Jan Blokker
Jan Andries Blokker Sr. (27 May 1927 – 6 July 2010) 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. Biography. Blokker, born in the Admiralenbuurt in Amsterdam, grew up in a social liberal family. His father was office clerk. At the age of seven, he and his father weekly visited the Cineac theatre for the Polygoon newsreel. Blokker went to the HBS on the Keizersgracht. In 1944, after getting his gymnasium-alpha diploma, he went on to  study "Neerlandistiek" and history. He never completed them. In 1950, Blokker made his debut as a novelist with the novelle "Séjour", for which he won the Reina Prinsen Geerligs Award. Two more novels followed, "Bij dag en ontij" (1952) and "Parijs, dode stad" (1954). In 1952, Blokker became student reporter for the Dutch newspaper "Het Parool". After a while, Simon Carmiggelt asked him to write film reviews. In 1954 he became film critic at "Algemeen Handelsblad". At the art section of the news paper, he met important Dutch writers like Henk Hofland and Harry Mulisch. Blokker was also a screenwriter , who wrote the scripts for films like "Fanfare" by Bert Haanstra (1958) and "Makkers Staakt uw Wild Geraas" by Fons Rademakers (1960) and "Monsieur Hawarden" (1969). He was also one of the people behind the satirical VARA TV-program "Zo is het toevallig ook nog eens een keer" (1963–1964). At another broadcasting organisation, VPRO, he became editor in chief. He was partly responsible for the revolutionary course that organisation took. He also provided VPRO's documentaries with commentary. From 1968 on, he worked for "De Volkskrant" as a columnist. In the 1960s and 1970s, he was seen as the voice  of the intellectual left, specialized in satirical pieces about politics, current affairs and whatever was fashionable with the left-wing readers of the newspaper. Between 1978 and 1983, he was adjunct editor in chief at the newspaper. He wrote the column until 2006, when a conflict forced him to leave the newspaper. He continued his column for "nrc.next".