Writer Pim Lammers opened the Book Ball in Amsterdam on Friday evening. At the start of the party, he read the poem ‘Gestolen’ on the stage of the ITA theater in Amsterdam. It is the text that Lammers wanted to recite later this year during the Children’s Book Week.
The 29-year-old author, who grew up in Norg, gave back the assignment for the Children’s Book Week poem in early February after receiving death threats. These followed after online outrage over an old story the author had written for adults in the past. It was the author’s first public appearance since early February.
Stolen is about the love of parents for their children and the love between siblings. Book dome CPNB, which organizes both the Book Week and the Book Ball, says that Lammers recited the poem once.
The author had already written the text when he decided to return the assignment on February 4 because of the death threats.
The investigation into the threats is still ongoing. Police now have three suspects in mind.
Interview at Nieuwsuur
In an interview with News hour says Lammers that he has started writing again. “But I am more careful with every sentence I write. I now know that sentences are not just building blocks of a story. They can be taken out of context and used as a weapon against you. And I also want my colleagues never to have to experience this.”
But he clearly set his limits. “When at a certain point the people around me were also mentioned, my loved ones, I decided to withdraw. “My work is extremely important to me, but the safety and well-being of the people around me are even more important. I will always prefer that safety to writing a poem.”
Standing ovation
Lammers received a standing ovation from the audience on Friday evening. Even before Lammers’ performance, there was loud applause from the audience, with everyone standing up for the writer. “Now the poem must also be good,” he said before reading the poem. He also thanked his colleagues in the room for their support.