Almost a hundred years after the publication of the famous book Dorp aan de Rivier, Lith is back in the spotlight. Illustrator Eric Coolen brings the story of the village doctor and residents to life with thirty new drawings and hopes to inspire a new generation of readers.
Anyone walking through Lith will recognize places that became world famous almost a century ago: the doctor’s house, the dike along the Maas and the church square. They figured in Dorp aan de Rivier by Anton Coolen. A book that focuses on the life of the village doctor and the residents. In 1958 the story was made into a film and even nominated for an Oscar.
Almost a century later, Lith is back in the spotlight, thanks to illustrator Eric Coolen. This has a special connection with the book. “Uncles and aunts told me when I was 4 years old that I had a famous uncle,” he says about Anton Coolen, who died under mysterious circumstances in 1961 after falling from a train. “But the story of his tragic death especially fascinated me as a child.”
He read the book for the first time at the age of 12. And he wondered whether Anton was actually his uncle. This created a lifelong fascination. “It is no longer possible to discover whether I am really related to Anton. Let’s just say that all Coolens are related,” he says, laughing.
“It is time for the new generations to discover this story.”
The book Dorp aan de Rivier describes life in a Brabant village through the eyes of doctor Van Taeke. He follows the villagers in their daily worries and happiness and shows how small secrets and big changes influence their lives.
“Many people no longer know Anton Coolen, while his work is one of the most translated and read books in the Netherlands. It is time for new generations to discover this story,” says the artist.
What makes the book so good? “Many modern books are long-winded, but this book tells short, exciting and mysterious stories that together form a whole.”
Although the book is almost a century old, the themes are surprisingly current according to Eric. “A Frisian general practitioner ends up in a Brabant village. The residents have to learn to deal with cultural differences. But they are also afraid of change. You can now see this, for example, in how people deal with new technologies, such as artificial intelligence.”
“It felt a bit magical walking through Lith.”
For more than forty years, Eric had wanted to illustrate the book, because the original version contained no images. “As a child I made drawings about the things I read in the book.”
For his sixtieth birthday he decided to treat himself to a visit to Lith. He walked along the dike, looked at the church square and stood at the doctor’s house. “It may sound crazy, but it felt a bit magical to walk through Lith, especially because I’ve known the stories since I was a child,” he says. “When you walk around and recognize things from the book, it’s very special.”
Eric then decided to illustrate the book. He makes thirty drawings, drawn in the style of that time. “The most difficult thing for me is that I don’t want to take away too much of the reader’s imagination. With many pictures, the reader no longer makes images themselves,” says Eric. “But I hope that young people will pick up the book more quickly now that there is an image. The story deserves to be read.”
November 29 will be in De Snoek in Lith the book presented to interested parties.