Anton Valens

(Paterswolde, 1964) got critical acclaim and various literary awards for his debut Meester in de Hygiëne (Master in Hygiene, 2004). In this strongly autobiographical collection of short stories Valens writes about his experiences in home care. Just like Valens, the main character Bonne is a visual artist with ties with Groningen. His second book Dweiloorlog (Mop War, 2008) is a sequel to his debut, with more stories about Bonne's experiences. In 2009 he published the novella Vis (Fish). Again the main character is a visual artist who this time sails on a fishing boat, and so gets to know the rough life of a fisherman. In between he wrote a travelogue on China, Ik wilde naar de rand van Beijing (Journey to the Outskirts of Beijing, 2008). In 2012 he published Het boek Ont (The book Ont) and in 2016 Het compostcirculatieplan (The compost circulation plan), the novel for which he has been awarded with the F. Bordewijk Prize. The jury states: "Gardening is garden warfare in this wonderful novel about friendship and mourning. In superb style Valens shows the effort with which we, season after season, try to get to grips with life - with our feet in the mud, in which we finally all will have to disappear."