J. Bernlef

Writing

Born: January 14, 1937

Birthplace: Sint Pancras, Netherlands

Hendrik Jan Marsman (1937–2012), better known by his pen name J. Bernlef, was a Dutch writer, poet, novelist and translator, much of whose work centres on mental perception of reality and its expression. He won numerous literary awards, including the Constantijn Huygens Prize in 1984 and the P. C. Hooft Award in 1994, both for his entire oeuvre. His novel "Hersenschimmen" (1984), which features on the list of NRC's Best Dutch novels, was arguably his greatest success. It was widely translated, filmed in 1987 and produced as a play in 2006. Translated in English as "Out of Mind", it gives a realistic depiction of the mind’s descent into dementia from the point of view of the sufferer.