Ciske de Rat facts for kids
First English-language edition
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| Author | Piet Bakker |
|---|---|
| Original title | Ciske de Rat |
| Translator | Celina Wieniewska and Peter Janson-Smith |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Language | Dutch |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
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Publication date
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1942 |
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Published in English
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1958 (Doubleday) |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 620 |
Ciske de Rat ("Ciske the Rat") is a very famous book from the Netherlands. It's the first part of a three-book series written by Piet Bakker. The books were written between 1941 and 1946, but the first one was published in 1942. This story became very popular and was published in over ten countries. It even inspired two movies, a TV show, and a musical! The 1984 film version is especially well-known, starring Danny de Munk as Ciske.
Contents
What the Story is About
The story takes place in Amsterdam during the 1930s. A teacher named Bruis tells the story.
Ciske the Rat
This first part is about an eleven-year-old boy named Ciske (Franciskus) Vrijmoeth. He is often called "the Rat" because he doesn't have many friends. Ciske has to change schools after he accidentally poured ink on his teacher's head. After school, he helps out in a pub where his mother, Marie, also works. His father, Cor, is a sailor and is often away at sea.
Ciske Grows Up
This is the second part of the story. Ciske finally gets to meet his father. Later, Ciske becomes a hero when he saves a boy from drowning. After this, he gets to live with his father and his aunt Jans.
Cis the Man
In the third part, Ciske is now an adult. He becomes a soldier and faces challenges when the Germans invade the Netherlands in May 1940. His old teacher, Bruis, is now his sergeant. This part of the book was published in 1946, after the Netherlands was freed. This final part of the story is not included in the movies.
Movies Based on the Book
The story of Ciske the Rat has been made into two popular films.
The 1955 Film
The first movie came out in 1955. Dick Van der Velde played Ciske, and Kees Brusse played the teacher Bruis. This black-and-white film was directed by Wolfgang Staudte. It won an OCIC Award and a Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. It is still one of the most popular Dutch films ever based on how many people watched it.
The 1984 Film
The second film was directed by Guido Pieters. Danny de Munk played Ciske in this movie. Danny also sang the main song, Ik voel me zo verdomd alleen ("I feel so damned alone"). This song became a number one hit in the Netherlands.
Later, a longer TV series was made from this film. Both the 1955 and 1984 films are among the most successful movies in the Netherlands since 1945.
Music from the Film
The 1984 movie had a soundtrack with two songs. One was Ik voel me zo verdomd alleen, which was a big hit. The other song, Vergeet nu maar je zorgen ("Now forget your worries"), played at the end of the movie.
The Musical
From October 2007 to November 2009, a musical based on all three Ciske books toured the Netherlands and Belgium. Danny de Munk, who played young Ciske in the 1984 movie, returned to play the grown-up Ciske in the musical.
The musical used parts of the 1984 film's story. It also added parts from the third book. The show switched between flashbacks to Ciske's childhood in the 1930s and his adult life in 1940. The music was by Henny Vrienten, and the lyrics were by André Breedland. Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands even attended the first show in Amsterdam!
The musical received excellent reviews and won seven Dutch musical awards in 2008. A CD and DVD of the show were also released. The musical was staged again in 2016 and 2017, with Danny de Munk once more playing Ciske. It won the 2017 Dutch Musical Award for Best Dutch Musical.
