Marjolijn Hof and the peacock – Photo: Helena Jansz
Marjolijn Hof (b.1956) worked in a library for many years before fulfilling her childhood dream of becoming a writer. With astounding results – rarely has a new name entered the world of Dutch children’s literature at such a high level. ‘A breath of fresh air’, ‘a surprising new voice’: these were some of the opinions expressed after the publication of Hof’s Een kleine kans. Internationally Hof is one of Holland’s most successful contemporary children’s authors. Her children’s books have been translated into Turkish, Slovenian, English, Catalan, Polish, Norwegian, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Icelandic. Een kleine kans (translated into English as Against the Odds) has been made into a movie and won international literary and film prizes. She also writes stories for picture books and contributes to educational publications and story collections. Marjolijn Hof has won several awards, among which the Gouden Uil and the Gouden Griffel and the Wouterje Pieterse Award.