René Appel on Crime, Creativity, and Catching the Dutch Wave
An interview with the acclaimed author of Joyride, featured in Dutch Treats: Short Crime Fiction from the Netherlands and Flanders
René Appel—two-time winner of the Golden Noose and widely regarded as the godfather of Dutch crime fiction—shares the story behind his contribution to Dutch Treats, a new anthology of thrilling tales from the Netherlands and Flanders. From his early work as a linguist to decades of success as a novelist, Appel discusses his writing journey, favorite authors, and why Patricia Highsmith remains a timeless influence.
Dutch Treats: Meet René Appel
• Tell our readers a little about yourself.
I was born in Hoogkarspel, a village in the northwest of Holland, in 1945, and moved to Amsterdam in 1962 to study at the University of Amsterdam’s Department of Languages, where I eventually earned a PhD in linguistics, writing my thesis on the acquisition of Dutch as a second language by Turkish and Moroccan immigrant children. After reviewing crime fiction for the national newspaper NRC Handelsblad for eight years, I wrote my own first crime novel, Handicap, in 1986. Since then, I’ve written twenty-six more novels for adult readers, two YA books, and three collections of short stories. In 2003, I retired from teaching at the University of Amsterdam to have more time for writing.
• Where did the idea for “Joyride,” your contribution to Dutch Treats, come from?
I was invited to contribute a story to Summercrime, an anthology of stories by Dutch and Flemish writers, each of which had to include a scene in which a car was parked in some deserted nighttime location, its doors open, its lights on. Everything else came from my imagination!
• What are some of your favorite books by American writers, and why do you like them?
Patricia Highsmith is the American writer who inspires me most, especially Strangers on a Train, This Sweet Sickness, Deep Water, and of course The Talented Mr. Ripley. I like them because of the way she uses simple means to build suspense. You know things will go wrong, but the question is always how?
• Do you have other work available in English? If so, where can interested readers find it?
Several of my short stories have appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Genius published my novel The Amsterdam Lawyer. Also, Josh Pachter and I co-edited (and collaborated on a story for) the anthology Amsterdam Noir, which was published by Akashic Books, and our collaborative story “Cell Division” was animated for the free Storiaverse app.
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