100 years of Jan Wolkers (1925 – 2007): sculptor, painter and writer

On October 26, 2025, it will be one hundred years since Jan Wolkers was born. Wolkers became known as a sculptor, painter, and writer. Wolkers passed away in Westermient on October 19, 2007. His hundredth birthday is being celebrated in Oegstgeest, Amsterdam, and Texel. In addition, a number of books are being reissued in special editions. In literature, there is always talk of the great '3 writers' that the Netherlands knew: Gerard Reve, Willem Frederik Hermans, and Harry Mulisch. 

Key years

Jan Wolkers came from a Reformed background and was born into a family of eleven children. Before the Second World War, his father owned a struggling grocery store in Oegstgeest. Jan Wolkers was married three times. In 1947, he married Maria de Roo (1923–1993). Three children were born from this marriage. His second child, Eva, died in 1951. Wolkers would incorporate this event into the novel 'Een roos van vlees' (1963).

In 1965, Wolkers wrote the novel 'Terug naar Oegstgeest'. In this novel, Wolkers recounts his childhood in Oegstgeest in detail. He describes the often gruesome things with a keen sense of macabre and distasteful details. His family members and neighbors are also described in a raw and uncensored manner. Additionally, the novel deals with the rejection of the Reformed faith. In 1987, 'Terug naar Oegstgeest' was adapted into a film by Theo van Gogh. In 1958, Wolkers married Annemarie Nauta. The marriage would not last long. This period later served as the inspiration for the novel 'Turks Fruit'. Olga, the protagonist of this book, was based on Nauta. With Olga's cancer and her death in his novel 'Turks Fruit', Wolkers symbolized the grieving process he went through after the breakup of their relationship. With over 3,3 million viewers, 'Turks Fruit' is the most successful Dutch feature film of all time, at least until 2014. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and, in 1999, following a public poll during the Netherlands Film Festival, won a special Golden Calf for 'Best Dutch Film of the Twentieth Century' (Soldaat van Oranje finished second in this selection, with Mike van Diem's ​​Karakter coming in third). Who put 'Turks Fruit' on the school reading list in the final exam year? I think thousands of students. In 1972, the book was adapted into a film by Paul Verhoeven, starring Monique van der Ven and Rutger Hauer. In 1963, Wolkers met 17-year-old Karina Gnirrep. Shortly thereafter, Karina moved in with him in the living studio in Amsterdam. In 1980, the couple moved from Amsterdam to Westermient on the island of Texel. In 1981, Wolkers married Karina. In the same year, their children (the twins Bob and Tom) were born.

Jan Wolkers has written a special poem for the Weeks of the Map.

 

The scar of death

On the tenth anniversary of Jan Wolkers' death (October 19, 2017), the substantial biography 'Het litteken van de dood' by Onno Blom is published. The book describes the rebellious life of the artist. Onno worked on it for more than 10 years and had access to all of Wolkers' archives. Onno Blom is the biographer of Jan Wolkers.  

Mural Oegstgeest

Opposite Jan Wolkers' birthplace on Deutzstraat in Oegstgeest, a larger-than-life memorial to this famous Oegstgeest writer, sculptor, and painter will be erected. The Oegstgeest Cultural Fund has taken the initiative for the mural of his poem 'De Herinnering'.

It has been so long That it should have been forgotten, It is so fresh Like a footprint in the grass, Like smoke drifting out of an open window, Dew dripping down crops Through earth and dust, A thought that was no more.

The wall poem was unveiled on October 26, 2017, the writer's birthday, in the presence of his widow Karina Wolkers and his biographer Onno Blom: https://www.cultuurfondsoegstgeest.nl/projecten/muurgedichten/muurgedicht-andere-straat    

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To mark the centenary of Jan Wolkers' birth, publisher Meulenhoff is releasing his early novels, including *Terug naar Oegstgeest* and *Turks fruit*, in a beautiful collected volume with a bookmark ribbon. Jan Wolkers (1925–2007) wrote a large number of widely read novels, short stories, and essays over more than forty years. His debut, the collection *Serpentina's Petticoat*, was published in 1961. He is one of the most translated Dutch authors. In 1982, he was awarded the Constantijn Huygens Prize, and in 1989 the PC Hooft Prize, both of which he refused to accept, as he felt this recognition came too late. Among his best-known books are *Kort Amerikaans*, *Turks Fruit*, and *Terug naar Oegstgeest*. Wolkers would have turned one hundred in October 2025. To commemorate this, Meulenhoff is releasing a collected volume of his early novels, some of which are among his most famous works, in a fresh new design.   Publisher De Bezige Bij is reissuing Wolkers' Diary from 1973: https://www.debezigebij.nl/auteur/jan-wolkers/   Onno Blom publishes 'Het Tillenbeest' and 'Dagboek Texel 1979 – 1981'. For information on the mentioned titles, see: https://www.hetopenboek.nl/htm/boeken7.htm   Jan Wolkers dinner on October 25, 2025 at Oud Poelgeest Castle. Dorpsmarketing Oegstgeest and Kasteel Oud Poelgeest are hosting a special dinner in the Drakenzaal of Kasteel Oud Poelgeest on October 25, 2025. This historic venue breathes the spirit of Jan Wolkers, who spent countless hours here in his youth and who described the castle and its surroundings numerous times in his work. The dinner serves as a tribute to Wolkers in his relationship to Oegstgeest, on the eve of his hundredth birthday. Biographer Onno Blom will speak about the life and legacy of this writer, artist, and sculptor. During this evening, a special three-course Wolkers menu will be served for €95,00 per person, including a drink upon arrival and three drinks throughout the evening. Reservations are required for this unique, one-off event.  https://www.terugnaaroegstgeest.com/     Galerie Eenwerk, Amsterdam, through January 17, 2026, 'Promise me that you never forget', Jan Wolkers 100 years: https://www.eenwerk.nl/?page_id=85