Photo: Joris Casaer
Heerma van Voss on his appointment: 'For me, writing is about freedom, and sometimes it takes others to reinforce that freedom. Sixteen years ago, when I debuted, I myself was studying Dutch Language & Culture, at the University of Amsterdam - a time I found restrictive and liberating at the same time. Of the best lecturers I remember that they showed me what literature could mean and in many cases had already meant, and also how little I sometimes had to care. Freedom, yes, I felt more and more of it then - to think of, describe, read what I myself found interesting. In my role as Writer in Residence, I hope to bring about something similar, I hope to make students extra eager for literature and for writing, and in the meantime encourage them to explore for themselves what they like best.'
Nineteenth
Heerma van Voss is the nineteenth Writer in Residence at VU Amsterdam and the successor to Désanne van Brederode and previous Writers in Residence such as Arnon Grunberg, Bas Heijne, Maxim Februari, Ernest van der Kwast, Ronald Giphart, Renate Dorrestein and Abdelkader Benali. Heerma van Voss' appointment lasts for one year.
Rector Magnificus
'We are extremely pleased to welcome Thomas Heerma van Voss as Writer in Residence at VU Amsterdam next year. His work offers keen observations and profound reflections on themes such as identity, tradition and human relationships; topics that are also prevalent within our university community and central to our teaching and research. We look forward to the observations and inspiring exchange of ideas Thomas will have in this role,' said Rector Magnificus Jeroen Geurts.
About Thomas Heerma van Voss
(1990) is a Dutch writer with an extensive literary oeuvre. He grew up in Amsterdam, studied English in London for a year and then Dutch at the University of Amsterdam. From 2015 to 2022, he was editor of the literary magazine De Revisor.
In 2009, he made his debut with the novel De allestafel. His second novel, Stern (2013), was critically acclaimed and praised by NRC Handelsblad and de Volkskrant, among others, as the work of a great literary talent. In 2014, he published his collection of short stories The Third Person, which was nominated for the BNG Literature Prize. Together with his brother Daan Heerma van Voss, he wrote the thriller Ultimatum in 2015. This was followed in 2017 by the essay collection Plaatsvervangers, which was nominated for the Jan Hanlo Essay Prize and the BookSpot Literature Prize.
With Conditions, his third novel about identity, illness and ambitions was published in 2020, and Conditions made it to the longlist of both the Libris Literature Prize and the Boekenbon Literature Prize. In the same year, he published Bowling in Philadelphia and the essay Lost Books, which closed publishing house Babel & Voss. This essay, together with Invisible books, was republished by publisher Das Mag. This was followed in 2022 by his second collection of short stories, Passengers/Leaves Behind, in which characters leave their familiar surroundings and try to get a grip on the outside world. The collection was nominated for the BNG Bank Literature Prize 2022. In 2024, he published his fourth novel, Het archief (The Archive), which was longlisted for the Libris Literature Prize 2025. Heerma van Voss' literature is characterised by a subtle, restrained writing style with a focus on psychological depth.
Besides novels and essays, Heerma van Voss writes interviews, stories and articles for de Volkskrant, NRC Handelsblad, Vrij Nederland, De Correspondent, De Groene Amsterdammer and the VARAgids, among others. In Trouw, he reported on his experiences as a volunteer in the election campaign of the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania. He is also a regular guest on the Hard Grass podcast.
