Andreas Burnier

Andreas Burnier, born Catharina Irma Dessaur (3 July 1931 – 18 September 2002) was a Dutch writer. Burnier has published poetry, lectures, books and articles, many of which address homosexuality, in order to emphasize women's problems in a male-dominated society.

Literary debut Burnier debuted in the literary magazine Tirade with her story Verschrikkingen van het Noorden. (the title of which translates as something like "A Contented Laugh"). In it she wrote about her homosexuality, a topic that had previously not been widely discussed in Dutch literature.

Topics of her novels Notable topics Burnier writes about are powerlessness, frustration and anger which she experienced by the masculine-oriented society. This caused her to write and think about herself and if she was a man trapped in a woman's body. The main topic of Het jongensuur is a young girl who wonders if she is not a boy.

A lot of Burnier's novels are autobiographical like her debut novel Een tevreden lach. Her protagonist struggles with her identity as a developing young woman. De wereld is van glas also contains autobiographical fragments. The main character is looking for a person who can help her reconcile with all the different characters she experiences. She finds this reconciliation in Judaism.

After Burnier's father died she reconciled with Judaism and her books were more oriented on this religion. Het jongensuur is the only book from her earlier work which features a Jewish protagonist.

Feminism and activism Burnier was also a pioneer during the second feminist wave, often writing about the inborn misfortune of having a female body. Burnier saw feminism as a positive force for remaking civilization. She was an outspoken defender of gay rights and was opposed to abortion and euthanasia. In her argumentation of why she was opposed to abortion, euthanasia and genetic manipulation, she referred to the eugenetics of the Nazi-ideology.

Personal life Burnier was born Catharina Irma Dessaur in The Hague, The Netherlands to Jewish parents Salomon Dessaur and Rosa Louisa Jacobs. Like many other Jewish children in Europe, she went into hiding during World War II, and was separated from her parents for three years (1942–1945), hiding in sixteen different locations under the alias Ronnie van Dijk. Prior to this, she worked with the Ministry of CRM and the Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology in Leiden. Een tevreden lach (1965) De verschrikkingen van het noorden (1967) Het jongensuur (1969) De huilende libertijn (1970) Poëzie: jongens en het gezelschap van geleerde vrouwen (1974) De reis naar Kithira (1976) De zwembadmentaliteit (1979) Na de laatste keer (1981) De droom der rede (1982) De litteraire salon (1983) De trein naar Tarascon (1986) Gesprekken in de nacht (1987) Mystiek en magie in de literatuur (1988) De achtste scheppingsdag (1990) Een wereld van verschil (1994) Gustav Meyrink: bewoner van twee werelden (1996) Manoeuvres (1996) De wereld is van glas (1997) Joods lezen (1997) Een gevaar dat de ziel in wil (2003) Na de laatste keer (2004)

in English

in German Translation of De verschrikkingen van het noorden (1967):

Translation of Jongensuur (1969):

Translation of Het spirituele in de kunst (1987):