Annie M.G. Schmidt

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Lore & Background

Annie Schmidt was born on 20 May 1911 in Kapelle, Zeeland, the daughter of Dutch Reformed minister Johannes Daniel Schmidt 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. 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. After secondary school she went to work for a library, where her experience of reading the heavily didactic and moralizing children's literature of the time (and the children's boredom and protest) made her decide to 'read and tell only stories and poems which would genuinely appeal to children'. 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 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. 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 (with a combination of pills and alcohol) and was buried in Amsterdam.

Reader's Guide

Annie M.G. 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. Her life became the subject of plays in 2003 and 2009; her work continues to be in print, and her plays are still performed (such as 1980's Er valt een traan op de tompoes, a play discussing euthanasia, performed again in 1999). 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. Her series Jip and Janneke began 13 September 1952, the last story published 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'—and their likeness is marketed on a variety of products sold by the HEMA department stores. The film adaptation of Minoes (1970) won two Golden Calves, was the best-selling Dutch children's film to date, and the DVD was certified platinum in 2002. More than 815,000 people saw it in the theatre, making it the highest-selling Dutch film of the year. The film won first prize at the 2002 Chicago International Children's Film Festival.

Did You Know?

• She once received a grade of 2 (on a scale of 1 to 10) in Dutch class and would later brag about the report card.
• She wrote the lyrics to 'De vogels van Holland', the first ever song performed at the Eurovision Song Contest.
• Her death by voluntary euthanasia (pills and alcohol) occurred one day after her 84th birthday.
• Her book Minoes was adapted into a film that won first prize at the 2002 Chicago International Children's Film Festival.
• Jip and Janneke were listed first on a list of 'five typically Dutch phenomena'.