(Marken, 1958-2009) was a poet, a writer and a commentator, with a regular column on the Forum page and the book pages of the Volkskrant. Zeeman was the editor of the arts section of the Volkskrant and from 2006-2007 its Rome correspondent. In 2006 he and the writer Abdelkader Benali published an exchange of letters, exchanging ideas on politics, life, love and literature. In 2002 Zeeman received the Gouden Ganzenveer (Golden Goose Quill) for his merits for Dutch literature. Zeeman became well-known in the 1990s as the host of his monthly book programme 'Late at night after a short walk', later to be renamed 'Zeeman with books'. In 1991 he published his first volume of poetry, Beeldenstorm (Iconoclasm), winning him the C. Buddingh Prize. His second volume Verhoudingen (Relationships) appeared in 1995. In the same year he published short stories entitled De Verduistering (The Darkening). He died in 2009.

(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.

(1970) studied philosophy. In 1994 she made her debut with the much talked about novel Ave Verum Corpus/Gegroet waarlijk lichaam. In 1997 she published Oerboek en Credo: bezielde verhalen uit de Nederlandse literatuur (Primeval Book and Creed: enchanted Stories from Dutch Literature), a year later followed by a collection of essays: Stiller leven. Subsequently she published the novels Mensen met een hobby (2001) and Het opstaan (the Rising). Van Brederode writes articles and delivers lectures on ethical subjects. She is a columnist in the political tv programme Buitenhof. In the pamphlet Modern dédain (Modern Disdain) which appeared in March 2006 she shows that the contempt for the deepening of the spirit takes on such grotesque forms that even cultural media and educational institutions adapt to the prejudices of the masses.

(1953) is a special professor in the history of psychology at the University of Groningen. His graduate thesis De metaforenmachine (The Metaphor Machine) explores the metaphorical nature of the language we use to think and speak about memory. His monograph Ontregelde geesten (Disordered Spirits) deals with famous historic neurologists and psychiatrists like Parkinson, Korsakov, Alzheimer, Gilles de la Tourette and Asperger. To date, Draaisma has published four books about autobiographical memory, including the multiple prize-winning titles Waarom het leven sneller gaat als je ouder wordt (Why Life Goes Faster As You Grow Older, 2001) and Als mijn geheugen mij niet bedriegt (If Memory Serves Me Right, 2016).