Andreas Burnier

Early 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. During her time in hiding, Burnier became aware of the lack of rights that women experience in a male-dominated society and began to feel like she was a boy trapped in a girl's body.

Education

After the war, Burnier studied medicine and philosophy in Amsterdam; however, she never finished her studies. In 1961, Burnier began to study philosophy in Leiden in South Holland and later graduated cum laude. Post-graduation, she received her PhD in criminology.

Criminology

From 1973-1988, Burnier was a criminology professor at the University of Nijmegen. Prior to this, she worked with the Ministry of CRM and the Institute of Criminal Law and Criminology in Leiden.

Literary debut

Burnier debuted in the literary magazine Tirade with her story "Verschrikkingen van het Noorden" (The Horrors of the North). Along with assuming a new name as a writer, Burnier also assumed the opposite gender. In 1965, she published her first novel Een tevreden lach (A Contented Laugh). In it she wrote about her homosexuality, a topic that had not been previously breached in Dutch literature. This novel was well received by critics who praised its original structural elements. She followed this work with a collection of short stories entitled De verschrikkingen van het noorden (The Horrors of the North) in 1967 and a novel Het jongensuur (The boys' hour) in 1969, supplementing this work with a series of poetry, book reviews and articles.

Feminism and activism

Burnier was also a pioneer during the second feminist wave, often writing about the inborn misfortune of having a female body. Many of her works are intended to encourage women to take their place in society and fight for their rights. Dessaur saw feminism as a positive force for remaking civilization. She was an outspoken defender of gay rights and opposed to abortion and euthanasia.

Personal life

In 1953, Burnier married Johannes Emanuel Zeijlmans van Emmichoven and had two children with him. About eight years later, in 1961, Burnier and Zeijlmans filed for divorce. During the time that Burnier was getting her PhD, Burnier met her first female romantic partner; they were together for 17 years. Beginning in 1983, she had a relationship with Ineke van Mourik. Burnier died in Amsterdam at the age of 71.

Works

Her works include:

Biography