Maxim Februari, pseudonym of Maximiliaan (Max) Drenth (born 23 February 1963), is a Dutch writer, philosopher and columnist.
Life and work
Februari studied law, philosophy and history of art at Utrecht University.[2] His first novel (De zonen van het uitzicht), for which he received the Multatuli Prize, was published in 1989. Februari's next novel The Book Club (Dutch: De literaire kring) was published in 2007. He wrote columns for two leading Dutch newspapers, de Volkskrant and NRC Handelsblad.[3][4]
Februari published a highly original dissertation at Tilburg University in 2000. This book (Een pruik van paardenhaar & Over het lezen van een boek, Amartya Sen en de Onmogelijkheid van de Paretiaanse liberaal) was a combination of a scientific book and a novel, both on economics and on ethics –and published under two names: M. Februari & Marjolijn Drenth.[5]
In 2008 Februari received the Frans Kellendonk Prize, a Dutch literary award.[6]
Februari gave the 2011 Mosse Lecture, titled Wat is seks eigenlijk? (What exactly is sex?).[7]
Gender transitioning
Newspaper NRC-Handelsblad announced in September 2012 that their columnist Marjolijn Februari would from then on publish under the name Maxim Februari, because of his gender transitioning. Februari published The Making of a Man. Notes on Transsexuality (Dutch: De maakbare man. Notities over transseksualiteit) in 2013.[4]
Publications in English
Maxim Februari: The Making of a Man. Notes on Transsexuality. (Transl. by Andy Brown). London, Reaktion Books, 2015. ISBN978-1-78023-473-1
Marjolijn Februari: The Book Club. (Transl. by Paul Vincent). London, Quercus, 2011. ISBN978-0-85738-132-3
Globalisation and Human Dignity. Sources and Challenges in Catholic Social Thought. An essay by Marjolijn Drenth von Februar, with contrib. by Wim van de Donk [and others]. Budel, Damon, 2004. ISBN90-5573-577-9
References
^G.J. van Bork, Februari, M., Schrijvers en dichters (in Dutch), 2004. Retrieved 12 March 2016.