Lecture Author Ton van Reen in the House of Waalwijk

Ton van Reen writes novels, juvenile novels and children's books. A total of nearly 90 titles now.

He also writes for newspapers and publishes about Africa, where he spends much of his time. He is the founder of the Lalibela Foundation (www.stichtinglalibela.nl) in Ethiopia which helps mainly disabled children and homeless elderly people.

His best known book for youth is THE BEND OF THE BOKKENRIJDERS (DIE BOCKREITER in German) which was filmed into a TV series, awarded as the best European youth series. GESTOLEN JEUGD, about children growing up during World War II, is widely read by young people, including in Germany. His children's book HET KOLENVISJE is about the history of the mine and the miners, VLUCHT VOOR HET VUUR is about the persecution of witches in Limburg. YOU ARE A LIKE AN ANIMAL is a children's book about the mosasaurus Ber. DE LICHTVERKOPER is a novel about the nineteenth century with the theme of child labor.

His prose work, seventeen novels, novellas and collections of short stories was published in two thick volumes of 1,000 pages each by Uitgeverij De Geus. Volume I includes all novels set in France. Volume 2 includes his well-known books HET WINTERJAAR, ROOMSE MEISJES, IN THE DONKER ZUIDEN, BRANDENDE MANNEN and GEVALLEN STER. His collected poems, entitled BLIJVEND VERS, were published by Uitgeverij De Contrabas. Ton van Reen wrote many theater texts, television plays and radio plays, most of which have also appeared in book form, such as HEKSENWAAN which he wrote for the city of Thorn on the occasion of its thousandth anniversary. He wrote scenarios for the television series IN THE LIGHT OF THE HEARD, among others. Recently the book EEN RIJKE OOGST was published, about the life and work of Ton van Reen, written by ten writers and journalists.

Ton was born in Waalwijk but grew up in Panningen, a village on the Peel edge. He learned storytelling from his grandmother, who lived in his home. She was a daughter of a peat skipper, who transported peat from the Peel to big cities. She was a born storyteller. Every day she told Ton stories about the old days, about billygoat riders, werewolves, witches, gnomes firemen and so on. No wonder these figures from folk tales, and especially those from the Peel region, often recur in his books.

83 years ago Ton van Reen was born in Waalwijk-Besoyen. A few years later the family moved to Helden-Panningen, where his father had previously been a constable.

Prior to his lecture, an exhibition will take place in the House of Waalwijk from February 16, 2025. Visitors will be able to travel through the author's life and writing career in a bird's eye view through fourteen panels.

tickets via:
http:// www.huisvanwaalwijk.nl/index.php/programma-2/lezing/lezing-auteur-ton-van-reen