W.F. Hermans - Boze Brieven van Bijkaart

Willem Frederik Hermans - Boze Brieven van Bijkaart - Amsterdam - De Bezige Bij - 1977 - 1st edition - 408 pp - Paperback - 12,5 x 20 cm. - Cover design: Leendert Stofbergen.

Condition: Good - the copy of JAN CREMER. With certificate of authenticity.

Essay collection by W.F. Hermans (1921-1995) with all letters submitted by 'Age Bijkaart', as they appeared in the daily newspaper Het Parool from the end of 1973 to the end of November 1976. Illustrated with black and white photos. With table of contents and index. Typography: Tessa Fagel. Author photo: Jutka Rona. Series BBLiterair.

¶ This is the copy that WFH donated to fellow writer Jan Cremer (1940-2024). Inserted is an envelope, addressed to 'p/a De Bezige Bij' containing a typed offer letter on pink paper from Hermans with his blind stamp at the top. In addition to options such as "annoy you" and "excite you", the sender hopes that the book will "delight you".

Hermans also marked the option "you are present in the index" with a pen. Jan Cremer has read the book and an address stamp (designed by Leendert Stofbergen) and his SIGNATURE, have been placed in it, together with a note of the pages on which Bijkaart talks about Cremer. As on p. 247: "Het maken van tamtam bij het verschijnen van kunstwerken uit eigen pen of kwast is in Nederland uitgevonden door Jan Cremer. De eerste was meteen de beste. [...] Na Jan hoefde niemand het meer te proberen".

Cf. Janssen/Van Stek 346; Buiskoop Toxopeus 48.01; Blom p. 137.