Book presentation on the literary work of Sonja Witstein (1920-1978)

Sonja Witstein (1920-1978) was a literary scholar and professor of Dutch Studies (Renaissance), among other things; less known is that she was also a writer of novellas and stories. She published in various literary magazines and in 1946 her novella Bekentenis aan Julien Delande was released. Anna Blaman, W.F. Hermans, and W.L.M.E. van Leeuwen, among others, were enthusiastic about her prose. Sonja Fortunette Witstein, born in Rotterdam and a survivor of Auschwitz, studied, lived, and worked in Utrecht before becoming a professor in Leiden in 1975. She was the first woman on the board of the Utrecht COC in 1951 and later became part of the national board. In October 2026, a collection of published and unpublished prose will be released. In the program surrounding this event, Aad Meinderts, compiler of the collection, will give a short portrait of Sonja Witstein using visual material before the break, and Renée van Marissing, as a young writer, will give her vision on Witstein's work. After the break, Meinderts will be interviewed by Aleid Truijens and will present the first copy of Het literaire werk van Sonja Witstein. Bekentenis aan Julien Delande en andere verhalen, published by Amsterdam University Press, to writer Jessica Durlacher. More information and tickets: https://www.salonsaffier.