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De tuinen van Dorr
Prinses Mijnewel en tuinmansjongen Jouweniet zijn verliefd op elkaar, maar hun liefde wordt gedwarsboomd door de jaloerse heks Sirdis. Ze vervloekt Jouweniet en verandert hem in een bijzondere bloem. De prinses is wanhopig van verdriet en wil alles doen om haar Jouweniet terug te krijgen. Maar alleen als ze de zaadkorrels uit de bloem zal planten in de tuinen van de grauwe stad Dorr komt hij weer bij haar terug. Mijnewel begint aan een lange, gevaarlijke tocht om haar geliefde te redden...
182 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1969
15 people are currently reading
422 people want to read
About the author
Paul Biegel
119 books37 followersPaul Biegel was born in Bussum in 1925. His father, Hermann Biegel, was of German descent, and owned a building materials shop. With his wife Madeleine Povel-Guillot he had nine children, six girls and three boys, of which Paul was the youngest. He wasn't a prolific reader as a child, preferring to play outside. His favourite books where the fairy tales of the brothers Grimm and the works of Jules Verne. He studied in Bussum (primary school) and Amsterdam, graduating in 1945.
His first story, De ontevreden kabouter ("The unhappy gnome"), written when he was 14 years old, was printed in the newspaper De Tijd. He wanted to become a pianist, but decided that he didn't have enough talent. He went to the United States for a year after World War II, where he worked for The Knickerbocker Weekly. After his return, he worked as an editor for Dutch magazines like the Avrobode. He commenced Law Studies, but stopped these in 1953. He wrote several newspaper comics, the most important of which was Minter and Hinter, which appeared in Het Vrije Volk for ten stories and 579 episodes. In 1959, he started working in the comic studio of Marten Toonder as a comics writer for the Kappie series.
He only published his first book, De gouden gitaar, in 1962. He became one of the most important Dutch writers for children in 1965, when he received the Gouden Griffel for Het sleutelkruid. He has written over 50 books, mostly published by Holland, and many of his books have been translated in English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Welsh, South African, Japanese, Turkish, Greek, and Spanish. His own favourites were De tuinen van Dorr and De soldatenmaker. Other authors he appreciated included J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, and Hans Christian Andersen.
Paul Biegel lived in Amsterdam. He married Marijke Sträter in 1960, with whom he had a daughter, Leonie, in 1963, and in 1964 a son, Arthur, who committed suicide when he was 28. His marriage ultimately failed, and only at a later age did he publicly admit to being homosexual. He died in 2006. In 2007, publishers Holland (publisher) and Lemniscaat started reissuing twenty of his best works in the Biegelbibliotheek.
His first story, De ontevreden kabouter ("The unhappy gnome"), written when he was 14 years old, was printed in the newspaper De Tijd. He wanted to become a pianist, but decided that he didn't have enough talent. He went to the United States for a year after World War II, where he worked for The Knickerbocker Weekly. After his return, he worked as an editor for Dutch magazines like the Avrobode. He commenced Law Studies, but stopped these in 1953. He wrote several newspaper comics, the most important of which was Minter and Hinter, which appeared in Het Vrije Volk for ten stories and 579 episodes. In 1959, he started working in the comic studio of Marten Toonder as a comics writer for the Kappie series.
He only published his first book, De gouden gitaar, in 1962. He became one of the most important Dutch writers for children in 1965, when he received the Gouden Griffel for Het sleutelkruid. He has written over 50 books, mostly published by Holland, and many of his books have been translated in English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Welsh, South African, Japanese, Turkish, Greek, and Spanish. His own favourites were De tuinen van Dorr and De soldatenmaker. Other authors he appreciated included J. R. R. Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, and Hans Christian Andersen.
Paul Biegel lived in Amsterdam. He married Marijke Sträter in 1960, with whom he had a daughter, Leonie, in 1963, and in 1964 a son, Arthur, who committed suicide when he was 28. His marriage ultimately failed, and only at a later age did he publicly admit to being homosexual. He died in 2006. In 2007, publishers Holland (publisher) and Lemniscaat started reissuing twenty of his best works in the Biegelbibliotheek.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
June 17, 2017
Read this as a child and remember loving in. Paul Biegel is a great children's books writer in Holland. I increased the number of stars from four then, to a big big five star now. What a wonderful fairytale book! This time I listened to the audio book, read by the Dutch actor Gijs Scholten van Aschat, who received a prize for this audio book telling, and indeed it is exceptional and so funny! He tells, he sings, he cries, he plays a drunken man, a creepy toad, a nosy dwarf, a sad old and lonely woman ....so many voices and faces and sounds... extraordinary. It's a Dutch language book, but I do hope it's translated because it is such a beautiful story! Highly, highly recommended. For the Dutch readers here, try the audiobook, it's fabulous! There's dwarfs in the story, witches, toads, soldiers, 'silver men', and old wizzard, kings and queens, ..... I so enjoyed reading this wonderful story again....
I found an English summary on www.letterenfonds.nl:
This book can be seen as the magnum opus in Biegel’s sizeable oeuvre. He presents a theme relevant to all times and all cultures – love conquers death – , convincing and often touching characters and an extraordinarily ingenious composition, plus an abundant wealth of language, humour and imagination.
Princess Nevermine’s dearest friend is the gardener’s apprentice, Evermine, but the witch Sirdis cannot bear to see their blossoming love and turns the boy into a flower. For seven long summers, the little princess searches for the lost gardens of Dorr, where the seed from the flower can again grow into a man, her love. Behind the girl rides the minstrel Jarrick, who acts as jester in the court of the king, ‘because he is such an expert on sadness’. Slowly but surely, he reveals the secret of the seed and, when the last piece of the puzzle falls into place, the wicked witch shrivels up and the dead city of Dorr is green again and there is feasting everywhere. Everyone can start living happily ever after, because Good has once more proved to triumph over Evil. And the proof is a brave young girl, whose motto is, ‘The heart goes forth when reason fails’.
I found an English summary on www.letterenfonds.nl:
This book can be seen as the magnum opus in Biegel’s sizeable oeuvre. He presents a theme relevant to all times and all cultures – love conquers death – , convincing and often touching characters and an extraordinarily ingenious composition, plus an abundant wealth of language, humour and imagination.
Princess Nevermine’s dearest friend is the gardener’s apprentice, Evermine, but the witch Sirdis cannot bear to see their blossoming love and turns the boy into a flower. For seven long summers, the little princess searches for the lost gardens of Dorr, where the seed from the flower can again grow into a man, her love. Behind the girl rides the minstrel Jarrick, who acts as jester in the court of the king, ‘because he is such an expert on sadness’. Slowly but surely, he reveals the secret of the seed and, when the last piece of the puzzle falls into place, the wicked witch shrivels up and the dead city of Dorr is green again and there is feasting everywhere. Everyone can start living happily ever after, because Good has once more proved to triumph over Evil. And the proof is a brave young girl, whose motto is, ‘The heart goes forth when reason fails’.
November 14, 2017
Paul Biegel is een wonderbaarlijke schrijver. Hij schrijft fantasierijke gevoelige sprookjes rond klassieke thema's vol prachtig poëtisch taalgebruik. De tuinen van Dorr is weergaloos: spannend, ontroerend, fantasierijk over de liefde die alles overwint. Het verhaal van de prinses Mijnewel en de tuinmansjongen Jouweniet die voor hun liefde moeten strijden tegen de boze heks Sirdis. Prachtig. Gelezen met mijn kinderen van 7 en 9 die ademloos hebben geluisterd. Zo jammer dat het uit is. Onze editie is een tweede druk van 2013 met prachtige illustraties van Charlotte Dematons. Erg de moeite waard!
May 16, 2023
My thanks to Pushkin Press for a review copy of this book via Edelweiss.
The Gardens of Dorr (1969) by Paul Biegel and translated by Paul Biegel and Gillian Hume is the third of Dutch author and translator Paul Biegel’s books to be republished by Pushkin Children’s Press and as a result, the third I’ve read as well. Originally illustrated by Tonke Dragt, another Dutch author whose books I’ve enjoyed, this edition features illustrations by Eva-Johanna Rubin. The Gardens of Dorr is a fairy-talish story with a quest of sorts at its centre, magic, curses, witches (or at least a witch), a princess, and a range of eccentric characters.
The book unfolds in an interesting, forward–backward format, where we are following two, sort of parallel, threads through which we form a picture of what’s happening. We open with a young girl in silver shoes and with a silver chain around her neck convincing a dwarf to take her across the black water in his reed boat. He agrees but his payment is to be a kiss—and one that serves a further function. She agrees and while he does take her across, the journey is no easy one. Her destination is the lost city of Dorr, which is clearly under a curse of some sort, while she herself is searching for something—what and why we find out gradually. As the girl, who takes on the name Melissa, given to her by Yiri the gatekeeper at Dorr (for, she reminds him ‘of flowers … of the fresh green sweet balm we used to find in the woods in times past’), meets different people in the cursed city, now taken over by the silver soldiers, we learn each of their stories and also that of the city—how it became this grey, dreary place where people are all but stone statutes.
Alongside, soon after Melissa arrives, a young man, Jarrick (with his lute) comes in search of her, making the same crossing (his payment is a story), and following in her path, but not quite—always a step behind. He too meets some of the same and some different people, each of whom he tells a story and through these we learn of Melissa’s life and quest, and the reason she came to Dorr. Through these threads we navigate present and past, and put together the pieces of the stories of Melissa and Jarrick and also the many inhabitants of Dorr whom we meet, and find out eventually how everything is tied together.
As a children’s story, The Gardens of Dorr has all the requisite elements, from a princess and a witch to magic having placed a curse of sorts on her life, another piece of magic having affected the city of Dorr, and the quest that brings her to the city having to encounter at every step, difficult circumstances, and oftentimes, also dangers. Within this broad narrative are also many many other shorter stories, of the characters we meet and of Dorr itself, each of which keeps one engaged, and which all together form a whole along the lines of those traditional tales made up of many digressions into other subquests, stories, and lives.
But beyond these basic elements, which are entertaining and (very) imaginative, there are underneath the surface also deeper and heavier themes, whether of broken hearts, or lost love, or thwarted dreams and aspirations. There is a sad queen, a broken-hearted woman, another ‘mad’ woman who waits for her dreams to turn to reality, a rather scared young boy; on the surface many of these characters are eccentric, but beneath there is a sorrow in all their lives in one form or other, which makes one really empathize. There are also the villainous characters of course whom one doesn’t feel sympathy for (and unlike the more modern-day fairy tales, we don’t really go into their version of things). In the ending too, there is happiness but also more than one bittersweet note, which perhaps adult readers will appreciate better than the intended audience.
In a narrative comprised of stories, poems and songs, the translation (by the author himself with Gillian Hume) also manages to even capture the rhymes and rhythms really well (something that especially amazes me considering the different sounds and words across languages): for instance,
Then I am mad, and you are mad, It’s sad, it’s bad—it’s very bad, We’re mad!
This is a beautiful little book, with I thought, more that’s sad than happy about it, though we get our traditional fairy tale ending. Its unusual format and traditional tale like frame makes it both a story and a collection of stories with much to appeal to readers (the stories that we digress into—even those of characters we meet—are fairly short, and so I think shouldn’t bother readers who don’t much care for straying off the main story’s path). The illustrations weren’t included in the Kindle ARC I read, but I did see some via edelweiss, and they (pen and ink) do suit the eccentric and different vibe of the story. An interesting and very different little children’s read from the usual!
4.25 stars
For some of the illustrations, see my blog: https://potpourri2015.wordpress.com/2...
The Gardens of Dorr (1969) by Paul Biegel and translated by Paul Biegel and Gillian Hume is the third of Dutch author and translator Paul Biegel’s books to be republished by Pushkin Children’s Press and as a result, the third I’ve read as well. Originally illustrated by Tonke Dragt, another Dutch author whose books I’ve enjoyed, this edition features illustrations by Eva-Johanna Rubin. The Gardens of Dorr is a fairy-talish story with a quest of sorts at its centre, magic, curses, witches (or at least a witch), a princess, and a range of eccentric characters.
The book unfolds in an interesting, forward–backward format, where we are following two, sort of parallel, threads through which we form a picture of what’s happening. We open with a young girl in silver shoes and with a silver chain around her neck convincing a dwarf to take her across the black water in his reed boat. He agrees but his payment is to be a kiss—and one that serves a further function. She agrees and while he does take her across, the journey is no easy one. Her destination is the lost city of Dorr, which is clearly under a curse of some sort, while she herself is searching for something—what and why we find out gradually. As the girl, who takes on the name Melissa, given to her by Yiri the gatekeeper at Dorr (for, she reminds him ‘of flowers … of the fresh green sweet balm we used to find in the woods in times past’), meets different people in the cursed city, now taken over by the silver soldiers, we learn each of their stories and also that of the city—how it became this grey, dreary place where people are all but stone statutes.
Alongside, soon after Melissa arrives, a young man, Jarrick (with his lute) comes in search of her, making the same crossing (his payment is a story), and following in her path, but not quite—always a step behind. He too meets some of the same and some different people, each of whom he tells a story and through these we learn of Melissa’s life and quest, and the reason she came to Dorr. Through these threads we navigate present and past, and put together the pieces of the stories of Melissa and Jarrick and also the many inhabitants of Dorr whom we meet, and find out eventually how everything is tied together.
As a children’s story, The Gardens of Dorr has all the requisite elements, from a princess and a witch to magic having placed a curse of sorts on her life, another piece of magic having affected the city of Dorr, and the quest that brings her to the city having to encounter at every step, difficult circumstances, and oftentimes, also dangers. Within this broad narrative are also many many other shorter stories, of the characters we meet and of Dorr itself, each of which keeps one engaged, and which all together form a whole along the lines of those traditional tales made up of many digressions into other subquests, stories, and lives.
But beyond these basic elements, which are entertaining and (very) imaginative, there are underneath the surface also deeper and heavier themes, whether of broken hearts, or lost love, or thwarted dreams and aspirations. There is a sad queen, a broken-hearted woman, another ‘mad’ woman who waits for her dreams to turn to reality, a rather scared young boy; on the surface many of these characters are eccentric, but beneath there is a sorrow in all their lives in one form or other, which makes one really empathize. There are also the villainous characters of course whom one doesn’t feel sympathy for (and unlike the more modern-day fairy tales, we don’t really go into their version of things). In the ending too, there is happiness but also more than one bittersweet note, which perhaps adult readers will appreciate better than the intended audience.
In a narrative comprised of stories, poems and songs, the translation (by the author himself with Gillian Hume) also manages to even capture the rhymes and rhythms really well (something that especially amazes me considering the different sounds and words across languages): for instance,
Then I am mad, and you are mad, It’s sad, it’s bad—it’s very bad, We’re mad!
This is a beautiful little book, with I thought, more that’s sad than happy about it, though we get our traditional fairy tale ending. Its unusual format and traditional tale like frame makes it both a story and a collection of stories with much to appeal to readers (the stories that we digress into—even those of characters we meet—are fairly short, and so I think shouldn’t bother readers who don’t much care for straying off the main story’s path). The illustrations weren’t included in the Kindle ARC I read, but I did see some via edelweiss, and they (pen and ink) do suit the eccentric and different vibe of the story. An interesting and very different little children’s read from the usual!
4.25 stars
For some of the illustrations, see my blog: https://potpourri2015.wordpress.com/2...
September 25, 2021
Wat een heerlijk verhaal & wat een fijne zinnen en woorden.
Voor een inkijkje: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUPvYQSoOED/
'Ik praat veel, maar vertel nooit wat. Ik zie veel, maar ik verklap nooit wat. En ik maak alleen grapjes, omdat ik zoveel verstand heb van verdriet.'
Voor een inkijkje: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUPvYQSoOED/
October 9, 2019
I wanted to check this book out because I'd just read a couple of Tonke Dragt's books and I thought another translation from Dutch might be interesting. It was good, but somehow not memorable. Perhaps this is one of those books that is best read as a child. My adult mind is missing much of the magic.
Read
July 16, 2021Heen en weer
Over ’t zwarte meer
En telkens gaat er
Een méér over ’t water.
Een dwerg in een rieten bootje bomend over een trog die bovenstaande woorden meer mompelt dan hardop zegt. Een bootje over pikzwart water en een dwerg die zwarte zoenen geeft. Een meisje met zilveren schoentjes die op een lek gehouden moeten worden. Het begint al spannend. ‘Dwergelief’ heeft ook een belangrijke zilveren ketting om haar hals. Ze is op weg naar de verloren stad Dorr. Ze komt poortwachter Jiri tegen en vraagt hem naar de tuinen die in deze stad moeten zijn. Een verhaal volgt. Een duister verhaal vol met Biegeliaanse sfeer, woorden, rijmen en namen.
Een sprookje over prinses Mijnewel en de tuinjongen Jouweniet. Ook in dit sprookje een heks. Sirdis heeft Jouweniet veranderd in een bloem. Alleen als het zaad van deze speciale bloem in de tuinen wordt geplant zal er een kans zijn dat Mijnewel Jouweniet weer in levende lijve ontmoet.
De stad Dorr is grauw en zonder kleur. Een lange tocht vol ontmoetingen en verhalen volgen.
Ontmoetingen met opmerkelijke figuren als meneer Dil, de blinde tovenaar Aljassus, zwelpad Glop, jongetje Mug of het tweetal Eliboe en Gnazabar volgen.
Een bijzonder donker avontuur met magie waarin de liefde de drijfveer is om een betovering te verbreken. De prachtige even duistere illustraties van Charlotte Dematons laten je steeds verder meeslepen door deze raamvertelling, van het ene verhaal naar het volgende sprookpersonage. En plots sijpelen, hoe verder je komt, er sprankjes licht in de sfeervolle illustraties. Een echte Biegel die je niet vergeet en waarover je te voren niet veel prijs wil geven.
‘Zondag zaai ik hem
maandag maai ik hem
dinsdag dors ik hem
donderdag droog ik hem
vrijdag vrij ik hem
en zaterdag….
Als je wilt weten hoe dit versje afloopt? Lees of lees voor dit fantasierijke spannende ‘De tuinen van Dorr’ en laat je meevoeren tot de laatste overtocht!
Over ’t zwarte meer
En telkens gaat er
Een méér over ’t water.
Een dwerg in een rieten bootje bomend over een trog die bovenstaande woorden meer mompelt dan hardop zegt. Een bootje over pikzwart water en een dwerg die zwarte zoenen geeft. Een meisje met zilveren schoentjes die op een lek gehouden moeten worden. Het begint al spannend. ‘Dwergelief’ heeft ook een belangrijke zilveren ketting om haar hals. Ze is op weg naar de verloren stad Dorr. Ze komt poortwachter Jiri tegen en vraagt hem naar de tuinen die in deze stad moeten zijn. Een verhaal volgt. Een duister verhaal vol met Biegeliaanse sfeer, woorden, rijmen en namen.
Een sprookje over prinses Mijnewel en de tuinjongen Jouweniet. Ook in dit sprookje een heks. Sirdis heeft Jouweniet veranderd in een bloem. Alleen als het zaad van deze speciale bloem in de tuinen wordt geplant zal er een kans zijn dat Mijnewel Jouweniet weer in levende lijve ontmoet.
De stad Dorr is grauw en zonder kleur. Een lange tocht vol ontmoetingen en verhalen volgen.
Ontmoetingen met opmerkelijke figuren als meneer Dil, de blinde tovenaar Aljassus, zwelpad Glop, jongetje Mug of het tweetal Eliboe en Gnazabar volgen.
Een bijzonder donker avontuur met magie waarin de liefde de drijfveer is om een betovering te verbreken. De prachtige even duistere illustraties van Charlotte Dematons laten je steeds verder meeslepen door deze raamvertelling, van het ene verhaal naar het volgende sprookpersonage. En plots sijpelen, hoe verder je komt, er sprankjes licht in de sfeervolle illustraties. Een echte Biegel die je niet vergeet en waarover je te voren niet veel prijs wil geven.
‘Zondag zaai ik hem
maandag maai ik hem
dinsdag dors ik hem
donderdag droog ik hem
vrijdag vrij ik hem
en zaterdag….
Als je wilt weten hoe dit versje afloopt? Lees of lees voor dit fantasierijke spannende ‘De tuinen van Dorr’ en laat je meevoeren tot de laatste overtocht!
May 30, 2024
Wat een allerprachtigst boek💕
June 4, 2022
Wat een prachtig boek! Een sprookjesachtig verhaal bij weg te dromen en dat voorgelezen door een meesterverteller die ook nog eens een voortreffelijke 'speelman' is. Zeer terecht dat dit boek een Luisterboek Award heeft gewonnen.
July 22, 2022
5 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover
Quote : Er was maar één manier om het pikzwarte water over te komen: in het rieten bootje van de dwerg. (blz. 6)
Dit boek werd al in 1969 uitgegeven door Uitgeverij Holland. Het is een ware jeugdboekenklassieker en een favoriet van mij. In het geboortejaar van mijn zus uitgegeven maar ik heb het in 1974 voor het eerst gelezen denk ik.
Het boek maakt inmiddels deel uit van ‘De Biegel Bibliotheek’: een verzameling boeken van Paul Biegel die allemaal op dezelfde wijze zijn uitgegeven door de uitgeverijen Holland en Lemniscaat.
Het heeft prachtige kleurenillustraties.
Dit boek is geïllustreerd door Charlotte Dematons en oh, wat passen die tekeningen goed bij de duistere en betoverende sfeer van het verhaal.
Eigenlijk is het jammer dat de rug niet dezelfde sfeer uitstraalt, want die kale, linnen band spreekt kinderen totaal niet aan en zo blijft dit bijzondere verhaal vaak in de schoolbibliotheek staan. Maar ik kies boeken uit op hun cover en die sprak mij gelijk aan. Ook als kind.
Het boek intrigeert echter al vanaf het moment dat je het openslaat: een pikzwarte illustratie met een bootje en een maan.
Er volgen nog veel prachtige illustraties en bijpassend proza in dit boek.
Absolute aanrader.
Quote : Er was maar één manier om het pikzwarte water over te komen: in het rieten bootje van de dwerg. (blz. 6)
Dit boek werd al in 1969 uitgegeven door Uitgeverij Holland. Het is een ware jeugdboekenklassieker en een favoriet van mij. In het geboortejaar van mijn zus uitgegeven maar ik heb het in 1974 voor het eerst gelezen denk ik.
Het boek maakt inmiddels deel uit van ‘De Biegel Bibliotheek’: een verzameling boeken van Paul Biegel die allemaal op dezelfde wijze zijn uitgegeven door de uitgeverijen Holland en Lemniscaat.
Het heeft prachtige kleurenillustraties.
Dit boek is geïllustreerd door Charlotte Dematons en oh, wat passen die tekeningen goed bij de duistere en betoverende sfeer van het verhaal.
Eigenlijk is het jammer dat de rug niet dezelfde sfeer uitstraalt, want die kale, linnen band spreekt kinderen totaal niet aan en zo blijft dit bijzondere verhaal vaak in de schoolbibliotheek staan. Maar ik kies boeken uit op hun cover en die sprak mij gelijk aan. Ook als kind.
Het boek intrigeert echter al vanaf het moment dat je het openslaat: een pikzwarte illustratie met een bootje en een maan.
Er volgen nog veel prachtige illustraties en bijpassend proza in dit boek.
Absolute aanrader.
November 2, 2020
Een sprookje dat qua plot soms wel een beetje doet denken aan De leeuw, de Heks en de kleerkast. Het is vooral heel sfeervol verteld, met prachtige beelden en zinnen én ook heel mooi voorgelezen door Gijs Scholten van Asschat.
Met allemaal verschillende stemmetjes, heel spannend voorgelezen en de vele liedjes en verzen worden gezongen inclusief luit. Ik had het er niet bij willen missen! Een voorlezer kan een boek breken of maken en deze keer valt het zeker in de laatste categorie.
Met allemaal verschillende stemmetjes, heel spannend voorgelezen en de vele liedjes en verzen worden gezongen inclusief luit. Ik had het er niet bij willen missen! Een voorlezer kan een boek breken of maken en deze keer valt het zeker in de laatste categorie.
June 6, 2024
Ik ben geen Biegelliaan maar ik was echt heel erg gecharmeerd door dit sprookjesachtige verhaal. Mooie karakters, avontuurlijk maar wel klein, verrassende wendingen en ergens in het verhaal kreeg ik bijna het idee dat het wel eens niet goed af kon lopen, wat het heel erg spannend maakte. En, ook niet vervelend, een raamvertelling met verhalen die te maken hadden met de grote verhaallijn. Dit wordt heel fijn voorlezen over een aantal jaar denk ik!
November 21, 2024
Ik kies dit jaar voor de klassiekers 🤩. Die verdienen meer dan ooit hun plek in de GV100! Mijn keuze voor de nieuwe lijst: ‘Alle verhalen van Kikker en Pad’ van Arnold Lobel, ‘Misschien wisten ze alles’ van Toon Tellegen, ‘De GVR’ van Roald Dahl, ‘De tuinen van Dorr’ van Paul Biegel, en opnieuw ‘De verhalen van de tweelingbroers’ van Tonke Dragt. 🌟
July 4, 2020
Nog net zo mooi als toen ik het als kind voor het eerst las, alleen de namen Jouwewel en Mijneniet, de malle man en de narrelige dwerg zijn sprookjesachtig genoeg om je een boek lang in de ban te houden
May 3, 2025
Favoriet van vroeger waar ik door het lezen van de laatste Murakami aan herinnerd werd. Weer fijn, alleen komt de koningin er wel zeer bekaaid van af. Dat viel me nu op.
Verder sprookjesachtig en spannend. Dat kon die Biegel goed.
Verder sprookjesachtig en spannend. Dat kon die Biegel goed.
February 7, 2022
Quote:
“Zijn de dagen in Dorr allemaal hetzelfde? Hebben ze geen datum en is het er nooit woensdag of vrijdag? Staat de tijd er stil? Of toch niet?”
“Zijn de dagen in Dorr allemaal hetzelfde? Hebben ze geen datum en is het er nooit woensdag of vrijdag? Staat de tijd er stil? Of toch niet?”
April 27, 2024
Revisiting a childhood favourite is always risky, but this classic by Paul Biegel not only held up, but enchanted me all over again. And I never knew that Tonke Dragt, my favourite childhood writer, did the illustrations!
November 25, 2025
oh oh oh paul biegel, heb je nou nu net mijn hartje gestolen?
August 9, 2023
Een "somber" sprookje, waar veel zinnen worden gezucht in plaats van gesproken en hopeloosheid bijna centraal staat. En toch onnoemelijk prachtig qua taalgebruik, gedichten en beeldspraak. In twee rukken uitgelezen!
August 3, 2016
A Christmas staple.
I hadn’t read this edition yet. It is beautiful, with gorgeous full-colour illustrations by Charlotte Dematons. That said, I’ll always be partial to Tonke Dragt’s more impressionistic, black-and-white illustrations, but that’s probably because I know them so well. Some of the characters looked so different in the new version that I actually had trouble recognizing them at first (the dwarf, Jiri). Nevertheless, an edition befitting my favourite children's book ever.
And for the rest I’ll just copy my review of the other edition.
Mijn lievelingskinderboek. Een prachtig sprookje, geschreven in typisch Biegeliaans, over de aloude strijd tussen goed en kwaad, en de liefde die uiteindelijk alles overwint. Veel verhalen binnen het verhaal, die allemaal met elkaar te maken blijken te hebben. Spannend, magisch, humoristisch, ontroerend: wat wil je nog meer? Ik kreeg dit boek voor mijn 10e verjaardag en heb het sindsdien vele malen herlezen. Paul Biegel is heel lang, tot ik Joke van Leeuwen ontdekte, mijn favoriete kinderboekenschrijver gebleven.
I hadn’t read this edition yet. It is beautiful, with gorgeous full-colour illustrations by Charlotte Dematons. That said, I’ll always be partial to Tonke Dragt’s more impressionistic, black-and-white illustrations, but that’s probably because I know them so well. Some of the characters looked so different in the new version that I actually had trouble recognizing them at first (the dwarf, Jiri). Nevertheless, an edition befitting my favourite children's book ever.
And for the rest I’ll just copy my review of the other edition.
Mijn lievelingskinderboek. Een prachtig sprookje, geschreven in typisch Biegeliaans, over de aloude strijd tussen goed en kwaad, en de liefde die uiteindelijk alles overwint. Veel verhalen binnen het verhaal, die allemaal met elkaar te maken blijken te hebben. Spannend, magisch, humoristisch, ontroerend: wat wil je nog meer? Ik kreeg dit boek voor mijn 10e verjaardag en heb het sindsdien vele malen herlezen. Paul Biegel is heel lang, tot ik Joke van Leeuwen ontdekte, mijn favoriete kinderboekenschrijver gebleven.
September 13, 2019
My all-time favourite children's book.
________________
Mijn lievelingskinderboek. Een prachtig sprookje, geschreven in typisch Biegeliaans, over de aloude strijd tussen goed en kwaad, en de liefde die uiteindelijk alles overwint. Veel verhalen binnen het verhaal, die allemaal met elkaar te maken blijken te hebben. Spannend, magisch, humoristisch, ontroerend: wat wil je nog meer? Ik kreeg dit boek voor mijn 10e verjaardag en heb het sindsdien vele malen herlezen. Paul Biegel is heel lang, tot ik Joke van Leeuwen ontdekte, mijn favoriete kinderboekenschrijver gebleven.
________________
Mijn lievelingskinderboek. Een prachtig sprookje, geschreven in typisch Biegeliaans, over de aloude strijd tussen goed en kwaad, en de liefde die uiteindelijk alles overwint. Veel verhalen binnen het verhaal, die allemaal met elkaar te maken blijken te hebben. Spannend, magisch, humoristisch, ontroerend: wat wil je nog meer? Ik kreeg dit boek voor mijn 10e verjaardag en heb het sindsdien vele malen herlezen. Paul Biegel is heel lang, tot ik Joke van Leeuwen ontdekte, mijn favoriete kinderboekenschrijver gebleven.
June 28, 2018
Eén van de boeken die mij vanuit mijn jeugd goed zijn bijgebleven en die ik op latere leeftijd in huis MOEST halen. Eens in de zoveel tijd herlees ik hem weer en ben weer getroffen door de sprookjesachtige verhalen, de mysterieuze sfeer en de ingewikkelde manier waarop de verschillende verhalen met elkaar samenhangen. Een echte klassieker van de Nederlandse jeugdliteratuur waar we trots op mogen zijn.
August 10, 2017
Wat een schitterend, sprookjesachtig boek. Zoveel duisterheid en droevenis, zo mooi verwoord, zoveel puzzelstukjes beschreven die aan het einde allemaal passen.
Als voorleesboek voor het slapengaan gelezen, maar kon mezelf niet inhouden en heb het zonder kinderen uitgelezen. Prachtig taalgebruik en prachtige illustraties van Charlotte Demantons.
Als voorleesboek voor het slapengaan gelezen, maar kon mezelf niet inhouden en heb het zonder kinderen uitgelezen. Prachtig taalgebruik en prachtige illustraties van Charlotte Demantons.
February 19, 2019
The mind says 5 stars but the heart says 4. Wondrous storytelling, sinuous yet crystal-clear; the kind of book that inspires me. But it could've been, I dunno, more moving? The final chapters should've been grand, sweeping, magical--but grand, sweeping, magical they aren't. I read an excellent edition in Spanish, published in Argentina.
October 20, 2009
A children's book I have owned for a long time but hadn't taken the time yet to read. Now I finally got to it and I loved it. It's a dark fairytale... What a great writer he is!
September 12, 2017
één van de mooiste sprookjes die ik ooit gelezen heb. Zelf op oudere leeftijd kan weet het boek je te bekoren!
March 22, 2019
My absolute all time favorite
January 29, 2021
Adoriamo le favole, ne siamo costantemente attratte da sempre perchè riescono a lasciarci a bocca aperta e con il cuore pieno di meraviglia. Per questo motivo, scoprire un autore così prolifico di questo genere, è stato davvero un regalo immenso.
Siamo rimaste incantate dalla narrazione di questo piccolo gioiellino che arriva direttamente dalla Danimarca, paese in cui è un vero classico della letteratura per ragazzi. Biegel, nonostante usi la classica e consolidata struttura della favola, riesce a stupire il lettore grazie ad una prosa scorrevole, semplice, impattante e sognante. L’autore ama a tal punto la sua professione da divertisti a giocare con le parole stesse, componendone di nuove, troncandone alcune e dandogli nuovi significati, creando un ritmo quasi musicale grazie alle ripetizioni quasi fossero incantesimi o parole magiche.
L’originalità non risiede solo nel componimento, ma anche in ogni personaggio che incontreremo insieme alla principessa Miasarai alla ricerca del suo adorato Tuononsarò. Ognuno di essi ha un ruolo fondamentale per lo svolgersi delle vicende e tutti quanti contribuiranno in qualche modo al lieto finale, come vuole ogni favola che si rispetti (anche se non sempre è così, vedi “La piccola Fiammiferaia” ahi che male al cuore). Tra gli ingredienti di qualità scelti da Biegel, si possono trovare nani, principesse, animali parlanti, maghi, streghe, enigmi e l’eterna lotta tra bene e male.
L’espediente narrativo del lasciar raccontare la storia al buffone di corte o ad altri personaggi, permette al lettore di non annoiarsi mai. Una matrioska di racconti, uno più originale dell’altro e tutti collegati da un filo argentato, come le scarpette di Miasarai.
Tra le cose che più abbiamo amato è come l’autore descrive la città di Ardid. Estremamente misteriosa, senza più colori, vita, musica e speranza, avvizzita ed inaridita.
Una favola per bambini certo, ma grazie all’estrema bravura di Biegel, I Giardini di Arid diventa una lettura perfetta e ricca di significati anche per un pubblico adulto.
“Ma allora da dove vieni?” le chiese.
“Ah”, disse Dulcinana, “da molto tempo fa. Allora anche io avevo un amico.”
Paul Biegel ha iniziato a scrivere libri solo all’età di 37 anni, consegnando dal 1962 in poi, più di un libro all’anno, arrivando a vincere numerosi e prestigiosi premi e diventando uno dei più importanti scrittori olandesi per bambini. Non ringrazieremo ma abbastanza La Nuova Frontiera per aver portato in Italia la bellezza e la bravura di questo autore.
Siamo rimaste incantate dalla narrazione di questo piccolo gioiellino che arriva direttamente dalla Danimarca, paese in cui è un vero classico della letteratura per ragazzi. Biegel, nonostante usi la classica e consolidata struttura della favola, riesce a stupire il lettore grazie ad una prosa scorrevole, semplice, impattante e sognante. L’autore ama a tal punto la sua professione da divertisti a giocare con le parole stesse, componendone di nuove, troncandone alcune e dandogli nuovi significati, creando un ritmo quasi musicale grazie alle ripetizioni quasi fossero incantesimi o parole magiche.
L’originalità non risiede solo nel componimento, ma anche in ogni personaggio che incontreremo insieme alla principessa Miasarai alla ricerca del suo adorato Tuononsarò. Ognuno di essi ha un ruolo fondamentale per lo svolgersi delle vicende e tutti quanti contribuiranno in qualche modo al lieto finale, come vuole ogni favola che si rispetti (anche se non sempre è così, vedi “La piccola Fiammiferaia” ahi che male al cuore). Tra gli ingredienti di qualità scelti da Biegel, si possono trovare nani, principesse, animali parlanti, maghi, streghe, enigmi e l’eterna lotta tra bene e male.
L’espediente narrativo del lasciar raccontare la storia al buffone di corte o ad altri personaggi, permette al lettore di non annoiarsi mai. Una matrioska di racconti, uno più originale dell’altro e tutti collegati da un filo argentato, come le scarpette di Miasarai.
Tra le cose che più abbiamo amato è come l’autore descrive la città di Ardid. Estremamente misteriosa, senza più colori, vita, musica e speranza, avvizzita ed inaridita.
Una favola per bambini certo, ma grazie all’estrema bravura di Biegel, I Giardini di Arid diventa una lettura perfetta e ricca di significati anche per un pubblico adulto.
“Ma allora da dove vieni?” le chiese.
“Ah”, disse Dulcinana, “da molto tempo fa. Allora anche io avevo un amico.”
Paul Biegel ha iniziato a scrivere libri solo all’età di 37 anni, consegnando dal 1962 in poi, più di un libro all’anno, arrivando a vincere numerosi e prestigiosi premi e diventando uno dei più importanti scrittori olandesi per bambini. Non ringrazieremo ma abbastanza La Nuova Frontiera per aver portato in Italia la bellezza e la bravura di questo autore.
May 20, 2023
Having reviewed this author's "King of the Copper Mountains" (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), when two respondents said "The Gardens of Dorr" was his best, and having been slightly underwhelmed by "The Little Captain" (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), it was time to do as suggested and crack on with this volume. And I won't be alone in being grateful for it. Like "King…" it's an excuse to explore fairytale and ancient-seeming stories, as a girl enters a cursed city looking for the Gardens, with one solitary aim. Meanwhile a young minstrel – full of the annoying verse all minstrels seem to be able to knock out at will in these books – is hot on her heels, and slowly, bit by bit, revealing to all the other characters in turn, their backstory.
Books like these are definitely about story and storytelling, but that is never laboured. Here there is no 1001 Nights kind of "must narrate...must narrate…", it's just that all the characters first the girl then the minstrel meet have their own interests, which become a story, and when they in turn learn who it is he is after they are all interested as to why. And this, the love of a princess embedded in a unique plant's seed, is a grand and driving arc for the whole thing.
"King…" definitely sought to revisit stories of old, but this seems generally fresher, never obviously dipping into stories from lore in overt fashion. Yes, we have ferrymen, secrets to come from a giant toad and people being turned to stone, but while you might well know stories featuring those aspects it's very doubtful you'll have seen them at all like this before. All told it's a highly recommendable fantasy for the young audience – but also for the older ones, too. I can easily see some people left feeling grubby by the amount of people inappropriately demanding a peck on the cheek from our heroine, but we have to thank all and sundry that they haven't been removed by "sensitivity" "readers". This lust for dodgy kissing aside, and with some awareness the ending chapters can be a touch woolly for telling us what we already know, there is little to this adventure's discredit.
Books like these are definitely about story and storytelling, but that is never laboured. Here there is no 1001 Nights kind of "must narrate...must narrate…", it's just that all the characters first the girl then the minstrel meet have their own interests, which become a story, and when they in turn learn who it is he is after they are all interested as to why. And this, the love of a princess embedded in a unique plant's seed, is a grand and driving arc for the whole thing.
"King…" definitely sought to revisit stories of old, but this seems generally fresher, never obviously dipping into stories from lore in overt fashion. Yes, we have ferrymen, secrets to come from a giant toad and people being turned to stone, but while you might well know stories featuring those aspects it's very doubtful you'll have seen them at all like this before. All told it's a highly recommendable fantasy for the young audience – but also for the older ones, too. I can easily see some people left feeling grubby by the amount of people inappropriately demanding a peck on the cheek from our heroine, but we have to thank all and sundry that they haven't been removed by "sensitivity" "readers". This lust for dodgy kissing aside, and with some awareness the ending chapters can be a touch woolly for telling us what we already know, there is little to this adventure's discredit.
Read
December 26, 2021Comincia tutto su una zattera condotta da un nano che trasporta una fanciulla verso la città di pietra di Arid.
La fanciulla, che indossa scarpette d’argento e che il nano chiama Dulcinana, chiede un passaggio in cambio di un bacio, ma non è l’unica a voler fare quella traversata, poco dopo di lei un menestrello paga lo stesso viaggio con una storia.
Dulciniana è una principessa cresciuta in un castello dal grande giardino. La mamma è una regina triste perché sempre più spesso il re passa le notti nella stanza dai cuscini d’argento della strega Sirdis, non accorgendosi ovviamente della sua vera natura. Il compagno di giochi della principessa è il figlio del giardiniere; i due bambini, dapprima amici e poi innamorati si soprannominano MiaSarai e Tuononsarò. Al loro nascente amore si oppone però Sirdis, che con un sortilegio trasforma Tuononsarò in un fiore.
Dulcinana viene a conoscenza della storia di Arid dal mago cieco Ajassus che la indirizza verso la vecchia torre dove forse troverà quello che sta cercando: i giardini di Arid, per piantare il seme che porta con sé.
Tutti coloro che la fanciulla e il menestrello incontrano hanno la loro storia da raccontare e, attraverso le loro parole, piano piano viene ricostruita la storia di quel luogo che prima del maleficio di una strega si chiamava Aridisia. Ogni capitolo affronta la storia principale, ma a sua volta introduce un racconto in apparenza minore, un racconto a sé stante che va a intrecciare le vite di ogni personaggio.
Un classico della letteratura olandese fatto ad incastri, una storia con i delicati contorni della fiaba, tante storie che si muovono dentro ad altre storie, in un susseguirsi di racconti che poco per volta aggiungono elementi al romanzo rendendolo sempre più ricco di dettagli.
Il romanzo sembra diviso in due parti: l’incantesimo che ha colpito l’amore di Dulcinana (Miasarai) e l’incantesimo che ha avvolto la città di Arid, ma in realtà sono due modi di vedere la stessa sofferenza, due vuoti che, quando si incontrano si riconoscono.
Una fiaba per bambini ma non solo...
La fanciulla, che indossa scarpette d’argento e che il nano chiama Dulcinana, chiede un passaggio in cambio di un bacio, ma non è l’unica a voler fare quella traversata, poco dopo di lei un menestrello paga lo stesso viaggio con una storia.
Dulciniana è una principessa cresciuta in un castello dal grande giardino. La mamma è una regina triste perché sempre più spesso il re passa le notti nella stanza dai cuscini d’argento della strega Sirdis, non accorgendosi ovviamente della sua vera natura. Il compagno di giochi della principessa è il figlio del giardiniere; i due bambini, dapprima amici e poi innamorati si soprannominano MiaSarai e Tuononsarò. Al loro nascente amore si oppone però Sirdis, che con un sortilegio trasforma Tuononsarò in un fiore.
Dulcinana viene a conoscenza della storia di Arid dal mago cieco Ajassus che la indirizza verso la vecchia torre dove forse troverà quello che sta cercando: i giardini di Arid, per piantare il seme che porta con sé.
Tutti coloro che la fanciulla e il menestrello incontrano hanno la loro storia da raccontare e, attraverso le loro parole, piano piano viene ricostruita la storia di quel luogo che prima del maleficio di una strega si chiamava Aridisia. Ogni capitolo affronta la storia principale, ma a sua volta introduce un racconto in apparenza minore, un racconto a sé stante che va a intrecciare le vite di ogni personaggio.
Un classico della letteratura olandese fatto ad incastri, una storia con i delicati contorni della fiaba, tante storie che si muovono dentro ad altre storie, in un susseguirsi di racconti che poco per volta aggiungono elementi al romanzo rendendolo sempre più ricco di dettagli.
Il romanzo sembra diviso in due parti: l’incantesimo che ha colpito l’amore di Dulcinana (Miasarai) e l’incantesimo che ha avvolto la città di Arid, ma in realtà sono due modi di vedere la stessa sofferenza, due vuoti che, quando si incontrano si riconoscono.
Una fiaba per bambini ma non solo...
September 30, 2024
Oh, how I love fairytales...
As a kid, the name Paul Biegel was one I often encountered as many of my friends read his books. For some reason I never even got around to even his most famous work Het Sleutelkruid (titled in English as The King of the Copper Mountains) but as I started a low-key journey to treat the little boy in me a little better, I decided to buy that novel and this one, The Gardens of Dorr. Reading it, I couldn't stop imagining it as the perfect fodder for a wild 80s fantasy epic in the vain of Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, or The Never-ending Story. Starting in medias res and often deepening its world through tales told in flashback, it's a rich tapestry of fantastical elements centred around a tale of undying love the likes of which only fairytales can pull off. In essence, the story is quite simple and straightforward (and hardly surprising), but it's the way in which it's told that makes it such a unique read. Biegel makes this as much a fairytale romance/epic quest as it is a testament to the wondrous joy of storytelling itself. In fact, most of the tale consists of characters telling stories. Whether they fully relate to the main storyline or not rarely matters. They're more concerned with analysing the human flaws in its wide cast of characters, as is a fairytale's primary purpose. I would've liked to see the villain fleshed out a bit more because as she stands now she's just an evil witch who doesn't get a lot of moments of her own or from het perspective, but I guess the interest in complex villains wasn't really a prime objective back in 1960s Dutch children's literature.
As a kid, the name Paul Biegel was one I often encountered as many of my friends read his books. For some reason I never even got around to even his most famous work Het Sleutelkruid (titled in English as The King of the Copper Mountains) but as I started a low-key journey to treat the little boy in me a little better, I decided to buy that novel and this one, The Gardens of Dorr. Reading it, I couldn't stop imagining it as the perfect fodder for a wild 80s fantasy epic in the vain of Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, or The Never-ending Story. Starting in medias res and often deepening its world through tales told in flashback, it's a rich tapestry of fantastical elements centred around a tale of undying love the likes of which only fairytales can pull off. In essence, the story is quite simple and straightforward (and hardly surprising), but it's the way in which it's told that makes it such a unique read. Biegel makes this as much a fairytale romance/epic quest as it is a testament to the wondrous joy of storytelling itself. In fact, most of the tale consists of characters telling stories. Whether they fully relate to the main storyline or not rarely matters. They're more concerned with analysing the human flaws in its wide cast of characters, as is a fairytale's primary purpose. I would've liked to see the villain fleshed out a bit more because as she stands now she's just an evil witch who doesn't get a lot of moments of her own or from het perspective, but I guess the interest in complex villains wasn't really a prime objective back in 1960s Dutch children's literature.
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