Liz Klaver, 18, a student at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, has won this year’s Nederland Leest, Nederland Ontwerpt for her cover design for Jacoba van Velde’s De grote zaal. The illustrator and graphic designer Max Kisman, the jury chair, presented Klaver with her prize: five copies of the novel printed with her design. The book cover contest, a production of Premsela with the Stichting CPNB and Stichting De Best Verzorgde Boeken, took place this year for the fourth time
Book cover contest
Award ceremony
The jury – consisting of the book cover designer Marry van Baar, the Premsela programme manager Roel Klaassen, and Max Kisman – described Klaver’s work as “nothing more than hand-drawn lines, horizontal and vertical.” They added, “It reflects the spare minimalism of Jacoba van Velde’s writing style. It is barely there and yet all you need. Many meanings can be attached to it. But even without them, it remains strong. Bravissimo!”
Nederland Leest, Nederland Ontwerpt drew 259 entries this year. The jury chose 25 finalists. Of these, Xaviera Altena, Leonie de Ruiter and Claire Schumacher received honourable mentions.
The finalists’ designs are on display through Wednesday 12 January at the Amsterdam Public Library on the second floor. All entries are posted at nederlandleest.nl.
About the contest
Nederland Leest, the Netherlands’ biggest national reading campaign, takes place this year from 22 October through 19 November. The annual campaign encourages the public to read and discuss a particular book. This year, Dutch public libraries are giving members 800,000 copies of the current selection, De grote zaal, which describes an elderly woman’s final days in a care home.
Nederland Leest will conclude with a dramatic reading from De grote zaal by Anne Wil Blankers on the afternoon of Friday 19 November at Koninklijk Theater Carré in Amsterdam.
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