Henk Hofland
Encyclopedia
Hendrik Johannes Adrianus Hofland (Rotterdam, July 20, 1927) is a Dutch
journalist, commentator, essayist and columnist. H.J.A. Hofland, as he is also commonly know, is often referred to as the éminence grise of Dutch journalism. In 1999 he was named Dutch "Journalist of the century" in a nationwide poll among his peers. He once described himself as belonging to the "anarcho-liberal community" and in his work his political orientation emerges as fitting in with the secular middle of society.
. As a twelve-year-old boy he witnessed the bombing of the city
on May 14, 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands, when the heart of Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed, killing 900 civilians and leaving 80,000 homeless. It was an episode that marked his life: "On May 15, I woke up in a completely different world. It is an experience that stays with you your entire life. The bosses were not bosses anymore, the city was on fire, and the villains had the upper hand."
In 1946 he started to study at the Nyenrode Business University where he met Willem Oltmans
, but he never finished his studies. In 1950 he moved to Amsterdam
and he started his journalistic career at the Algemeen Handelsblad
in 1953 at the foreign desk, first as a three-month holiday job, but he simply remained. At the Handelsblad he worked with Hans van Mierlo
and Jan Blokker
, which became lifelong friends, just as the writer Harry Mulisch
.
In October 1956, he went to Budapest
where the revolution against the Soviet
occupation had been going on for several days. On the night of November 3, he heard the Russian tanks arrive in the capital and witnessed the surrender of the resistance. Hofland later declared “I knew that freedom had lost and that the West wouldn't help.”
and worked with the Johnstown
Tribune-Democrat
. He covered the Presidential primaries in New Hampshire and West Virginia and heard John F. Kennedy
speak, an experience he remembered as “flamboyant, unforgettable”. Although he shook Kennedy’s hand, he was too shy to ask a question at the time.
In 1962, he became deputy editor in chief of the Handelsblad, and subsequently its editor in chief in 1968. In 1972, two years after the Handelsblad had merged with the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant
(NRC), becoming the NRC Handelsblad
, he resigned his post after a bitter conflict with the publisher about the disconnect between the liberal editorial staff of the newspaper and the more conservative readership.
, the Dutch-Indonesian dispute about New Guinea
and in particular the "anguish of Dutch authorities." . He wrote the book out of anger and frustration about the Dutch cover-up culture in politics and business.
Operating along the lines of the American New Journalism
he made the television documentary Vastberaden, maar soepel en met mate (Determined, but flexible and cautious), with television journalists Hans Keller and Hans Verhagen in 1974 for the VPRO
. They provided the rich tradition of the Dutch documentary with an effective narrative style, and especially a new social engagement.Schuyt & Taverne, Dutch Culture in a European Perspective: 1950, prosperity and welfare, p. 398
Under the alias Samuel Montag, a pseudonym he took from a British banking house, he writes ruminations on everyday aspects of life. A frequent New York resident, he often voices exasperation at modern phenomena such as advertising, linguistic deterioration, free market ideology and growing car ownership. From 2002 he also writes a column for the weekly De Groene Amsterdammer
.
In 2011 he received Holland's most prestigious literary prize, the P.C. Hooft Award. The honour is rarely given to a journalist. The jury praised Hofland for his effortless style, unflagging ethos and balanced views. "No one in this country has over the past sixty years sounded its social developments with so much vigilance and impartiality, with so much sprezzatura as well as persistence and continuity, evidence of an iron discipline."
His columns and essays have been collected in some 30 books. He has also published several novels and short stories. One of his favourite authors is the journalist Curzio Malaparte
.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
journalist, commentator, essayist and columnist. H.J.A. Hofland, as he is also commonly know, is often referred to as the éminence grise of Dutch journalism. In 1999 he was named Dutch "Journalist of the century" in a nationwide poll among his peers. He once described himself as belonging to the "anarcho-liberal community" and in his work his political orientation emerges as fitting in with the secular middle of society.
Early life and career
Hofland was born in RotterdamRotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
. As a twelve-year-old boy he witnessed the bombing of the city
Rotterdam Blitz
The Rotterdam Blitz refers to the aerial bombardment of Rotterdam by the German Air Force on 14 May 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands in World War II. The objective was to support the German troops fighting in the city, break Dutch resistance and force the Dutch to surrender...
on May 14, 1940, during the German invasion of the Netherlands, when the heart of Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed, killing 900 civilians and leaving 80,000 homeless. It was an episode that marked his life: "On May 15, I woke up in a completely different world. It is an experience that stays with you your entire life. The bosses were not bosses anymore, the city was on fire, and the villains had the upper hand."
In 1946 he started to study at the Nyenrode Business University where he met Willem Oltmans
Willem Oltmans
Willem Leonard Oltmans was a Dutch investigative journalist and author who did not hesitate to pro-actively intervene in international politics....
, but he never finished his studies. In 1950 he moved to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
and he started his journalistic career at the Algemeen Handelsblad
Algemeen Handelsblad
Algemeen Handelsblad was an influential Amsterdam-based liberal daily newspaper, founded in 1828 by J.W. van den Biesen. At the peak of its influence -- from the time of the Boer War, when it championed the Boer cause in South Africa, through World War I -- it was edited by Charles Boissevain.It...
in 1953 at the foreign desk, first as a three-month holiday job, but he simply remained. At the Handelsblad he worked with Hans van Mierlo
Hans van Mierlo
Henricus Antonius Franciscus Maria Oliva "Hans" van Mierlo was a Dutch politician of the Democrats 66 . In 1966 Van Mierlo together with Hans Gruijters founded the Democrats 66...
and Jan Blokker
Jan Blokker
Jan Andries Blokker, Sr. was a Dutch journalist, columnist, publicist, writer, and amateur historian. In The Netherlands, Blokker was best known for his columns in De Volkskrant, which he wrote between 1968 and 2006....
, which became lifelong friends, just as the writer Harry Mulisch
Harry Mulisch
Harry Kurt Victor Mulisch was a Dutch author. He wrote more than 80 novels, plays, essays, poems and philosophical reflections. These have been translated into more than 20 languages....
.
In October 1956, he went to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
where the revolution against the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
occupation had been going on for several days. On the night of November 3, he heard the Russian tanks arrive in the capital and witnessed the surrender of the resistance. Hofland later declared “I knew that freedom had lost and that the West wouldn't help.”
Editor in chief
In 1960, as the paper’s junior foreign editor, he went to the United States in the US State Department’s Jointly Sponsored Journalists project that organised the placement of foreign journalists with American provincial newspapers. He followed a course in journalism at the Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
and worked with the Johnstown
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States, west-southwest of Altoona, Pennsylvania and east of Pittsburgh. The population was 20,978 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cambria County...
Tribune-Democrat
The Tribune-Democrat
The Tribune-Democrat is a seven-day morning daily newspaper published in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is owned by Community Newspaper Holdings Inc....
. He covered the Presidential primaries in New Hampshire and West Virginia and heard John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
speak, an experience he remembered as “flamboyant, unforgettable”. Although he shook Kennedy’s hand, he was too shy to ask a question at the time.
In 1962, he became deputy editor in chief of the Handelsblad, and subsequently its editor in chief in 1968. In 1972, two years after the Handelsblad had merged with the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant
Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant
The Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant was an influential Rotterdam-based liberal daily newspaper, founded in 1844 by Henricus Nijgh.It merged in 1970 with the Amsterdam-based liberal daily newspaper Algemeen Handelsblad to form the NRC Handelsblad....
(NRC), becoming the NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad
NRC Handelsblad, often abbreviated to NRC, is a daily evening newspaper published in the Netherlands by NRC Media. The newspaper was created on October 1, 1970, from merger of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant and Algemeen Handelsblad . In 2006 a morning newspaper, nrc•next, was launched...
, he resigned his post after a bitter conflict with the publisher about the disconnect between the liberal editorial staff of the newspaper and the more conservative readership.
New Journalism
As a freelance journalist he continued to publish articles, essays and reports for the NRC. In 1972 he published the book Tegels Lichten (Lifting Tiles), containing essays on postwar Dutch domestic politics and various high profile ‘affairs’, such as the decolonization of IndonesiaIndonesian National Revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution or Indonesian War of Independence was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between Indonesia and the Dutch Empire, and an internal social revolution...
, the Dutch-Indonesian dispute about New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea
Netherlands New Guinea refers to the West Papua region while it was an overseas territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1949 to 1962. Until 1949 it was a part of the Netherlands Indies. It was commonly known as Dutch New Guinea...
and in particular the "anguish of Dutch authorities." . He wrote the book out of anger and frustration about the Dutch cover-up culture in politics and business.
Operating along the lines of the American New Journalism
New Journalism
New Journalism was a style of 1960s and 1970s news writing and journalism which used literary techniques deemed unconventional at the time. The term was codified with its current meaning by Tom Wolfe in a 1973 collection of journalism articles he published as The New Journalism, which included...
he made the television documentary Vastberaden, maar soepel en met mate (Determined, but flexible and cautious), with television journalists Hans Keller and Hans Verhagen in 1974 for the VPRO
VPRO
The VPRO was established in the Netherlands in 1926 as a religious broadcasting organization. Falling under the Protestant pillar, it represented the Liberal Protestant current...
. They provided the rich tradition of the Dutch documentary with an effective narrative style, and especially a new social engagement.Schuyt & Taverne, Dutch Culture in a European Perspective: 1950, prosperity and welfare, p. 398
Under the alias Samuel Montag, a pseudonym he took from a British banking house, he writes ruminations on everyday aspects of life. A frequent New York resident, he often voices exasperation at modern phenomena such as advertising, linguistic deterioration, free market ideology and growing car ownership. From 2002 he also writes a column for the weekly De Groene Amsterdammer
De Groene Amsterdammer
De Groene Amsterdammer is an independent Dutch weekly newsmagazine published in Amsterdam and distributed throughout the Netherlands. It is conventionally considered to be one of the four most influential written media in its sector, along with HP/De Tijd, Vrij Nederland and Elsevier.- History and...
.
Legacy
Hofland is often called the nestor of Dutch journalism and won many awards. In 1999 he was named ‘Dutch journalist of the century’ in a nationwide poll among his peers.In 2011 he received Holland's most prestigious literary prize, the P.C. Hooft Award. The honour is rarely given to a journalist. The jury praised Hofland for his effortless style, unflagging ethos and balanced views. "No one in this country has over the past sixty years sounded its social developments with so much vigilance and impartiality, with so much sprezzatura as well as persistence and continuity, evidence of an iron discipline."
His columns and essays have been collected in some 30 books. He has also published several novels and short stories. One of his favourite authors is the journalist Curzio Malaparte
Curzio Malaparte
Curzio Malaparte , born Kurt Erich Suckert, was an Italian journalist, dramatist, short-story writer, novelist and diplomat...
.