Cissy van Marxveldt. Een biografie
Cissy van Marxveldt (pseudonym of Setske Beek-de Haan, 1889-1948) was one of the most popular writers of books for girls in The Netherlands. Mostly known for her amusing and popular books such as the Joop ter Heul-series and Een Zomerzotheid, published between 1919 and 1927, she also wrote novels and short stories for adults as well as more thoughtful books for young adults. Almost all of Van Marxveldt’s books were positively reviewed in national and local newspapers and journals, and various school surveys at that time showed that Van Marxveldt’s books were listed as among the students’ most favourite books.
However, Van Marxveldt’s many publications and the successes of her books were in stark contrast to her public statements about her work. When interviewed, she would present herself as an overtly modest and passive female writer. While downplaying her work and her books, Van Marxveldt habitually played up her social background. She would tell journalists that she had been raised by a Swiss governess and that her parents had sent her to a boarding school in England for the finishing touch, which was a gross exaggeration.
All in all, Van Marxveldt’s authorship was characterised by varying tensions and incongruities. The main question of this biography therefore is: how did Van Marxveldt react to and manage, successfully or otherwise, the tensions caused by her female authorship? The answer to this question can be found in her novels, of which a great many can be considered to be, partly or wholly, autobiografiction.