The directory «Plots»

Wolkers Jan Hendrik
(b. 1925)

Jan Hendrik Wolkers is a Dutch author and artist. In post World War II Dutch literature he is considered one of the "Great Four" along with Willem Frederik Hermans, Harry Mulisch and Gerard Reve (the latter authors are also known as the "Great Three"). He became noted in the sixties mainly for his strikingly direct descriptions of sex; today, however, he is recognised for his appealing and original style rather than for his troubles with the conservative society in his early days.

Since 1980 he has resided on the island of Texel. A number of his outdoor statues in the Netherlands have been subject to vandalism, presumably due to his use of glass as a construction material. Some examples are the Auschwitz-monument in Amsterdam and the monument on the dike at Ceres on Texel. In reaction to the destruction of the monument in 2003, Wolkers announced that he would use less glass and more steel for such monuments in future. The Jac. P. Thijsse monument in the water at Elemert on Texel does contain more steel, but glass is still a substantial part of the artwork.

Netherlands, 1995, Scene from «Turkish Delight»

Netherlands, 2007, Words of Jan Wolkers