Vale John Nieuwenhuizen
Translator John Nieuwenhuizen has died, aged 87.
Eva Mills from Allen & Unwin writes:
‘John Nieuwenhuizen was one of Australia’s most acclaimed translators of Dutch and Flemish literature. With his late wife Agnes, who founded the Centre for Youth Literature, John was a lifelong supporter of young adult fiction and a strong advocate of the books he chose to translate. Born in Holland to a Dutch-speaking family, John was passionate about the underrated art of literary translation, always looking for more than just an accurate translation of words and expressions, seeking to reproduce the author’s intentions in the rhythm and tone of the text. As Anne Provoost said of him on reading his translation of her highly acclaimed novel Falling (1997), “He was clearly a man in love with two languages rather than one.”
‘John’s list of accolades and awards spanned the globe. His translation of The Baboon King (1998) by Anton Quintana was awarded the Mildred L Batchelder Award in the US, and The Book of Everything (2006) by Guus Kuijer was shortlisted for the Marsh Award in the UK. In 2007, John was the winner of the NSW Premier’s Translation Prize for his body of work, with the judges commenting, “So comfortably and elegantly moving between two languages and cultures as to appear invisible, even as he forges entry points for us between them, and frames our view.”
‘Intellectually curious, graciously modest, and generous with his time and expertise, John was instrumental in Allen & Unwin’s program of bringing books from around the world to Australian children. As both reader and translator, he often hand-picked the best Dutch and Flemish books on offer from the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, expressing strong opinions as to which books were worthy of translation. His final book for Allen & Unwin was a thoughtful and sensitive translation of the historical novel Nine Open Arms (2014) by Benny Lindelauf.
‘John Nieuwenhuizen is survived by his daughter Jackie, son Max, and family.’
Category: Obituaries
