This article examines the grant procedure of the Fonds voor de Letteren/Nederlands Letterenfonds (Dutch Foundation for Literature), which has been the main government agency for literary grants in the Netherlands since 1965. Through an analysis of a substantial body of applications submitted between 1966 and 2017, I explore how writers approached the application process and form. I argue that this subsidy scheme is related to issues concerning the artistic autonomy of writers (their freedom to produce the type of literature they prefer) and their professional autonomy (their ability to develop a career as a writer). While the artistic autonomy of writers was paramount in the 1960s, with their professional autonomy needing to be asserted during that period, the situation evolved over the subsequent fifty years. By the 2010s, the professional standing of writers was widely accepted, though their creative process was subject to more explicit guidance within the grant procedure.

Onderwerpen: 1900-2000 2000-2020 literaire wereld autonomie

Auteur: dr. Laurens Ham