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Frida Vogels, author of 'De harde kern' and Libris winner, dies at 96
🇳🇱 Netherlands /Culture & Society

Frida Vogels, author of 'De harde kern' and Libris winner, dies at 96

From NRC Handelsblad · () Dutch

Translated from Dutch, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • Dutch writer and Libris Literature Prize winner Frida Vogels has died at the age of 96.
  • She was best known for her "De harde kern" series, with the second volume earning her the prestigious Libris prize in 1994.
  • Vogels, who lived in Bologna, Italy, since the 1950s, was known for her introspective and often confronting writing style.

Frida Vogels, a celebrated Dutch author and winner of the Libris Literature Prize, passed away at the age of 96. Her publisher, Van Oorschot, announced her death on Tuesday. Vogels had been living in Bologna, Italy, since the 1950s, the city where she died.

Vogels gained significant recognition for her "De harde kern" (The Hard Core) series, published throughout the 1990s. The second installment of this series earned her the Libris Literatuur Prijs in 1994. Her publisher described her as an "unexpected and atypical winner," noting that her work was characterized by "bloedeerlijke en soms harde en confronterende introspectie: wie ben ik, waarom leef ik zoals ik leef?" (honest and sometimes hard and confronting introspection: who am I, why do I live the way I live?).

Known for being publicity-shy, Vogels rarely granted interviews and did not personally accept her Libris award. Despite her private nature, her writing offered deep personal revelations. Her novels often carried autobiographical elements, and she also published eleven volumes of her personal diaries. In addition to her own writing, Vogels translated works by Italian authors, including Primo Levi and Cesare Pavese, contributing significantly to literary exchange between Italy and the Netherlands.

Her work is characterized by honest and sometimes hard and confronting introspection: who am I, why do I live the way I live?

— Van Oorschot (Publisher)Describing the distinctive introspective style of Frida Vogels' writing.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by NRC Handelsblad in Dutch. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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