Annejet van der Zijl

Anyone who thought that he or she had seen or experienced everything in this life, who thought that what they now contemptuously call "boomers" were boring people, should read "Jagtlust" by writer Annejet van der Zijl.
Now I am not charmed by the additions of Remco Campert's "Jagtlustkoerier" with which abusive language creeps into the book.
Nevertheless, Annejet gives us insight into Fritzi's self-imposed empty, hopeless life. Where a bunch of idlers, who call themselves artists, gather to do everything that God has forbidden.
You can see the book as a drama in three acts: the time of Fritzi's parents, the time of Fritzi, and the eventual demise of the owner, villa and the artist clique.
Some of these artists eventually became famous or infamous, but at the end of this book my appreciation for them has not grown, even though some of them have wrested themselves from these premature hippies in time.
Shaking my head, I finally turned the last page, but one thing is clear: Annejet has created a jewel with her debut. And you can't help but look forward to her other books.… (mehr)

It is and it isn't hard to understand why Sonny Boy is a best seller, and was chosen as the book of the year for the annual national week of reading. Obviously, the woke topic, of a white slave owner who owns a slave girl, secretely loves and marries her, shields her from injustice, and takes care of all their lives, is just the kind of thing that soothes the national consciousness in the year in which both the prime minister and the King have spoken of their intense regret in view of slavery and offered apologies.

Sonny Boy by the Dutch author Annejet van der Zijl belongs to the genre of creative non-fiction. Unfortunately, the author has apparently overlooked the adjective, and merely thought of writing a non-fictional biography. While her choice is interesting, her skill in handling the material is loathesome. The story lacks even the least creative skill. The writing style isn't much elevated above the level of a high school student writing an project assignment. The characters remain card board and the story fails to take off.

It is obvious that the success of this book is the fortuitious choice of topic, but stylistically this book is a disaster.… (mehr)