Occupation Writer Role Author Name Wil Huygen | Notable works Gnomes Nationality Dutch | |
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Born Willibrord Joseph Huygen
June 23, 1922
Amersfoort, Netherlands ( 1922-06-23 ) Died 2009, Bilthoven, Netherlands Movies Gnomes, The Gnomes' Great Adventure Books Gnomes, The Secret Book of Gnomes, The complete gnomes, Gnome life, De oproep der kabouters Similar People Rien Poortvliet, Frank Gorshin, Harvey Weinstein, Shelly Altman, Sam Moore | ||
Wil (Willibrord Joseph) Huygen (23 June 1922 – 14 January 2009) was a Dutch book author. He is best known for the picture books on gnomes, illustrated by Rien Poortvliet.
Huygen, a painter in his own right, was born in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. The seventh of ten children, his primary occupation was that of a physician. This helps to explain the method he used to give realism and a sense of authenticity to his children's books about gnomes. He was married and had five children.
The first and most well known in this series is Gnomes (published in 1977, and originally known as Leven en werken van de Kabouter in Dutch). It was on top of the bestseller list of the New York Times for over a year. In the second book (De oproep der Kabouters) both Huygen and Poortvliet make appearances themselves in both the story and the illustrations as they get contacted by the gnomes because of Gnomes book they have written together. Huygen died 14 January 2009, in Bilthoven. He was 86 years old.