April 25, 2024 at 20:00
HARDERWIJK Last Saturday, Harderwijker Arie de Ruiter had a signing session in the Boeklief bookstore for his new novel Bleeding blood like tears. A story about an almost 18 year old boy who suffers from schizophrenia, losing his dreams and on the long, difficult road to recovery.
Arie de Ruiter, now 70 years old, comes from the Alblasserwaard and has lived in Harderwijk since 2009. From his apartment overlooking the forests of Ermelo on one side and Wolderwijd on the other else, all the way to Zeewolde, Harderwijk is around Arie. “I live here wonderfully. When the weather is nice, I don’t write. Then I go out for a walk or a cup of coffee on the terrace.” The fact that Arie is now integrated into the environment can be seen from his novel Danger which takes place in Ermelo in 1860.
WORDPERFECT
Arie’s first stories date back to the 1990s. “Some of the authors say that they have been writing since the moment they learned the first letters. I am not one of those. I was terrible at it at school. Because I liked teachers, I got only six.”
Because I liked teachers, I got only six
However, when the question came for a page that was still empty in the church magazine, Arie found the courage to sit down at the computer and write. His first story was soon followed by new ones. “At that time, everyone had a computer and you didn’t do much with it. I had fun getting behind and playing around with WordPerfect.”
NUMBER OF CHANGE AND WRITING
At that time, the hobby of writing was combined with work as an accountant. A striking contrast between real figures and situations to the imaginary world of writing. “I can’t tell you why I started accounting, I didn’t know what to study. ” But Arie felt at home in both circles. “My sense of language was greatly improved by working, taking minutes and being the pivot in a group.” It is convenient that language is the most important working material of a writer. “I still get feedback from my testers that I sometimes use old-fashioned Dutch. Then I have to sit down and change that.”
BURN-OUT
Due to a bad burn, Arie stopped working as an accountant in 2006. He found the inspiration to move from stories to novels. “The Married Monk is my first novel. I have now rewritten, because my style has improved a lot over the years.” Arie can’t explain exactly where the history choice comes from. “I had a teacher who could tell stories well. Later I read about it, that’s how it started.”
HISTORY
The use of modern language is a less important point for the historical novels that Arie has often written. “For these stories I really immerse myself in time. I’m looking for what can be found in history.”
The fact that the reader really feels like they are in that time is a huge compliment
For the story of Ermelo and Harderwijk, he got inspiration from old booklets in which the experiences of people in the area over generations are recorded. “I get a lot of satisfaction from going through these types of jobs.” The reviews of Arie’s books show that the reader really thinks about himself during that time and is completely drawn into the story. “That’s a big compliment.”
SCHIZOPHRENIA
The times in which his eight novels are set vary widely. From 500 AD in the novel Cloud Horse to the Golden Age, but also the interwar period. Drops of Blood Like Tears is the second book set in the present day. “I was a little out of time. Otherwise, I will write the same kind of story twice. A few stories about schizophrenia came up in my environment.”Arie researched the problem, read many stories of experience and interviewed people about life with such a diagnosis. “The impact on the life of a boy who is close to being an adult and who really sees his world is falling apart. The fears they are experiencing are real to them. Just saying that what they see as wrong has no effect. More is needed.” “I hope it reaches a wide audience.”
ETHICAL SUBJECT
All of Arie’s books have a moral theme that makes the reader think. “Married monk, how can you continue to live with the murder of your conscience or the influence of discrimination. It’s about vulnerable people who deserve attention.” Arie is still not writing the next novel. “I’m currently translating my books into English, and I hope to become familiar there as well.” And I see where inspiration suddenly appears again. ”
Arie’s books are sold at Boeklief bookstore. You can order online via www.boekarie.nl.
2024-04-25 18:00:00
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