Noni Lichtveld Explained

Noni Lichtveld
Birth Name:Maria Johanna Francisca Renée Lichtveld
Birth Date:29 May 1929
Birth Place:Abcoude, Netherlands
Death Place:Laren, Netherlands
Occupation:Scenic designer, author, illustrator
Parents:Lou Lichtveld

Maria Johanna Francisca Renée "Noni" Lichtveld (3 May 1929  - 16 August 2017) was a Dutch-Surinamese author, illustrator and scenic designer.

Biography

Lichtveld was the second daughter of the Surinamese author Lou Lichtveld (also known as "Albert Helman") and Dutch author Leni Mengelberg. The family lived near Barcelona from 1932 to October 1936, when Mengelberg returned to the Netherlands with the children because of her husband's infidelity[1] and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.[2] Her mother remarried with architect Benjamin Merkelbach in 1940.[3]

Lichtveld attended drawing training at the Rietveld Academy and studied at the French trade union of scenic designers, Syndicat des Décorateurs de Théatre in Paris.[4] After her study, she provided the sets for many Dutch theater companies and worked with theater greats such as Erwin Piscator and Sonia Gaskell.[5]

In addition to sets, she made murals and illustrations and covers for children's books, both in Suriname and the Netherlands. A wall mosaic of hers can be seen in Huize Frankendael from 1957, the year that her stepfather, as city architect of Amsterdam, received it as an official residence.[6]

From 1958 to 1964, Lichtveld lived with her husband, actor and director Ton Verwey,[5] in Suriname when he was sent there by the Foundation for Cultural Cooperation.[7] There, in 1960, she and Wilfred Teixeira were the first teachers of a series of courses leading to the founding of the School of Dramatic Art on April 23, 1965.[8]

Lichtveld made her writing debut in 1984 with the children's book Anansi. De spin weeft zich een web om de wereld ("Anansi. The spider weaves a web around the world"). For this collection of short stories she received the Dutch award Vlag en Wimpel.

In 1987, together with Gerda Havertong, she received the E. du Perron Prize for the preservation and dissemination of the Anansi story. The prize money (2,500 guilders) was invested in 1988 in a study trip to Ghana, where Lichtveld searched for Anansi stories.

Lichtveld died on 16 August 2017 in the Rosa Spier Huis in Laren, where she spent the last years of her life.

Bibliography

Illustrations

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Het liefdesleven van Lou Lichtveld . Hilde Neus . de Ware Tijd Literair . 17 December 2016 . 8 April 2019 .
  2. Web site: In memoriam Cecilia Lichtveld . Michiel van Kempen . Caraïbisch Uitzicht . 23 April 2018 . 22 April 2019 .
  3. Web site: Merkelbach, B. (Benjamin) / Archief. Het Nieuwe Instituut. 2000.
  4. Web site: Noni Lichtveld . Jan van Coillie, Wilma van der Pennen, Jos Staal en Herman Tromp . Lexicon van de jeugdliteratuur . June 1998 . 22 April 2019 .
  5. Web site: Noni Lichtveld overleden op 88-jarige leeftijd . Mari Searby-Verwey . werkgroepcaraibischeletteren.nl . 22 April 2019 .
  6. Web site: Geschiedenis Huize Frankendael . 23 April 2019 .
  7. Web site: Sticusa wil regisseur Ton Verwey in Suriname houden . Het Parool . 27 March 1961 . 23 April 2019 .
  8. Web site: De geschreven literatuur van 1923 tot 1975 . Michiel van Kempen . Een geschiedenis van de Surinaamse literatuur. Deel 4 . 2002 . 22 April 2019 .
  9. Web site: De orale literatuur . Michiel van Kempen . Een geschiedenis van de Surinaamse literatuur. Deel 2 . 2002 . 23 April 2019 .