Paul Biegel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Biegel
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Paul Biegel (1989)
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| Born | Paulus Johannes Biegel 25 March 1925 Bussum, Netherlands |
| Died | 21 October 2006 (aged 81) Laren, Netherlands |
| Occupation | Journalist, comics writer, novelist |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Period | 1965-2005 |
| Genre | Children's literature |
| Notable works | The King of the Copper Mountains |
| Notable awards | Gouden Griffel (1965, 1972, and 1993), Woutertje Pieterse Prijs (1991 and 2000) |
| Children | 2 |
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Paul Biegel (born March 25, 1925 – died October 21, 2006) was a very successful and well-known Dutch writer. He wrote many wonderful books, especially for children. His full name was Paulus Johannes Biegel.
Contents
Paul Biegel's Life Story
Paul Biegel was born in a town called Bussum in 1925. His father, Hermann Biegel, owned a shop that sold building materials. Paul was the youngest of nine children in his family. He had six older sisters and two older brothers.
When he was a child, Paul didn't read a lot. He preferred to play outside with his friends. But he did enjoy the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm. He also loved the adventure stories written by Jules Verne. Paul finished school in 1945.
Becoming a Writer
Paul wrote his first story when he was just 14 years old. It was called De ontevreden kabouter, which means "The unhappy gnome." This story was printed in a newspaper called De Tijd.
At first, Paul wanted to become a pianist. But he later decided he wasn't talented enough for that. After World War II, he went to the United States for a year. There, he worked for a magazine called The Knickerbocker Weekly.
When he came back to the Netherlands, he worked as an editor for Dutch magazines. He also started studying law, but he stopped in 1953. Paul wrote several newspaper comics. One of his most important comics was Minter and Hinter. It appeared in a newspaper called Het Vrije Volk for many episodes. In 1959, he started working for a famous comic studio. He wrote stories for the Kappie comic series there.
First Books and Awards
Paul Biegel published his very first book, De gouden gitaar, in 1962. Just a few years later, in 1965, he became one of the most important Dutch writers for children. This happened when he won the Gouden Griffel award for his book Het sleutelkruid.
In 1973, he won another big award, the Dutch State Award for Children's Literature. Paul Biegel wrote more than 50 books during his career. Most of his books were published by Holland. Many of his stories have been translated into different languages. You can find his books in English, French, German, and many other languages around the world.
Paul Biegel had his own favorite books among the ones he wrote. These were De tuinen van Dorr and De soldatenmaker. He also admired other famous authors like J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, and Hans Christian Andersen.
Paul Biegel lived in Amsterdam. He married Marijke Sträter in 1960. They had a daughter named Leonie in 1963. Then, in 1964, they had a son named Arthur. Paul Biegel passed away in 2006. He was buried at Zorgvlied cemetery. After he died, two publishers started reissuing twenty of his best books. They called this special collection the Biegelbibliotheek.
Paul Biegel's Books
Here are some of the books Paul Biegel wrote:
- 1962: De gouden gitaar
- 1962: Het grote boek
- 1964: De kukelhaan
- 1964: Het sleutelkruid: translated as The King of the Copper Mountains (1967)
- 1964: Het lapjesbeest
- 1966: Kinderverhalen
- 1967: Ik wou dat ik anders was, translated as The Seven-times Search (1971)
- 1969: De Tuinen van Dorr, translated as The Gardens of Dorr (1975), with drawings by Tonke Dragt
- 1970: De zeven fabels uit Ubim
- 1971: Sebastiaan Slorp
- 1971: De twaalf rovers, translated as The Twelve Robbers (1974)
- 1971: De kleine kapitein, translated as The Little Captain (1971)
- 1973: Het olifantenfeest, translated as The Elephant Party (1977)
- 1973: De kleine kapitein in het land van Waan en Wijs, translated as The little Captain and the Seven Towers (1973)
- 1974: De vloek van Woestewolf, translated as The Curse of the Werewolf (1981)
- 1974: Het stenen beeld, translated as Far Beyond and Back Again (1977)
- 1974: Twaalf sloeg de klok, translated as The Clock Struck Twelve (1979)
- 1975: De kleine kapitein en de schat van Schrik en Vreze, translated as The little Captain and the Pirate Treasure (1980)
- 1975: De zeven veren van de papegaai
- 1976: Het spiegelkasteel, translated as The Looking-glass Castle (1979)
- 1976: De dwergjes van Tuil, translated as The Dwarfs of Nosegay (1978)
- 1977: De rover Hoepsika, translated as Robber Hopsika (1978)
- 1977: De brieven van de generaal, translated as Letters from the general (1979)
- 1977: Wie je droomt ben je zelf
- 1977: De wenende aap van Kleef
- 1978: Virgilius van Tuil, translated as The fattest Dwarf of Nosegay (1980)
- 1979: Virgilius van Tuil op zoek naar een taart, translated as Virgil Nosegay and the Cake Hunt (1981)
- 1979: De toverhoed, translated as The Tin Can Beast and other stories (1980)
- 1980: Virgilius van Tuil en de rijke oom uit Zweden, translated as Virgil Nosegay and the Hupmobile (1983)
- 1981: Jiri, translated as Crocodile Man (1982)
- 1981: Haas, eerste boek: Voorjaar
- 1982: Haas, tweede boek: Zomer
- 1982: Haas, derde boek: Najaar
- 1982: Virgilius van Tuil overwintert bij de mensen, translated as Virgil Nosegay and the Wellington Boots (1984)
- 1984: Tante Mathilde en de sterren van de Grote Beer
- 1984: De zwarte weduwe
- 1984: Japie en de dingen
- 1984: Een tijdje later
- 1985: Japie en het grote geld
- 1985: Van de oude dame en de muis
- 1986: Japie rekent af
- 1986: Het wolkenschip
- 1987: De rode prinses
- 1989: Beer in het verkeer
- 1989: Het eiland daarginds
- 1990: Anderland, een Brandaan-mythe
- 1991: Juttertje Tim
- 1992: Nachtverhaal
- 1994: De soldatenmaker
- 1995: De karabijn
- 1996: Het ijzeren tapijt
- 1999: Laatste verhalen van de eeuw
- 2002: Een been stokkebeen
- 2003: Man en muis
- 2004: De roep van de kinkhoorn
- 2004: Swing!
- 2005: Wegloop
- 2007: De Lorrelee
Reworking Classic Stories
Paul Biegel also rewrote many classic books and stories for children. Here are some of them:
- 1966: Sprookjes van Grimm (Fairy tales by Grimm)
- 1967: De rattevanger van Hameln (The Pied Piper of Hamelin)
- 1969: Sprookjesmolen (Fairy Tale Mill)
- 1970: Sagen van Grimm (Legends by Grimm)
- 1971: Een toren naar de maan (A Tower to the Moon)
- 1972: Reinaart de Vos (Reynard the Fox)
- 1975: De fabels van Aesopus (Aesop's Fables)
- 1995: Het beleg van Troje (The Siege of Troy)
- 1997: De zwerftochten van Aeneas (The Wanderings of Aeneas)
Translating Other Books
Paul Biegel also translated about 35 books into Dutch. These include the The Borrowers series by Mary Norton. He also translated books by Michael Foreman, John Burningham, Tony Ross, and Kaye Umansky.
Awards and Honors
Paul Biegel received many important awards for his books:
- Dutch State Award for Children's Literature (1973)
- Woutertje Pieterse Prijs (1991 for Anderland and 2000 for Laatste verhalen van de eeuw)
- Nienke van Hichtum-prijs (1973 for De twaalf rovers)
- Gouden Griffel (1965 for Het sleutelkruid; 1972 for De kleine kapitein; and 1993 for Nachtverhaal)
- Zilveren Griffel (1972 for De twaalf rovers; 1974 for Het olifantenfeest; 1982 for Haas; 1988 for De rode prinses)
In 1996, Paul Biegel was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. This is a very big international award for children's authors. In 1999, he was made a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion. This is a special honor in the Netherlands.
See also
In Spanish: Paul Biegel para niños
