Herman van Veen, Thomas Woitkewitsch, Ton Schulten, Erik van der Wurff, Paul Biegel
Joost Prinsen over Willem Wilmink
Willem Wilmink ['ʋɪləm 'ʋɪlmɪŋk] (Enschede, 25 October 1936 – 2 August 2003) was a Dutch poet and writer. He was best known for the large number of songs he wrote for popular children programs and his simple poetry.
Wilmink was born in Enschede and studied Dutch and history at the University of Amsterdam. From 1960 to 1978, he taught modern literature at the same university. He wrote many songs for musicals and wrote a number of novels for young adults. At first he mainly wrote for adults, but later mainly for children.
His first publication was in 1966: Brief van een Verkademeisje (Eng: "letter from a Verkade girl"). From 1970, he formed a writers' collective, together with Karel Eijkman, Hans Dorrestijn, Ries Moonen, Fetze Pijlman and Jan Riem. They contributed a lot to television programs such as De Stratemakeropzeeshow, Het Klokhuis, De Film van Ome Willem, Sesamstraat and Kinderen voor Kinderen.
He received numerous prizes for his work, including the Louis Davids Prijs in the 1970s, the Zilveren Griffel in 1983 and 1994, the Gouden Griffel in 1986, and the Theo Thijssen Prijs in 1988.
While never really well-known as a performing artist, though he sang and played accordion, a lot of Dutch people know Wilmink's songs. He performed regularly with his group in the nineties.
Many Dutch artists have performed Wilminks poetry, including Herman van Veen, Wieteke van Dort, Joost Prinsen and the cabaret group Don Quishocking. Many of his texts have been put to music by Harry Bannink and Frank Deiman.
In later life, his health declined due to a number of strokes.
Prose
1971 - About cabaret (IVIO)
1972 - A strange tiger and other poems (Aarts / 2nd edition 1978)
1972 - Seven songs for a peak (Aarts)
1973 - It happens to everyone: twenty songs for children (Aarts)
1975 - Business from Heaven: songs for children (Aarts)
1975 - Messages for anxious children (Cosmos)
1976 - The party of the Amstel: a fairy tale (Aarts)
1976 - The scared animalforrest (Kosmos / 5th edition 1987)
1977 - The thirteen months of the year: romantic piano pieces for beginners (Rap)
1977 - neighborhood boys (Cosmos)
1977 - The songs for children (Aarts / 4th edition 1984)
1977 - Far from town (Cosmos)
1978 - Jan Elephant (Aarts)
1979 - Murder in the swamp (Cosmos)
1980 - Ghost between ghosts (Foundation CPNB)
1980 - The amazing journey of Jacob Moonshine and Sientje Starfish (Aarts)
1980 - Dorus dragon (Heureka / 2nd edition 1984)
1981 - Two girls in Twente: stories and poems (Bekadidact)
1981 - Far from the city and neighborhood boys (Cosmos)
1982 - Near the houses (Kosmos / 2nd edition 1983)
1983 - Far friends: 44 new songs (Bakker)
1983 - Two brothers (Horstink)
1983 - Koen, do my shoe ?: Willem Wilmink's close correspondence course (Van Holkema & Warendorf)
1983 - Ali Baba (Leopold)
1984 - The fist this fist songs from film Uncle William (Aarts)
1984 - Look with your eyes closed: songs for children (Harlequin)
1984 - Three trips Louis (Horstink)
1984 - A while later (Foundation CPNB)
1984 - The wrong pan (bakery / 4th edition 1992)
1985 - Where the heart is full of Willem Wilmink's close correspondence course (Van Holkema & Warendorf / 3rd edition 1986)
1985 - We'll see what it is: songs for growing children (Bakker)
1986 - Climb into your pen (PTT Post)
1986 - Hear! So never sung! Hear !: an anthology of his poems (Bakker)
1986 - Willem Wilmink omnibus (bakery / 2nd edition 1988)
