Maarten ‘t Hart has been awarded the P.C. Hooft Prize for his body of narrative prose. The 80-year-old author expressed surprise at receiving the honor but is very pleased, calling it “the most beautiful award one can receive in the Netherlands.” The jury, which includes Yasmine Allas and Arnon Grunberg, praises ‘t Hart as a masterful storyteller, particularly highlighting the dialogues in his novels.
They note his keen ear for how people converse and his ability to stylize spoken language to bring dialogue to life in his novels. The jury describes ‘t Hart as an erudite novelist with an oeuvre that is “critical, poignant, affectionate, exciting, vulnerable, and witty.” His works include around twenty novels, along with numerous essays, novellas, and other stories.
‘t Hart debuted with his novel “Stenen voor een ransuil” in 1971 and gained recognition with “Een vlucht regenwulpen,” which sold over 100,000 copies in 1978 alone and was made into a film in 1981 starring Jeroen Krabbé. By 2014, the novel had sold over a million copies.
The P.C. Hooft Prize is the Netherlands’ foremost literary prize, awarded annually in categories of narrative prose, contemplative prose, and poetry. Previous recipients in the same category include Grunberg, Marga Minco, and Astrid Roemer.
Source: NOS