Anton Quintana

Anton Quintana (6 September 1937 – 15 October 2017), pseudonym of Anton Adolf Kuyten, was a Dutch writer. In 1970 he received the ANV-Visser Neerlandiaprijs for his radio play De vrouw onder het schavot and in 1973 he received the same award for his television play Het zout der aarde. His brother André received the same award a few years earlier in 1967 and again in 1973. Peter van Gestel was involved as dramaturge for this adaption. The main characters were played by Jan Borkus, Hans Karsenbarg, Paul van der Lek and Hans Hoekman.

Writing

Quintana made his debut in children's literature with the book Padjelanta in 1973. The book was not a commercial success, and Quintana bought all remaining copies and used them to raise his garden.

In the years after his brother's death in 1979, Quintana turned to vodka, and he travelled to Sumatra to escape his life in the Netherlands. In 2001, his last book De hemelruiter (2000), a sequel to Het boek van Bod Pa, received an honorable mention by the jury of the Woutertje Pieterse Prijs.

Quintana's work has been translated into several languages, including by Mirjam Pressler (German) and John Nieuwenhuizen (English).

Awards

Quintana received various awards for his work:

1970: ANV-Visser Neerlandiaprijs, De vrouw onder het schavot 1973: ANV-Visser Neerlandiaprijs, Het zout der aarde 1983: Gouden Griffel, De bavianenkoning 1996: Gouden Uil, Het boek van Bod Pa 1996: Woutertje Pieterse Prijs, Het boek van Bod Pa