Outside In World talk to Yorkick Goldewijk about his new novel Movies Showing Nowhere

Can you tell us the inspiration for Movies Showing Nowhere?

Movies showing Nowhere started out with a photo of me sitting in the middle of an old and empty cinema hall - a photo from more than 20 years old. When I saw the photo again, something 'clicked' in my head. All of a sudden this enigmatic cinema arose in my mind. I felt like a place where something mysterious was going on, a tale was hiding there. And it was up to me to uncover this tale.

It’s a very moving story for children and adults, with themes of grief and loss- was that a difficult area to write about for young people?

In all honesty, I always just write stories I would like to read myself. I'm not thinking of a target audience when writing. When Movies Showing Nowhere was finished I did wonder who this book would be for, whether people would embrace it as I had embraced it myself. But I never wondered if it was perhaps too much to handle for children, because children are very well capable of dealing with and relating to bigger emotions such as grief and loss. Besides that I think the story of Movies Showing Nowhere is one of hope and wonder first and foremost - it's not heavy-hearted at all.

What books did you read as a child?

I read Ronya the Robber's Daughter and The Lionheart Brothers - those were my favourite books. But also Roald Dahl, of course! And I also loved the books from Paul Biegel - a great Dutch children's book writer.

Can you tell us how you started writing?

I started writing when I was very young, my first stories are from when I was about seven or eight. And I knew I wanted to become a writer when I read Rony the Robber's Daughter. I wrote a lot growing up and as a young adult, and sometimes I would send something to a publisher, but it was always rejected. My first children's book was a story about a boy who had to save the world by preventing it from being raffled (and quite possibly being turned into a sock factory). It took me fifteen rejections, fifteen rewrites and nine years to get it published!

Do you have an idea for a new book at the moment?

I'm working on two new things at the moment, but I can't really share anything yet, it's all a big secret...

Outside In World is passionate about children’s books in translation. Can you tell us why you think it’s important to read books from around the world?

I think reading books broadens your horizons, and reading books from around the world broadens your horizons even more. There are so many cultures, and so many different ways to look at things and to think about things. The more you allow inside from beyond what you already know, the bigger your world and your mind will be.

April 2024