Henna Goudzand Nahar
Henna Goudzand Nahar (born December 28, 1953) is a Surinamese fiction writer and journalist. She has written under the pen names Amber and Amber Nahar.
Biography[edit]
Henna Goudzand Nahar was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, in 1935.[1][2] She describes herself as being of African descent, with some Chinese, European, Jewish, and Indigenous ancestry.[2] Her father, a teacher, provided her with early exposure to Dutch and Surinamese literature, and she began writing at a young age.[2]
As a young woman, she worked as a Dutch teacher in her home city.[1] Then, in 1989, she moved to the Netherlands, where she continued teaching Dutch in Amsterdam until her retirement.[1][2][3][4]
Goudzand Nahar has published stories in the Surinamese women's magazine Brasa, as well as in the publications Preludium (1988), De Gids (1990), and De Groene Amsterdammer (1992).[2] Her writing has also appeared in the anthologies Verhalen van Surinaamse schrijvers (1989), Hoor die tori! (1990), Sirito (1993), and Mama Sranan; 200 jaar Surinaamse verhaalkunst (1999).[5] Her debut novel, Hele dagen in de regen, was published in 2005, followed by Over het zoute water (2015) and De geur van bruine bonen (2020).[2]
She often writes under the pen name Amber or Amber Nahar.[5] Her work frequently deals with migration between Suriname and the Netherlands, and the legacy of slavery in her home country.[1][2][4]
Goudzand Nahar has also written children's literature, including the books Op zoek naar een vriend (1994), De Bonistraat (1996), Toch nog gelukkig (1996; with Baptista van Laerhoven), and De stem van Bever (2007; illustrated by Jeska Verstegen). She also worked on educational materials for Sesamstraat.[1][2] In 2022, she won a Bronze Griffel for her 2021 story Op de rug van Bigi Kayman.[1][6] Her most recent children's book, Suikerland (2023), tells the history of the Atlantic slave trade in Suriname.[1]
As a journalist, she has contributed criticism and opinion pieces to the Surinamese publications De Ware Tijd Literair and Oso.[5] Starting in 2009, she served as editor of the digital women's magazine Oer Digitaal Vrouwenblad.[1][7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Jamaludin, Rihana. "Suikerland". Literatuurgeschiedenis (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Claassen, Thomas (2021-04-23). "De boekenkast van Henna Goudzand". Oost Online (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2022-01-21.
- ^ van Kempen, Michiel (2023-05-21). "On the use of Dutch "slaaf" and "totslaafgemaakte"". Werkgroep Caraïbische Letteren (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ a b van Oorsouw, Martien (2020-12-16). "Het verleden is niet weg na de migratie". Oost Online (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2023-01-27.
- ^ a b c "Henna Goudzand Nahar". DBNL (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ "Kinderboek Op de rug van Bigi Kayman wint twee prijzen". Werkgroep Caraïbische Letteren (in Dutch). 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ "Oer Digitaal Vrouwenblad". Werkgroep Caraïbische Letteren (in Dutch). 2009-07-02. Retrieved 2024-05-23.