The novel ‘Mauk’ by Jan Vantoortelboom was awarded the Boekenbon Literature Prize 2023 on Thursday evening.
The Flemish writer and columnist received the prize, worth 50,000 euros, in The Hague for what the jury describes as ‘a stunning literary portrait of a traumatized seventy-year-old who is haunted by his childhood memories’.
At the award ceremony, jury chairman Ingrid van Engelshoven stated that ‘the book that is an ode to the power of literature, written in a flawless style and beautifully composed’ was chosen. ,, Mauk does not contain too many words and yet you are captivated by the richness of the language.”
Debut by the Antwerp Groninger Tiemen Hiemstra
Mauk is the sixth novel by Vantoortelboom (Torhout, 1975). Among the five nominees was a debutant: the novel W. by Tiemen Hiemstra, born in Groningen but living in Antwerp. The other contenders were Almost real from Saskia de Coster, I promise by Roxane van Iperen and Mint by Richard Osinga.
The Boekenbon Literature Prize is one of the most important literary awards for novels in the Dutch language area. Last year the prize went to The song of stork and dromedary by Anjet Daanje, who lives in Groningen.