Midas Dekkers

(Harlem, 1946) is a biologist. As a student he published small articles on animals in among others NRC Handelsblad, de Volkskrant and the VARA radio/tv magazine. The greater part of Dekkers' oeuvre consists of collections of columns on man and (especially) animals. He has read these personal sketches from 1980 in the radio programma Vroege vogels (Early Birds). The unique and far from pedantic way in which he takes on his themes forms an organic whole with his abrupt, expressive style. The same self-willed tone emanates from his children's books, for which he received four prestigious awards. In 1985 he wrote the children's book week gift Houden beren echt van honing? (Do Bears Really Like Honey?). Followed by his impressive books Lief dier (Cherished Animal) (1992), an essay about bestiality, and De vergankelijkheid (Ways of Dying) (1997) in which Dekkers makes a hilarious study about death, decay and the unstoppable advance of time. He had a lot of success with De larf (Larvae) (2002), about children and their parents. In his latest book, Lichamelijke oefening (Physical Exercise) (2006), he explains in an ironic way that all the effort in the gym is 'umsonst' and that it is better to walk to the pub or a bookstore rather than drive to tennis courts and football fields in order to work oneself in a sweat.