:Annie M.G. Schmidt

{{Infobox writer

| name = Annie M.G. Schmidt

| image = Annie MG Schmidt (1984).jpg

| image_size = 250px

| alt = Portrait of Annie M.G. Schmidt

| caption = Schmidt in 1984

| pseudonym =

| birth_name = Anna Maria Geertruida Schmidt

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1911|05|20|df=y}}

| birth_place = Kapelle, Netherlands

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1995|05|21|1911|05|20|df=y}}

| death_place = Amsterdam, Netherlands

| resting_place = Zorgvliet, Amstelveen, Netherlands

| occupation = Writer, librarian

| language = Dutch

| nationality = Dutch

| ethnicity =

| citizenship =

| education = librarian

| alma_mater =

| period = 1947–1989

| genre = Children's literature, poetry, lyrics, comedy/drama, radio/television

| subject =

| movement =

| notableworks = {{plainlist|

}}

| spouse =

| partner = Dick van Duijn (1950–1981)

| children = Flip van Duijn (born 1952)

| relatives =

| influences =

| influenced =

| awards = {{awards |Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing |1988}}

| signature = Annie MG Schmidt signature.svg

| signature_alt =

| website = {{URL|http://www.annie-mg.com/}}

| portaldisp =

}}

Anna Maria Geertruida "Annie" Schmidt (20 May 1911{{cite book

|last=Zijl

|first=Annejet van der

|year=2002

|title=Anna

|location=Amsterdam

|publisher=Nijgh & Van Ditmar

|isbn=90-388-8733-7

|page=22

}} – 21 May 1995) was a Dutch writer.{{cite book

| author1 = Peter Hunt

|author2=Sheila G. Bannister Ray

| title = International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature

| publisher = Roudledge

| year = 2004

| page = 703

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XqaTzQBVDCAC&pg=PA703

| isbn = 978-0-203-16812-7}} She is called the mother of the Dutch theatrical song,{{cite news

| last = Verhallen

| first = Frank

| title = Evergreen and chanson schitteren op Dag van het Nederlandse lied

| work = Trouw

| language = nl

| date = 1993-04-05

| url = http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/1993/04/05/2667529/Evergreen_en_chanson_schitteren_op_Dag_van_het_Nederlandse_lied.html

| access-date = 2009-07-05}} and the queen of Dutch children's literature,{{cite news

| last = Duin

| first = Lieke van

| title = Olifanten hadden vroeger neuzen

| work = Trouw

| language = nl

| date = 1995-01-04

| url = http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/1995/01/04/2613453/Olifanten_hadden_vroeger_neuzen.html

| access-date = 2009-07-05}} praised for her "delicious Dutch idiom," and considered one of the greatest Dutch writers.{{cite news | url=http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/1995/05/22/2535507/Annie_M.G._Schmidt_1911_-_1995.html?part=1 | title=Annie M.G. Schmidt 1911–1995 | work=Trouw | date=1995-05-22 | access-date=2009-07-05 | last=Verhallen | first=Frank | language=nl | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926165058/http://www.trouw.nl/tr/nl/5009/Archief/archief/article/detail/2547986/1995/05/22/Annie-M-G-Schmidt-1911-1995.dhtml | archive-date=26 September 2012}} An ultimate honour was extended to her posthumously, in 2007, when a group of Dutch historians compiled the "Canon of the Netherlands" and included Schmidt, alongside national icons such as Vincent van Gogh and Anne Frank.{{cite web

|title = The Canon of the Netherlands

|work = De Canon van Nederland

|publisher = Foundation entoen.nu

|year = 2007

|url = http://entoen.nu/default.aspx?lan=e

|access-date = 2009-07-10

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090612225030/http://www.entoen.nu/default.aspx?lan=e

|archive-date = 12 June 2009

|url-status = dead

}}

Although Schmidt wrote poetry, songs, books, plays, musicals, and radio and television drama for adults, she is known best for children's books. Her best-known work for children may be the series Jip and Janneke. Many of her books, such as Pluk van de Petteflet, were illustrated by Fiep Westendorp.

Schmidt received the 1988 Hans Christian Andersen Medal for her lasting contribution as a children's writer. The biennial award conferred by the International Board on Books for Young People is the highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books.

By the time she died in 1995, she was an icon of the Dutch literary world. Her death, caused by euthanasia, continues to be referenced in the Dutch media and played an important role in discussions of euthanasia.

Early life

Anna Maria Geertruida Schmidt was born on 20 May 1911 in Kapelle, Zeeland, the daughter of Dutch Reformed minister Johannes Daniel Schmidt (1871–1951) and school teacher Geertruida Maria Bouhuijs. She had an elder brother Wim and two older sisters also named Anna M.G. who both died young and before she was born. She was called Zus ("Sister") by her family.{{in lang|nl}} Jeanne Roos, [http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_jaa003199601_01/_jaa003199601_01_0013.php "Anna Maria Geertruida Schmidt"], Jaarboek van de Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde te Leiden, 1995-1996 (1997). Retrieved 15 April 2012.{{in lang|nl}} Maarten van der Meer, "[http://www.vernoeming.nl/de-persoonskaart-van-annie-m-g-schmidt De persoonskaart van Annie M.G. Schmidt]", Vernoeming.nl, 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2012.

She was a solitary child wearing heavy glasses, who found an escape in writing poetry and fiction, even though she once received a grade of 2 (on a scale of 1 to 10) in Dutch class—she would later brag about the report card. Her mother encouraged her and sent some of her poetry to Willem Kloos.{{cite news

| last = Donkersteeg

| first = Jeannette

| title = Een domineesdochter die erbij wilde horen

| work = Reformatorisch Dagblad

| language = nl

| date = 1999-12-30

| url = http://www.refdag.nl/oud/boek/boekgs/991230boekgs04.html?PHPSESSID=29c221294a5b5a22a4a25e45c6f80e05

| access-date = 2009-07-25}} After secondary school in Goes and working as an au pair in Germany, she began to study for a job as a librarian, an occupation she held until 1946.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Career

In 1947, she embarked upon her literary career while writing for the Amsterdam newspaper Het Parool, and shortly after started writing songs and sketches for performers including Wim Sonneveld and Wim Kan.

Her literary career took off in the early 1950s, and included song- and playwriting for the theatre, scripts for radio and television shows, columns for newspapers, and children's books. She wrote the lyrics to De vogels van Holland by Jetty Pearl, the first ever song to be performed at the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1964, she won the literary award Staatsprijs voor kinder- en jeugdliteratuur.

Her final book, Wat Ik Nog Weet, a book of childhood memories, appeared in 1992. She died of voluntary euthanasia one day after her 84th birthday{{cite news

| last = Janssen

| first = Hein

| title = Van Eyle is als Annie niet gewoon goed, maar magistraal

| work = de Volkskrant

| date = 2003-09-05

| url = http://www.volkskrant.nl/archief_gratis/article977189.ece/Van_Eyle_is_als_Annie_niet_gewoon_goed%2C_maar_magistraal

| access-date = 2009-07-10}} (with a combination of pills and alcohol{{cite book

|last=Zijl

|first=Annejet van der

|year=2002

|title=Anna

|location=Amsterdam

|publisher=Nijgh & Van Ditmar

|isbn=90-388-8733-7

|page=405

}}) and was buried in Amsterdam.

File:SchmidtWiki2.JPG

Her death played an important role in discussions of euthanasia."In de media wordt vooral aandacht besteed aan opmerkelijke en ingewikkelde sterfgevallen, maar sterven verloopt meestal heel mooi, als je dat zo kunt zeggen. Kijk naar het overlijden van Annie M.G. Schmidt. Ze vierde haar verjaardag met familie en vrienden en 's nachts overleed ze in haar slaap." {{cite news

| last = Baart

| first = Suzanne

| title = Promovenda wil in medische opleiding meer aandacht voor verzoeken om levensbeëindiging. 'Vragen over euthanasie vaak dilemma voor arts'

| work = de Volkskrant

| date = 1995-05-30

| url = http://www.volkskrant.nl/archief_gratis/article641476.ece/Promovenda_wil_in_medische_opleiding_meer_aandacht_voor_verzoeken_om_levensbeeindiging._Vragen_over_euthanasie_vaak_dilemma_voor_arts

| access-date = 2009-07-10}} Her life became the subject of plays in 2003 and 2009;{{cite news

| last = Schmitz

| first = Jowi

| title = Vermakelijke voorstelling over Annie M.G. met vooral veel liedjes

| work = de Volkskrant

| date = 2009-02-24

| url = http://www.volkskrant.nl/recensies/kunsttips/article1154238.ece/Vermakelijke_voorstelling_over_Annie_M.G._met_vooral_veel_liedjes

| access-date = 2009-07-10}} her work continues to be in print, and her plays are still performed (such as 1980's {{Interlanguage link|Er valt een traan op de tompoes|nl|vertical-align=sup}}, a play discussing euthanasia, performed again in 1999)."Niemand anders beschikt over dat verrukkelijk oer-Hollandse idioom." {{cite news

| last = Buijs

| first = Marian

| title = Alleen Annie Schmidt beschikt over het oer-Hollandse idioom

| work = de Volkskrant

| language = nl

| date = 1999-11-23

| url = http://www.volkskrant.nl/archief_gratis/article824494.ece/Alleen_Annie_Schmidt_beschikt_over_het_oer-Hollandse_idioom

| access-date = 2009-07-10}}

In 2006, she was included as #45 of 50 topics in the Canon of the Netherlands, which aims to provide a chronological summary of Dutch history to be taught in primary schools and the first two years of secondary school in the Netherlands. A revised version, which still includes Schmidt as one of the topics, was presented to the Dutch government on 3 October 2007.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Books

=''Jip en Janneke''=

File:Jip en Janneke Zaltbommel.png in Zaltbommel, Netherlands]]

Schmidt began writing Jip en Janneke while working in Amsterdam at Het Parool. Jip and Janneke are two children who live next to each other, and engaged in short, self-contained adventures every week. Some story lines were based on real adventures involving Schmidt's son Flip and the girl next door.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}} The stories were illustrated by Fiep Westendorp. The first was published 13 September 1952, the last 7 September 1957; a total of eight book collections were published between 1953 and 1960. Jip and Janneke are among the best-known children's characters in the Netherlands—they were listed first on a list of "five typically Dutch phenomena"{{cite web

|last=Arbouw

|first=Ernst

|title=The Dutch identity

|work={{Ill|Universiteitskrant Groningen|nl|Universiteitskrant}}

|publisher=Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

|date=2008-06-19

|url=http://www.uk.rug.nl/archief/jaargang37/37/20a.php

|access-date=2009-07-10

}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}—and their likeness is marketed on a variety of products sold by the HEMA department stores.{{cite web|title=Jip en Janneke|publisher=HEMA|url=http://www.hema.nl/nl-nl/winkel/kind/jip%20en%20janneke.aspx|access-date=2009-07-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605000043/http://www.hema.nl/nl-nl/winkel/kind/jip%20en%20janneke.aspx|archive-date=5 June 2009|url-status = dead}}

=''Minoes'' / ''Miss Minoes''=

File:Murli Minoes or Undercover Kitty Annie Schmidt 2023.jpg

Minoes (1970) is the story of a cat who turns into a young lady and, by spreading gossip from the cat world, helps a young journalist keep his job at the newspaper. In 2001, a film adaptation was directed by Vincent Bal based on a script by Burny Bos; it became one of the most popular Dutch children's films abroad.{{cite news

| title = Minoes meest succesvolle kinderfilm in buitenland

| work = Trouw

| language = nl

| date = 2007-10-18

| url = http://www.trouw.nl/cultuur/article1493425.ece

| access-date = 2009-07-05}} Winning two Golden Calves, Minoes was the best-selling Dutch children's film to date, and the DVD was certified platinum in 2002.{{cite news

| title = Nu al platina voor Minoes

| work = Trouw

| language = nl

| date = 2002-10-08

| url = http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/2002/10/08/2149454/Nu_al_platina_voor_Minoes.html

| access-date = 2009-07-05}} More than 815,000 people saw it in the theatre, making it the highest-selling Dutch film of the year.{{cite news

| title = Minoes

| work = Trouw

| language = nl

| date = 2002-04-24

| url = http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/2002/04/24/2116919/MINOES.html

| access-date = 2009-07-05}} The film won first prize at the 2002 Chicago International Children's Film Festival.{{cite news

| title = Minoes

| work = Trouw

| language = nl

| date = 2002-11-14

| url = http://www.trouw.nl/krantenarchief/2002/11/14/2128563/MINOES.html

| access-date = 2009-07-05}} The book Minoes has been translated into English as Minnie (1992) and as The Cat Who Came In off the Roof (2014).{{cite book|title=Formats and Editions of Minoes|oclc = 893213501}}

Radio and television

File:Ja zuster, nee zuster - Decorfoto 21.jpg

In 1952, Schmidt began writing a radio show, De Familie Doorsnee, which ran until 1958. In 1957 she began writing Pension Hommeles, a musical comedy on VARA television.

=''Ja Zuster, Nee Zuster'' or ''Yes Nurse! No Nurse!''=

In the 1960s, Schmidt wrote one of the most popular Dutch television series of all time, Ja zuster, nee zuster (English: Yes Nurse! No Nurse!) with songs by Harry Bannink, later the inspiration for the 2002 film of the same name.

According to Rieks Swarte, who adapted Annie M.G.'s 1962 comic strip Tante Patent to a play (with music by Fay Lovski) in 2007, the story of Tante Patent was the breeding ground for Ja Zuster, Nee Zuster.{{cite news

| title = Strips Annie M.G. Schmidt in theater

| work = de Volkskrant

| language = nl

| date = 2007-10-29

| url = http://www.volkskrant.nl/kunst/article474080.ece/Strips_Annie_M.G._Schmidt_in_theater

| access-date = 2009-07-10}}{{cite news

| last = Schmitz

| first = Jowi

| title = 'Tante Patent' van Rieks Swarte wemelt van mooie vondsten

| work = de Volkskrant

| language = nl

| date = 2007-11-13