Dutch author Cees Nooteboom, known for his novels, travel writing and translations, has died aged 92. His publishing house, De Bezige Bij, announced that he passed away peacefully on his beloved island of Menorca. The statement, issued on behalf of his wife, photographer Simone Sassen, described him as an internationally acclaimed writer whose friendship, erudition and individuality will be missed.

Nooteboom gained early recognition in the Netherlands with his 1955 debut novel Philip and the Others, inspired by his hitchhiking journeys through the Mediterranean and Scandinavia. The book won the Anne Frank prize and became a Dutch classic. His international breakthrough came with the 1980 novel Rituals, which explored the contrast between two friends with opposing life philosophies. The novel was adapted into a film in 1988 and became his first work translated into English.

Born in The Hague in 1933, Nooteboom’s childhood was marked by World War II, during which his father was killed in a British air raid. His literary career later flourished across Europe, particularly in Germany, and he received honorary doctorates from universities in Brussels, Nijmegen, Berlin, and University College London in 2019.