Willem Schippers

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Willem Schippers (Groote Lindt, municipality of Zwijndrecht, April 4, 1867 - Dordrecht, June 11, 1954) was a writer of many Christian children's books and family novels. He initially worked as an apprentice blacksmith in a forge in a village on the other side of the Maas River, then for about five years in a machine factory, and later in a large factory in Dordrecht as a metal turner. In the evenings, he would meticulously put on paper the stories that came to him during the day, providing him with the peace he needed after the heavy labor. He found his inspiration in his surroundings and the people from that environment.

He was born as the fifth and youngest son of a father who was a postman. He wrote his first book (title unknown) at the age of 33. Soon after, "De stroper" (The Poacher) and many other titles followed. In total, he published more than 45 books between 1908 and 1955.

In 1998, a biography titled "Willem Schippers (1867-1954): a life between pen and blacksmith's hammer" was published by De Groot Goudriaan Publishers.