, in my opinion just getting to the finals three times is still impressive.  Speaking of impressive, try one of the following authors:

A. C. Baantjer--born in Urk, Flevoland (a province of the Netherlands).  This policeman turned novelist is best known for his detective series featuring Inspector DeKok and Sgt. Vledder.  Unfortunately the author passed away August 29, 2010.

Janwillem van de Wetering--born in Rotterdam. This crime writer is famous for his mysteries starring Amsterdam policemen Grijpstra and De Grier.  He has won several awards including the 1984 Grand Prix de Litterature, which is France's most prestigious award for detective and crime fiction.  Wetering died in 2008.

Leon de Winter--born in Den Bosch in the Southern Netherlands. His 2007 book Hoffman's Honger (Hunger) is a literary thriller set in Prague.

Marcel Moring--born in Enschede in the Eastern Netherlands. He won the 2007 Ferdinand Bordewijk Prize (F. Bordewijk-prijs) for his book Dis.  This prize is given to the top authors in Dutch literature.  Try his newest novel In a Dark Wood.

Tommy Wieringa--born in Goor, Overijssel (a province of the Netherlands).  He won the F. Bordewijk-prijs in 2006 for his novel Joe Speedboat.

Margriet de Moor--born in Noordwijk, South Holland.  One of ten children, she studied piano and singing at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague.  She has won multiple awards for her poetry, novels, and short fiction. Try her newest title The Storm.

Try one of these great Dutch authors today.