Tussen geschiedenis en verbeelding. Biofictie, een nieuw genre? [Zwischen Geschichte und Fiktion. Biofiktion, eine neue Gattung ? ]

Missinne, Lut

Abstract

The phenomenon of biofiction, which has recently found a number of practitioners in Dutch literature (Karin Amatmoekrim, Arthur Japin, Thomas Lieske, Nicolaas Matsier, Koen Peeters, Hélène Nolthenius, Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Jan Siebelink, among others), is, according to some, a typical postmodern phenomenon; according to others, the genre has its roots in the historical novel and dates back to the nine- teenth century. In this article I pay attention to this genre in which his- torical figures and events are mixed with fictional elements. In par- ticular, I look at some prototypical narrative aspects, such as the nar- rative situation and focalization, the incorporation of source material in the text, techniques of fictionalization and the structure of the story. On this basis, I formulate some possible explanations for the current popularity of biofiction.