Marianne Philips

Marianne Philips (18 March 1886 – 13 May 1951) was a Dutch writer and politician. In 1919, she became one of the first female municipal council members of the Netherlands. Philips wrote psychological novels. Philips survived World War II by going into hiding. In 1950, De zaak Beukenoot was selected as the gift for Boekenweek, a week dedicated to Dutch literature.

Biography Philips was born on 18 March 1886 in an affluent Jewish family who lived on Kloveniersburgwal in Amsterdam. Her father died when she was 1½ years old. Her mother remarried, however the business started to fail. When Philips was 14, her mother died, and she had to leave school to work in a sewing workshop. The family drifted into poverty and ended up in a little house in Watergraafsmeer near the railway line. The novel received critical acclaim for its psychological depth.

During World War II, the family received a letter that they had to report at Herzogenbusch concentration camp. They decided to go into hiding. During the war, she developed arthritis, and had to be hospitalised. She would celebrate liberation and be reunited with her husband in hospital.

Works Bruiloft in Europa, Bussum : Dishoeck, 1936 Hochzeit in Europa; aus dem Holländischen übertragen von Hanna Waldeck, Locarno : Verbano Verlag, 1935 De biecht, Houten : Agathon, 1986, Die Beichte einer Nacht : Roman , aus dem Niederländischen von Eva Schweikart; mit einem Nachwort von Judith Belinfante, Zürich : Diogenes, 2021,