Jef Geeraerts facts for kids
Jozef Adriaan Anna Geeraerts (born February 23, 1930 – died May 11, 2015) was a famous Belgian writer. Most people knew him as Jef Geeraerts. He wrote many books, including exciting detective stories.
Jef Geeraerts was born in Antwerp, a city in Belgium. He studied political and administrative sciences at the Colonial University of Belgium. After his studies, he worked as a manager in the Belgian Congo. This was a country in Africa that was once ruled by Belgium.
When Congo became independent in 1960, Jef Geeraerts returned to Belgium. He received money from the government for six years. After that, he decided to become a writer. To help him with his writing, he went to the University of Brussels to study Germanic languages.
Becoming a Famous Writer
After finishing his studies, Jef Geeraerts wrote his first novel. It was called Ik ben maar een neger, which means "I'm just a negro." This book was based on his time working in Congo. He wrote a few more books about his experiences in colonial times.
Later, Jef Geeraerts became very well-known for his detective stories. These are exciting books where a detective solves a crime. Today, he is celebrated as a great crime novelist. Some of his books, like De zaak Alzheimer and Dossier K, were even made into movies!
In total, Jef Geeraerts wrote 35 novels. He also wrote some plays and a radio drama, which is like a play for radio.
About His Life
Jef Geeraerts had three children from his first marriage, including his daughter Ilse. In 1978, he married Eleonore Vigenon. In his later years, he lived in a place called Baarle (Drongen), which is part of Ghent. He passed away in Ghent in May 2015 from a heart attack.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Jef Geeraerts received several important awards for his writing:
- 1967 – The Arkprijs van het Vrije Woord for his book De Troglodieten.
- 1969 – The Staatsprijs voor verhalend proza, a state prize for prose.
- 1986 – The Gouden Strop for the best Dutch crime novel.
The city of Antwerp placed a special plaque on the house where Jef Geeraerts was born. This was to remember him. The city also bought his handwritten notes and papers to keep them safe.
A small space rock, called an asteroid, was named after Jef Geeraerts! This asteroid is called 13027 Geeraerts. It was found on April 3, 1989.
See also
In Spanish: Jef Geeraerts para niños
- Meanings of asteroid names (13001-14000)
