Toon Tellegen

Toon Tellegen

Antonius Otto Hermannus (Toon) Tellegen (born 18 November 1941) is a Dutch writer, poet, and physician, known for children's books, especially those featuring anthropomorphised ants and squirrels. His writings are also enjoyed by adults, due to the amusing, bizarre situations that Tellegen creates, as well as their dealings with philosophical subjects.

For his lasting contribution as a children's writer, Tellegen was a finalist for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2006.^[1]

Biography

Tellegen was born in Brielle. He studied medicine at the University of Utrecht, and worked as a general practitioner in Amsterdam. After writing for many years mainly for adults, Tellegen switched to children's stories. His first children's book, written in 1984, was Er ging geen dag voorbij: negenenveertig verhalen over de eekhoorn en de andere dieren (English: Not A Day Went By: forty-nine tales of the squirrel and other animals). In these stories, the ant and the squirrel often play the lead role, and many of his stories touch on philosophical concepts.

Tellegen still writes today.

Prizes

• 1969 - ANV-Visser Neerlandia-prijs for Als moeder ergens ziek van wordt (When Mother Gets Sick of Something)
• 1988 - Gouden Griffel for Toen niemand iets te doen had (When nobody had anything to do)
• 1990 - Zilveren Griffel for Langzaam, zo snel zij konden (Slowly, as fast as they could)
• 1992 - Woutertje Pieterse Prijs for Juffrouw Kachel (Ms. Heater)
• 1993 - Jan Campertprijs for Een dansschool (A Dance School)
• 1994 - Woutertje Pieterse Prijs for Bijna iedereen kon omvallen (Almost Everyone Can Fall Over)
• 1994 - Gouden Griffel for Bijna iedereen kon omvallen (Almost Everyone Can Fall Over)
• 1994 - Zilveren Griffel for Jannes
• 1997 - Theo Thijssenprijs for his complete works
• 1997 - Zilveren Griffel for Teunis (Evening)
• 1999 - Zilveren Griffel for De verjaardag van alle anderen (Everyone Else's Birthday)
• 2000 - Gouden Uil for De Genezing van de Krekel (The Healing of the Cricket)
• 2006 - Finalist, Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writers^[1]
• 2007 - Constantijn Huygensprijs for his complete works
• 2011 - Popescu Prize for Raptors

Publications

Children's books

• 1984 - There was no day passes. Forty-nine stories about the squirrels and other animals (Not A Day Goes By: Forty-nine squirrel and Other Tales of the animals) '
• 1985 - "I'm going on a trip", said the squirrel ("I'm Going On A Trip" said the squirrel). Amstelveen edition, Sunday Printers, at 45 exx.
• 1987 - When no one had anything to do (When nobody had anything to do Any)
• 1990 - The party on the moon (The Party on the Moon)
• 1991 - Maybe they were nowhere (nowhere Maybe They Were)
• 1991 - Miss heater (Ms. Heater)
• 1993 - Almost everyone was falling over (Almost Everyone Can Fall Over)
• 1993 - Jannes
• 1994 - My Dad (My Dad)
• 1995 - The anniversary of the squirrel (The Squirrel's Birthday)
• 1995 - Maybe they knew everything. 214 stories about the squirrels and other animals (Maybe They knew everything: 214 Tales of the squirrel and Other Animals) (Tellegen includes a CD where clause reads a number of stories)
• 1996 - Letters to anybody else (Letters to No-One Else)
• 1996 - The discovery of honey (The Honey Discovery)
• 1996 - The atrophy of the elephant (The Shrinking Elephant)
• 1996 - Evening (Evening)
• 1997 - Doctor Deter (Soap Doctor)
• 1998 - My adventures V. Swchwrm (My Adventures Through Swchwrm V) (first published as Children 's gift)
• 1998 - The birthday of everyone else (Everyone elses Birthday)
• 1999 - The healing of the cricket (The Healing of the Cricket)
• 2000 - They were still asleep (They're Still Sleeping)
• 2001 - Cake Book (Cake Book)
• 2002 - Is not anyone angry? (Nobody Has Mad?)
• 2004 - Suddenly the elephant (The Elephant Suddenly Turned On)
• 2006 - The loneliness of the hedgehog (The Loneliness of the Hedgehog)
• 2007 - Post for all (Mail for Everyone) (illustrations by Mance Post)
• 2007 - Animal Stories by Toon Tellegen & the changing tone quintet (Animal Tales by Toon Tellegen & the Variable Tone Quintet) (Audio CD)
• 2007 - I will never forget you (I'll Never Forget You)
• 2008 - Tomorrow was the party (Tomorrow Was the Festival). With illustrations by Ingrid Godon.
• 2009 - The departure of the ant (The Ant's Departure)
• 2009 - Everyone was there (Everyone Was There)
• 2009 - But not from the heart. Animal Stories farewell. (But Not From The Heart: Animal Tales about Fare Wells)
• 2009 - With heart and soul. Animal Stories for each party. (With Heart and Soul: Stories For Every Animal Festival)
• 2009 - A cheer. Pet Stories full of comfort. (Heart Ning Animal Stories)
• 2009 - After the heart. Animal Tales of friendship.
• 2009 - Get well soon. Animal Stories about illness and health.
• 2009 - Good night. Animal Stories about sleep and sleep.
• 2009 - Good trip. Animal Stories about departure and arrival.
• 2009 - Take heart. Animal Stories of sadness and loneliness.

Boxer Books collections

Boxer Books Ltd of London has published in Britain, and distributed in America, several collections of Tellegen's animal stories illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg and translated by Martin Cleaver. For the first, Cleaver won the biennial Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation in 2011.

• Letters to Anyone and Everyone (2009) – Marsh Award, OCLC 630882791
• The Squirrel's Birthday and Other Parties (2009), OCLC 311760759
• Far Away Across the Sea (2010), OCLC 436617977
• A Great and Complicated Adventure (2013), OCLC 827974470

Other prose

• 1989 – Langzaam, zo snel als zij konden
• 1994 – Twee oude vrouwtjes (illustrations by André Sollie)
• 1998 – Dora. Een liefdesgeschiedenis.
• 2000 – De trein naar Pavlovsk en Oostvoorne
• 2000 – Enkele onwaarschijnlijke aantekeningen van Dante Alighieri bij het schrijven van zijn goddelijke komedie
• 2002 – Brieven aan Doornroosje
• 2008 – Een nieuwe tijd – Grafisch Nederland 2008, novelette

Poetry

• 1980 – De zin van een liguster
• 1981 – De aanzet tot een web
• 1982 – Beroemde scherven
• 1984 – De andere ridders
• 1985 – Ik en ik
• 1987 – Mijn winter
• 1989 – In N. en andere gedichten
• 1991 – Een langzame val
• 1992 – Een dansschool
• 1994 – Tijger onder de slakken
• 1998 – Gewone gedichten
• 1996 – Als we vlammen waren
• 1997 – Over liefde en over niets anders
• 1999 – Er ligt een appel op een schaal. Anthology
• 2000 – Gedichten 1977-1999. Collected poems.
• 2000 – Kruis en munt
• 2001 – De een en de ander
• 2001 – Een man en een engel. Uitg. Landgraaf, Herik; circulation of 399 copies.
• 2002 – Alleen liefde
• 2002 – Wie A zegt. Gedichten
• 2004 – Minuscule oorlogen (niet met het blote oog zichtbaar)
• 2004 – Daar zijn woorden voor. Anthology. Edition by Rainbow pockets.
• 2005 – ...m n o p q...
• 2006 – Raafvogels; English: Raptors (Manchester: Carcanet Press, 2011)^[2]
• 2008 – Hemels en vergeefs

Drama

• 1966 – Jimmy Walker. Debut.
• 1980 – Wespen
• 2007 – Leven met een onbekende.
• 2009 - Twee oude vrouwtjes.

References

1. "2006". Hans Christian Andersen Awards. International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). With contemporary material including the 27 March 2006 press release. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
2. "Raptors". Library of Congress Catalog Record. Retrieved 2014-03-23.

External links

• Toon Tellegen at Kjoek Children's Books (kjoek.nl)
• Toon Tellegen at Library of Congress Authorities, with 35 catalogue records