Andreas Burnier - Transgender Avant La Lettre

On September 18, 2023, it will be 11 years since Andreas Burnier passed away. On her anniversary, we delve into the life and work of Andreas Burnier with biographer Elisabeth Lockhorn.

Andreas Burnier (1931-2002) was a multifaceted individual who made significant contributions to LGBTQ+ rights and the second-wave feminist movement. Just as Gerard Reve was influential in the literary field for male homosexuality, Burnier was a significant figure for female homosexuality. In the academic world, she advocated for a Women's University (which eventually led to women's studies), and she showed great interest in Paarse September from an activist perspective.

Burnier faced many challenges in her life, which she confronted with her unique character. As a Jewish child, she was placed in sixteen different hiding families during the war. As a lesbian and a "transgender avant la lettre," she struggled with her identity, reflected in powerful novels like "Het jongensuur," "Een tevreden lach," and "De literaire salon." As an anthroposophist and scholar, she dared to question the Church of Reason and speak of the soul during a time when it was being disregarded.

Elisabeth Lockhorn published the biography "Andreas Burnier, metselaar van de wereld" in 2016, which was reissued in 2022. The book was nominated for the M.J. Brusse Prize for the best journalistic book and the Erik Hazelhoff Prize for the best biography. It was also honored with the Henriëtte de Beaufort Prize 2016 from the Maatschappij der Nederlandse Letterkunde. Additionally, Lockhorn has published literary interview collections such as "Geletterde mannen" and "Geletterde vrouwen."