‘I know that rappers sometimes mention me in their lyrics, I take that as a compliment’

I’m sorry! the book, I’m sorry! the musical, I’m sorry! the movie or I’m sorry! the comic book?

‘That is immediately a very mean one. Of course my heart beats the hardest for the book. I came up with the story and told it exactly how I want and like it. When I wrote it in the 1990s, I knew it was going to make an impression, because of the theme, bullying, but I have the success of I’m sorry! never foreseen. More than 45 editions have already been published.

‘It started with a letter in the VPRO Guide. A boy wrote about a girl next door who had jumped in front of the train because she was being bullied like that. First I wrote it from the perspective of Jochem, the boy who drowns himself. But it didn’t turn out pretty. No, I thought, I have to write it from the perspective of those who see the bullying, but don’t say anything about it and do nothing about it. That is the essence of bullying. We make it all happen. And with social media it has gotten even worse.

‘The comic book by Ahmad Resh and Ralf van der Hoeven has become fun. I immediately thought it was a good idea. In this way bullying is once again brought to the attention of children who never pick up an ordinary book again. The story needed to be told compactly and they did it well. The essence and the emotions have been preserved.

“The boy who sees it happen, David, is a colored boy in the comic. I am happy with that. I wrote it 26 years ago, society has changed since then. And everyone should be able to identify with the main characters. I’m in it myself, by the way, with our two dogs.’

Tommy or Ronja?

‘Tommy. He needs us most. We got him when he was four months old. It had already been disposed of by people twice. If that were to happen again, it would inevitably go wrong. He even sleeps upstairs with us. Tommie is a Maltese, mixed with a Lhasa apso. Those are Tibetan dogs. They were always in those monasteries and are very headstrong. Ronja is much easier, she adapts to everything. She is a Havanese. Very sweet animal.’

Forest or beach?

‘Bunch. Because it’s closed. I walk on the beach every weekend, but I feel better in the woods. More protected. And I like to look at trees. That’s why we moved to Bergen a long time ago. The beach is also beautiful, with all those different skies.

‘When we still lived in Amsterdam, Elles and I once rented a house on Terschelling. We were still young, we just had a baby. She saw how happy and satisfied I was there and said: you have to leave Amsterdam, you have to live outside. And we did. We started in Schoorldam, in a summer house. We didn’t have the money for Bergen yet, say no. We couldn’t move here until I became successful as a writer.’

Morning person or evening person?

‘Morning person. Elles also happy, otherwise it will be difficult. We both love the morning very much. We get up at six thirty at the latest. Then I feel very fit. Meditate first, then have breakfast and walk the dogs.

‘I write from half past nine, until about three o’clock, every day except at the weekend. Ellen helps me. I tell her what I’m up to and she comments. When I’ve written something, I read it to her. Sometimes she doesn’t like it, then I throw it away. She doesn’t say it gently. This is nothing, she says. I had to get used to that a lot. In the end I learned that writing always works out, as long as I take the time and rest.’

Ozcan Akyol or Rik Felderhof?

‘Eus is the best. I was in his program earlier this year The cut guest. He knows how to get you to talk about yourself with great pleasure, without holding back. He is very empathetic. Elles got a little shy of that broadcastbecause it was also about her. But people should know everything about me.

‘In Villa Felderhof I was with Jules Deelder, in Saint-Tropez in 2001. That was real work. I had to fly all the way to the south of France, that’s not for me. We slept in a huge villa and in the harbor of that Saint-Tropez were all those huge yachts. Terrible of course. Jules Deelder tried to be nice and funny, that was part of his profession. He got that space from me. He was nice, but the roles were divided and we did what we had to do. I didn’t feel that with Eus.

‘I’m often asked for television programs, especially talk shows, but I almost only do it when it’s about a book of mine. I don’t want to say anything about issues involving children that I’m not an expert on. I’m not a pedagogue, I’m a writer.’

Keetje Buttermilk or Rick and Roosje?

‘Rick and Roosje, the twins from my first book. They are two lively children who do all kinds of fun things. They have two mothers and no father, which I still like.

‘Keetje Buttermilk was my debut, in 1988. It was in bobo, a magazine for toddlers. I was very happy that bobo wanted to tell the story. At that time I gave drama lessons at a school in Zaandam, the former domestic science school. The children were very unmotivated, but I got them along nicely. I had fun with them, but it was a horrible time, with a horrible director.

‘I was a lesbian, but that man at school didn’t let me know that. Of course I told the students, I am that recalcitrant. Then I also got pregnant, as an unmarried mother. That was totally a problem. And when Elles gave birth to our youngest daughter, I didn’t get a day off. Is not it awful. I didn’t take it, I just stayed home. To bully they gave me a rotten grid.

‘I lasted eight years. We had children, money had to be made. I was unhappy. You should be a writer, said Elles. Get out of there. And I did. I work drowsy, but I am my own boss. I’m doing something I love. That’s my luck.’

First youth or second youth?

‘It was not easy for me as a child, because of the situation at home. My mother was depressed and my parents often argued. Still, I had a drive, every day. When I woke up, I was looking forward to the day, despite everything. I fled into my fantasy, that dragged me through. And I’m still reaping the benefits of that.

‘I could never have imagined that writing would make life so much fun. This is my second childhood. I don’t know exactly how many books I’ve sold, at least five million, but I’m not counting it. I don’t even know how many books I’ve written. That’s not inspiring. I’ll keep it around a hundred. They’re standing there, in a row.

‘But the success is not the most important. I have a lovely wife, two children, grandchildren. We can live as we want and I have my beautiful work. I am totally happy.’

never home from Boef or Carry Slee from Bright Disco?

‘I don’t know those songs well. Yes, I do know that rappers sometimes call me. I take it as a compliment. I think it’s because I’ve always included colored children in my books. That didn’t happen often before. It has given many children a warm feeling, in their world that was often cold.

‘I still have a lot of contact with children. I get fed. I get a lot of emails in which children write about problems and ask questions. We discuss every email and respond. That’s what Elles does.

‘Children have to do a lot these days. Many high school kids are depressed because they have to perform, perform, perform. The parents also have to work hard. That used to be a lot less. Not a bad word about emancipation, but it has become too much. The en-and generation has both children and a busy job and a career. Corona came over again. As a result, children are increasingly oppressed.

“I’m hopeful about the youth. Kids still have the energy to make something out of it. No, I’ve never written about this before, I might as well give it a go. I’m writing an autobiographical novel right now, but it’s good to have something on hand. The thought of having nothing to do is unbearable to me. I don’t need to hear anything. I want it.’