Author Anjet Daanje has been awarded the Constantijn Huygens prize, the Netherlands’ most prestigious literary accolade, for her work to date.

Daanje, who has written film scenarios, novellas and poetry, shot to fame with the sprawling, Emily Brontë-inspired Het lied van ooievaar en dromedaris (The song of the stork and the dromedary), which won her the Boekenbon prize in 2022 and the Libris prize for literature in 2023.

Her first succes came with De herinnerde soldaat (The remembered soldier) for which she was awarded the F. Bordewijk-prijs in 2020.

According to the jury, Daanje has created “a literary universe all her own” which is “unparalleled in its range and thirst for storytelling”.

The Constantijn Huygens prize, which is worth €12,000, came as a surprise to Daanje, the NRC said. When jury chair Aad Meinderts called her with the news, the 58-year-old replied: “I thought you had to be at least 70 to get that!”

The award ceremony is on January 21, 2024.