Career

Anne Provoost was born in the Belgian town of Poperinge. She grew up in a family of four children in West Flanders and studied Germanic languages at the connected universities of Kortrijk and Leuven. Although she wrote stories as a child, she did not think much of it until she began winning writing competitions while in school. She continued her education with a one-year course in teaching methods and then, after marrying Manu Claeys, moved to join him in Minneapolis, where he was studying American literature. During this time, she wrote for Belgian and American children's newspapers and completed her first novel, My Aunt is a Pilot Whale (1991), which takes place in the United States. She returned to Belgium in 1989 and worked part-time for an international exchange organization. However, after her second novel, Falling, became successful, she chose to become a full-time writer.

Anne Provoost is known for reimagining myths, folk tales, fairy tales, and Bible stories. Each year, she writes a letter to Hans Christian Andersen, responding to one of his stories. In addition to writing novels, she also writes essays about literature and children's books, as well as short stories. Her books, originally written in Dutch, have been translated into many European languages, including Afrikaans, Amharic, Arabic, and Turkish.

In 2003, she was made a member of the Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature. In June 2007, she ran for the Senate as a candidate for the Flemish Green Party.

The novels

Anne Provoost is considered a novelist who writes for young adults. Her stories are often told from the perspective of young people, who may have questions or confusion about the events they describe. Her first two books dealt with difficult topics. In My Aunt is a Pilot Whale, the story involves sexual abuse. Her second novel, Falling (1994), explores the influence of neo-Nazi ideas. Both books received awards and praise from critics, especially Falling, which was adapted for theatre three times and became an English-language film in 2001.

In 1997, Provoost rewrote the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast in The Rose and the Swine, set in medieval Antwerp. In In the Shadow of the Ark (2001), she tells the biblical story of Noah from the viewpoint of a teenage girl who was not chosen to survive the flood. Both books examine traditional religious beliefs closely, a theme she expanded in her essay Beloved Unbelievers: Atheist Sermon (2008), where she argues for organized resistance against right-wing Christian fundamentalism.

Her most recent novel, Looking into the Sun (2007), follows the story of a young girl living on an Australian farm with her mother, who has poor eyesight and may be losing her sight. The girl’s father died after falling from a horse, and the mother struggles but is unable to keep the farm running.

Selected works

• My Aunt Is a Pilot Whale (1990) ( ISBN 0-88961-202-1 )
• Falling (1994) ( ISBN 1-86448-444-6 )
• The Rose and the Swine (1997)
• In the Shadow of the Ark (2001) ( ISBN 0-425-21102-9 )
• Looking into the Sun (2007) ( ISBN 978-90-789-8032-2 )

• Second Letter to Hans Christian Andersen
• Bad Endings for Children: Hopelessness and Comfort; Growing Up, Whether You Want To or Not
• So Here's the Bad News: The Child as an Antagonist
• Identification in Falling: If Goblins Don't Exist…

Awards

• 1991 – Belgium, Boekenleeuw Award for My Aunt is a Pilot Whale
• 1991 – Belgium, Prijs Letterkunde van de Vlaamse Provincies – Jeugd- en Kinderboek Award for My Aunt is a Pilot Whale
• 1995 – The Netherlands, Woutertje Pieterse Prijs Award for Falling
• 1995 – Belgium, Boekenleeuw Award for Falling
• 1995 – International, IBBY Honour List for Falling
• 1995 – Belgium, Gouden Uil voor Kinder- en Jeugdliteratuur Award for Falling
• 1995 – The Netherlands, Zilveren Griffel Award for Falling
• 1995 – International, White Ravens Special Mention for Falling
• 1996 – Belgium, Prijs Letterkunde van de Vlaamse Provincies – Jeugd- en Kinderboek Award for Falling
• 1997 – France, Shortlist for Prix du Lecteur of Mans and Sarthe for Falling
• 1998 – International, IBBY Honour List for The Rose and the Swine
• 1998 – Belgium, Shortlist for Gouden Uil Award for The Rose and the Swine
• 1998 – Belgium, Boekenleeuw Award for The Rose and the Swine
• 1998 – The Netherlands, Gouden Zoen Award for The Rose and the Swine
• 2000 – Germany, Luchs-Award from Die Zeit for The Rose and the Swine
• 2000 – Germany, Prijs van Nordrhein-Westfalen Award for My Aunt is a Pilot Whale, Falling, and The Rose and the Swine
• 2000 – Belgium, Lavki-Award for Falling (a 5-yearly award from the city of Hasselt)
• 2001 – Austria, Sonderpreis from the Jury der Jungen Leser for The Rose and the Swine
• 2002 – The Netherlands, Gouden Zoen Award for In the Shadow of the Ark
• 2002 – Belgium, Boekenwelp Award for In the Shadow of the Ark
• 2002 – Belgium, Longlist for Gouden Uil Award for In the Shadow of the Ark
• 2004 – USA, Children's Book Sense Picks for In the Shadow of the Ark
• 2005 – Belgium, Prijs Letterkunde van de Provincie West-Vlaanderen – Jeugd- en Kinderboek Award for In the Shadow of the Ark
• 2005 – International, Longlist for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for In the Shadow of the Ark
• 2007 – The Netherlands, Longlist for LIBRIS-Award for Looking into the Sun
• 2007 – The Netherlands, Shortlist for Halewijn-Award in Roermond for Looking into the Sun
• 2008 – The Netherlands, Woman&Culture Award for Looking into the Sun
• 2009 – Belgium, 3-yearly Culture Award of Flanders for Looking into the Sun