Hans Koning   [1921-2007]

Hans Koning, born Hans Koningsberger, was a prolific and noted writer of works of fiction, non-fiction, and screen plays. Four of his publications were made into movies. He was also a prolific journalist, contributing to many periodicals, such as The New York Times, International Harold Tribune, Atlantic Monthly, The Nation, Harper’s, The New Yorker, and the Dutch language periodical De Groene Amsterdammer.

Koning was born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. His mother was Elisabeth van Collem, daughter of the well known Dutch socialist poet, Abraham van Collem. His father was Daniel Koningsberger. Koning was educated at the University of Amsterdam from 1939 to 1941, at the University of Zurich from 1941 to 1943, and at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1946. His higher education was spread over a lengthy time period, because World War II interfered with his education to a considerable, and probably to an extreme degree. While at the University of Amsterdam, he joined the Dutch resistance against the Nazis, but the resistance was infiltrated by the Nazis to such a degree, that it was extremely dangerous to be part of it. He managed to escape to Switzerland in 1943, where he continued his studies at the University of Zurich. But while there, he joined the French resistance, which was a bit safer than the Dutch resistance, because Switzerland was neutral, and arrest or elimination by the Nazis was less likely. At the end of the war, he joined the British Army in France. The British used him as an interpreter in Germany, and in 1946, he was able to complete his University studies at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Following the war, and following his University graduation, Koning became the editor of De Groene Amsterdammer, a Dutch weekly. He remained there until 1950, when he was invited to do a cultural radio program in Jakarta, Indonesia. Koning remained there until 1951, and then decided to visit the United States, and voyaged there by means of a freighter, from Indonesia. His visit to the United States turned into a permanent residence, and he remained a permanent resident, until his death in 2007.

Koning’s first publication was a novel, entitled, “The Affair”. He then did some non- fiction work, including “Love and Hate in China”, published in 1966. During the Viet Nam War, he became a strong objector, and with Noam Chomsky, and others founded the still active “Resist” organization, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

During the next 30 years, he continued to write and publish his fiction and non-fiction works. Four of his novels were turned into movies. The first, “A Walk with Love and Death” was Angelica Hudson’s first film, and was directed by her father, John Huston. The other films were, “The Revolutionary”, starring John Voigt, “Death of a Schoolboy”, for the BBC, London, and “The Petersburg-Cannes Express”.

Koning’s literary output is too extensive to detail here but will be summarized by category. He published 13 books on fiction, 13 books on non-fiction, 1 children’s book, 12 articles in “The International Herald Tribune”, 22 articles in “The New York Times”, 5 articles in “The New Yorker”, 5 articles in “The Atlantic Monthly”, 4 articles in ‘Harpers Magazine’, and 7 articles in “The Nation’. Koning’s three plays are “The Blood-Red Cafe”, “Hermione”, and “A Woman of New York”. Although Koning considered himself an American author, many of his works have been translated into Dutch, French, Italian, German and Japanese. The one thing that has eluded Koning during his writing career is the receipt of a major award for his work. But then he certainly made up for it through the number of his publications.

Hans Koning was born in Amsterdam on July 12, 1921. He married Henriette Waterland in 1947, and the couple had one daughter. The first marriage dissolved quickly and he married Elizabeth Martinez in 1952. The second marriage also quickly dissolved. Koning’s third marriage was to Katherine Scanlon in 1963. This union produced one son and a daughter. Hans Koning passed away in Easton, Connecticut on April 13, 2007.

 

REFERENCES

Hans Koning, Novelist and Travel Writer

Remembering Hans Koning, http://www.newsouthbooks.com/pages/?cat=21

Hans Koning, a Prolific Writer with a Broad Sweep, Dies at 85

Hans Koning, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Koning

 

E-BOOKS AVAILABLE FROM AMAZON; GOOGLE: Kindle Store Pegels

 

PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICANS, CURRENT AND HISTORIC

EIGHT PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICAN FAMILIES: THE ROOSEVELTS, VANDERBILTS AND OTHERS, 2015

FIFTEEN PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICAN FAMILIES: THE VAN BURENS, KOCH BROTHERS, VOORHEES AND OTHERS, 2015

PROMINENT DUTCH AMERICANS IN U.S. GOVERNMENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS, 2015

 

DUTCH PEGELS INVOLVED IN WARS

ALLIED EUROPE CAMPAIGN—1944/1945: TACTICAL MISTAKES, 2017

THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN THE NETHERLANDS: MEMOIRS, 2017

FRENCH REVOLUTION, NAPOLEON AND RUSSIAN WAR OF 1812, 2015