Hella Haasse: Dutch writer (1918-2011)

She was often called "the Grand Old Lady" of Dutch literature.

Hella Haasse
In 2007
Born	Hélène Serafia Haasse 2 February 1918 Batavia, Dutch East Indies
Died	29 September 2011(2011-09-29) (aged 93) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Period	1948 – 2011
Subject	Historical novels, Dutch East Indies-Netherlands relationship
Spouse	Jan van Lelyveld (1944-2008; his death); 3 children

Many people think her greatest book is Heren van de Thee (The Tea Lords). It is famous in many countries around the world. In 1988 Haasse interviewed the Dutch Queen for her 50th birthday.

Haasse has received many awards for her writing. She received the Constantijn Huygens Prize in 1981 and the P. C. Hooft Award in 1984. She also won the Annie Romein Prize, the Dirk Martens Prize, and the Prize of the Public of the NS. She is the only author who has written for Boekenweek (Book Week) three times, in 1948, 1959 and 1994.

Many of Haasse's books have been translated into French. The Académie française gave Hasse an award called the Diplôme de médaille Argent in 1984. In 2000, she received another award. It was the Officier dans l’Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur.

The Chilean Ministry of Education gave her a prize in 1996. In 1989 the city of Boston awarded her the Boston Certificate of Recognition for her book In a Dark Wood Wandering. In 1992, Haasse went to the opening of the IKAPI International (Worldwide) Book Fair in Jakarta and visited Java, where she was born.

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  Lake Telaga Hideung in Java. When Haasse was a child, she lived near here.
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  A tea plantation in the Preanger mountains, East Java. This is the area that Haasse's novel The Tea Lords is about.