Winter in Wartime

Winter in Wartime (Oorlogswinter, 1972) is a novel by the Dutch writer Jan Terlouw. The story is about a 15-year-old Dutch boy who lives through the last winter of World War II and is based on the author's recollections; Terlouw was eight when the German army invaded the Netherlands. Background Jan Terlouw was born in Kamperveen in 1931, but moved to the village of Wezep in the Veluwe region in the last year of World War II. Terlouw's father was dominee in the local parish. Due to the fact that Terlouw's father was involved in the local community as a result of being a dominee, he was arrested twice by the Nazi forces, but released each time after a few days. Terlouw stated multiple times that he did not take part in any Resistance-related activities, but that he saw city dwellers who came to the village during the time of the Dutch famine. Terlouw stated: "But this was really 'my' war. Like I experienced those years. Others might had described the war from the perspective of a camp prisonor or from the bombarded cities. I have not done anything heroic, the war happed to me, just like with some many people. My only contribution is that I wrote it down.". Terlouw became a scientist and in 1971 a member of Dutch parliament as part of D66, a then new left-liberal party. As an author, Terlouw debuted in 1970 with the novel Pjotr and published his second novel How to become King in 1971. Both novels had received wide critical acclaim.