An Rutgers van der Loeff-Basenau
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We know An Rutgers van der Loeff-Basenau (Amsterdam, March 15, 1910 – Laren, August 19, 1990) mainly for her magnificent children’s books. Her breakthrough came with The Children’s Caravan, a youth novel published in 1949. Another great success was Avalanches Roar (1954). She also wrote several books under the pseudonym Rutger Bas.
Less well known are her books for adults—she wrote no fewer than eight. In my bookcase, I found a very special book for adults by her, one in which we come to know the author well as a mother.
Her work received many awards, including the Austrian State Prize and the German Youth Literature Prize. In 1976, she was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau for her contribution to Dutch children’s literature.
