Теа Бекман: Жизнь и творчество нидерландской писательницы детских книг

Dutch author of children's books (1923–2004)

Theodora Beckmann (née Petie; 23 July 1923 – 5 May 2004), better known by her pen name Thea Beckman, was a Dutch author of children's books.

At a young age, Beckman knew she wanted to be a writer. As a teenager, she would write numerous stories and would listen to various types of music, ranging from classic to exciting film scores, depending on the kind of scene she was writing. in her twenties, Beckman studied social psychology, attending the University of Utrecht. In wake of the 1929 economic crisis, her father lost his job and Beckman was glad she had managed to finish her studies, especially after World War II occurred. As a writer, she intended to use her husband's name of Beckmann as her pseudonym. Her publisher urged her to change it to Beckman with only one "n", to avoid her name from appearing "too German", in wake of Germany's negative reputation after World War II. Beckman is best known for Crusade in Jeans, a 1973 children's time travel novel for which she was awarded the Gouden Griffel. The book describes a children's crusade in 1212 and was adapted into a movie in 2006. She also received notable attention for her trilogy Children of Mother Earth, which depicted a post apocalyptic earth where soldiers from societies led by men invade and disrupt a newfound Greenlandic society led by women. Though the book contains feminist themes, Beckman did not consider the book's ideology her own, stating: "People are greedy, aggressive and intolerant." She specifically stated that she did not believe a maternal society would function better than a paternal one. She died in her residence in Bunnik of unknown causes in 2004, aged 80.

In 1945, Thea married Dirk Hendrik Beckmann. Their marriage produced three children, two sons Rien and Jerry and a daughter Marianne. Dirk Beckmann died in 1993. Thea Beckman was not religious and chose not to reveal a political orientation.

After her death, the Historisch Nieuwsblad (historical newspaper) renamed the "Bontekoe award" (a prize for the best historical youth book, established in 2003) as the Thea Beckman Award. In 2004, it was awarded to Benny Lindelauf for his book Negen open armen (nine open arms). In 2005, it was given to Belgian authors Jean Claude van Rijckeghem and Pat Beirs for the novel Jonkvrouw.